It is impossible to see the changes in the photo stock business isolated from business in general. The current changes are sadly caused by politics and the religion known as "the free market". We live in a world infected with the Global Commerce virus, where the big fish eat the smaller fish and make no apologies for it. The Economic climate of today is all about growth, super profits and satisfying shareholders. Gone are the days of the Mom and Pop stores where building long lasting customer relationships and giving service were important. Gone are the days when corporations were founded to take on large projects for the good of society. Maybe I paint a historic picture with to many bright flowers, but there used to be a time when moral and ethics meant something, and young people gave their seats to the elders on the bus. To quote Martin Sheen (representing the older generation) in the movie Wall Street: "What you see is a guy who never measured a man's success by the size of his WALLET!". The film, for those who haven’t seen it, must be one of the most accurate prophecies ever made.
I work as a banker (to pay for my cameras) in the World's 400 and something largest corporation. I know from the inside how the business world works, and have seen it change dramatically over the last 10 years. I also know for a fact that most people, even stockholders and the CEOs, would have loved things to be different, but it's a matter of being predator or prey. This is a development caused by blind market thinking which has taken the power away from the people and given it to the big players in the business world. So how can this go on? Simple, we are intoxicated by our own wealth. With the help of legalized slavery in third world countries we can afford a material wealth, never before experienced by so many people at once. Just think about all that can be acquired by an average individual these days, compared to just fifty years ago. Houses, cabins, cars, clothes, electronics, travels… The only thing we're missing is more time, to spend even more!
So how does this relate to stock photography? It should be obvious! There is some poetic justice in all of this. Just as most of us can afford high-end cameras and digital darkrooms to make professional grade images, the market seems to be disappearing before our very own eyes. We can't have the cake and eat it too. Does this cheapen the status of photography and possibly threaten it as "Art"? Yes, just as fast food is an insult to real food, samplers and synthesizers are and insult to real musicians, and IKEA is an insult to every furnituremaker that ever lived. Mass production equals less art and more consumption.
If there is to be any hope in saving the Art and craft of photography we need to see the bigger picture. What comes around goes around. One can't enjoy the cheap and abundant availability of merchandise in a supermarket and at the same time cry over the rise of micro-payment stock agencies. To save the Art and craft of photography we must change as individuals, parents, neighbors, members of society and the human race. If less truly is more, then we must support and value only what matters.