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Author Topic: Austockphoto – new player selling royalty free in Australia  (Read 23247 times)

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« on: June 11, 2017, 20:42 »
+2
Hi guys!

Just wanted to let you know about Austockphoto – a new kid on the block that photographers 'down under' might be interested in checking out, if you haven't already. The site launched late last year and so far is gaining good momentum. The collection is entirely Australian content – images shot in Australia of Australian people and places.

Contributors receive 50% of the royalties from every Exclusive Basic License and 75% of every Exclusive Additional License purchased.

Keen to hear what you think: newbielink:http://www.austockphoto.com.au [nonactive]

Next intake should be in around Aug/ Sept.


namussi

« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2017, 23:04 »
+2
The collection is entirely Australian content – images shot in Australia of Australian people and places.


What is the benefit to consumers of that?

iStock has 289,733 images with the keyword "Australia".

Why would I want to sign up with yet another agency just to get pix of Australia?

Perhaps there's a nationalist advantage -- Australians wanting to support Australian providers?

But there are only 25m people in Australia.

A tiny market.

And customers would still need to sign up to other agencies to find pix of non-Australian stuff.

I wish you luck. But I can't see a compelling business reason for the agency to exist.

PS Will the owners make a commitment not to sell out to a bigger foreign agency? Remember how iStock in the early days used to sell itself on being independent and a scrappy outsider that was not one of the big boys?

And then the owners took the Getty money and ran.

From "four legs good, two legs bad" to "four legs good, two legs better".
« Last Edit: June 11, 2017, 23:29 by namussi »

Chichikov

« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2017, 23:47 »
+4
Hi guys!

Just wanted to let you know about Austockphoto – a new kid on the block that photographers 'down under' might be interested in checking out, if you haven't already. The site launched late last year and so far is gaining good momentum. The collection is entirely Australian content – images shot in Australia of Australian people and places.

Contributors receive 50% of the royalties from every Exclusive Basic License and 75% of every Exclusive Additional License purchased.

Keen to hear what you think: www.austockphoto.com.au

Next intake should be in around Aug/ Sept.


I plan to start a new site in Liechtenstein.
The collection will be entirely from Liechtenstein content – images shot in Liechtenstein of Liechtenstein people and places

Wish ne good luck!

« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2017, 02:16 »
+7
Geeze everyone wants the new players to come with something different and as soon as they do, you complain.

Australia's GDP is around 13th in the world, GDP per capita is around 10th.

No need to be so negative all the time. Lets concentrate our negativity on the agencies that actually deserve it :)




ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2017, 02:36 »
+3
Actually, a localised specialist agency is a very good idea. I know of one (RM) which has survived for years supplying photos of a much smaller country than Australia (used to be 'general', then specialised).

Good Luck @OP.

Justanotherphotographer

« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2017, 03:02 »
+2
Hi. Not Australian, but wish you best of luck.

Thanks for coming in and honestly announcing your agency, unlike many, many (or even most) other new players who pose as contributors and come in tell us about a great new agency they have "discovered". Refreshing.

« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2017, 03:04 »
+2
Actually, a localised specialist agency is a very good idea. I know of one (RM) which has survived for years supplying photos of a much smaller country than Australia (used to be 'general', then specialised).

Good Luck @OP.
Precisely.

Advertising agencies in certain countries often want images that are from that country, and often in a style that matches well with the country and is often best done by local photographers. Many agencies have more than $1 to spare and don't want to wade through 200,000 crap images on Shutterstock.

It's not strange at all and that's how it works with more high-end sites. So save your comments.

I wonder how many of you "how not to run your business" commenters actually run your own successful business?

It just becomes another tiresome bitter rant on how bad the business idea is, instead of saying: cool, but I'm not in Australia so best of luck.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2017, 03:09 by increasingdifficulty »

namussi

« Reply #7 on: June 12, 2017, 03:04 »
0
I'm being realistic, and trying to look at this new entrant in a business-like way. Plenty of new stock agencies have come and gone over the past fifteen years.

The key questions:

Are there enough potential buyers of pictures of Australia (taken by Australians) whose needs are not being met? How much are those buyers willing to pay? (It would be great if they would pay a premium for such material.)

Australians are rich. (The Australian economy has set a world record for the longest period without a recession -- 25 years and nine months, I think.)

But per capita GDP is not a good guide to the demand for stock photography if there aren't many people. The per capita GDP of Monaco is three times that of Australia. So would it make sense to start a Monaco-only stock agency? Probably not, as only 38000 people live in Monaco.

Remember, more people live in Shanghai than in the whole of Australia.

Mining and agriculture are much more important for the Australian economy compared to say, the economies of United States or Western Europe.

