Microstock agency
As microstock agency to photo agencies designated, the stock photos on the Internet offering at favorable terms. They differ from conventional agencies, firstly, by purchasing photographs over the Internet, secondly, by accepting a wider range of photographers - including amateur photographers - and thirdly, by their low prices. The prices for individual images vary considerably. If the original idea of Microstock was also a micropayment of a few cents, the costs per image actually averaged around € 2 to € 5 for a web resolution. In addition to photographs, audio and video files are now also sold through this business model.
Images that can be ordered from microstock agencies are usually characterized by the royalty-free license model or the editorial use of the image material. “That means that the images in question cannot be purchased exclusively by the customer. Photos that are licensed in this way stay in circulation, they are sold over and over again. "
Bruce Livingstone opened iStockphoto, the first microstock agency, which was bought by the largest photo agency Getty Images in 2006 for 50 million US dollars .
Microstock agencies (selection)
- 123RF
- iStock ( Getty Images )
- Fotolia ( Adobe )
- Shutterstock
Web links
- Microstocks: Sales with vacation pictures. In: Spiegel Online. September 27, 2009, accessed October 5, 2012 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Johannes Spengler: Stock Photography: Heile Familie auf Abruf Süddeutsche from August 30, 2013, accessed on June 12, 2020.