Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Pro Business Discussion => Topic started by: wolfnowl on May 24, 2013, 04:58:53 pm
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This looks to have some great potential: http://rising.blackstar.com/a-photo-agency-managed-by-the-crowd.html
Mike.
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I checked it out and notice that it's missing the two things that make stock photo businesses successful; first, there's no promotion going on in the picture buyer world and second, there's no sales team. I don't see how it can work until those two components are in place.
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My suspìcion is that the stock business isn't going to be what it used to be.
Fragmentation of agencies isn't a good thing: it creates too many outlets that will probably never get visited. I can't seriously believe that any guy in an ad agency, looking to buy some images, will travel through a zillion little sites when he already has contacts with the majors. (Yes, I'm sure that exceptions can be rolled out, they always can.)
If there is a problem, it is with the big agencies becoming greedy and cutting the photographers' percentages down too far. I don't buy that it is increased overheads that drove this: wasn't digital business management supposed to simplify and reduce costs?
As for the micros, well, they oviously have their place for the amateur shooter who might not have made it into a major agency, but had the majors not betrayed their good suppliers...
Personally, I think the game is pretty much over. But I may just have been out of touch too long.
Rob C
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The problem with stock agencies is that they take such a large percentage of the sales price. I think with the advantages of personal websites and search engines being so optimized..photographers can sell their own.