And miners and farmers, on the whole, need few stock photos.





namussi

« Reply #8 on: June 12, 2017, 03:09 »
0
Advertising agencies in certain countries often want images that are from that country, and often in a style that matches well with the country and is often best done by local photographers.

It's not strange at all and that's how it works with more high-end sites. So save your idiotic comments.


Firstly, 'do they want such things often enough to make this sustainable?

Secondly, do the people who run this agency have the skill to find such photographers, and then to promote the website to these advertising agencies in those "certain" countries?

« Reply #9 on: June 12, 2017, 03:13 »
+1
Firstly, 'do they want such things often enough to make this sustainable?

Secondly, do the people who run this agency have the skill to find such photographers, and then to promote the website to these advertising agencies in those "certain" countries?

Don't know. And neither do you. So it's rather pointless to put down ideas. Let the business owners worry about that.

But I guess naysayers can be really good motivation (listening to successful people) so maybe it's needed.  ;D

---

People with more than $20 to spare for the "advertising campaign" might be more inclined to go with local talent and quality, instead of shopping at the dollar store.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2017, 03:16 by increasingdifficulty »

namussi

« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2017, 03:16 »
0
Actually, a localised specialist agency is a very good idea. I know of one (RM) which has survived for years supplying photos of a much smaller country than Australia (used to be 'general', then specialised).

And RM is different to RF. RM customers want something distinctive that will be difficult for other customers to get.

Australia strikes me as a relatively easy country to find photographs of, and so there will be lots of competition from bigger providers. However, for small unusual countries, there may well be enough of a market for a specialist agency.

 

« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2017, 03:17 »
0
May I ask, which country is the most unusual?  ;) ;D

---

I also know of specialist agencies in countries a third the size of Australia that do really well. Many clients would happily pay $300 for an RF photo they know is authentic by a local.

namussi

« Reply #12 on: June 12, 2017, 03:19 »
0
Don't know. And neither do you. So it's rather pointless to put down ideas. Let the business owners worry about that.


It's not pointless to ask whether the business owners have the right skills.

If you are thinking of signing up (especially as an exclusive) then it is worth asking the business owners why they think they have such skills. Then, it's up to the photographer to decide whether the answers are credible.


« Reply #13 on: June 12, 2017, 03:20 »
0
It's not pointless to ask whether the business owners have the right skills.

If you are thinking of signing up (especially as an exclusive) then it is worth asking the business owners why they think they have such skills. Then, it's up to the photographer to decide whether the answers are credible.

And what answer do you think you'll get? "Nope, I don't have the skills".

namussi

« Reply #14 on: June 12, 2017, 03:28 »
0
May I ask, which country is the most unusual?  ;) ;D

A fair question!

North Korea? I bet there aren't many microstock photographers working in Pyongyang?

 :)

namussi

« Reply #15 on: June 12, 2017, 03:35 »
0
Many clients would happily pay $300 for an RF photo they know is authentic by a local.

That's great. Obviously you know clients who are not sensitive about price. They're the best to have.

But again, are there enough of them to sustain an Australia/Australians-only agency?


namussi

« Reply #16 on: June 12, 2017, 03:36 »
0
And what answer do you think you'll get? "Nope, I don't have the skills".

As I said earlier, it's up to the photographer to decide if the answers are credible or not.

(In other words, do you they sound like bullshitters?)

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #17 on: June 12, 2017, 03:49 »
+2
Actually, a localised specialist agency is a very good idea. I know of one (RM) which has survived for years supplying photos of a much smaller country than Australia (used to be 'general', then specialised).

And RM is different to RF. RM customers want something distinctive that will be difficult for other customers to get.

Australia strikes me as a relatively easy country to find photographs of, and so there will be lots of competition from bigger providers. However, for small unusual countries, there may well be enough of a market for a specialist agency.
No, RM doesn't have to be high end, and not all RF is microstock. That agency offers picture search, which apparently a good number of clients value. They also post requests from proven customers for which togs know what they'll be paid - and as the competition is limited, they can make an informed decision about whether it's worth the bother - a much better bet than e.g. Getty requests which are often specialised, difficult/expensive to set up and it might be for one of their 'premium' customers.

Also from a tog's pov, it makes it more worthwhile to shoot low-demand, low supply images.

Again, best wishes to the OP. I also appreciate your honesty in coming here, not pretending to be a contributor and not accompanied by a posse of shills saying how well they're doing at 'X' new agency.

I haven't looked at the site, as it isn't a possibility for me (Australia's a long way from Scotland!), so I'm making no specific comments about it. If they keep a tight rein on keywording and have a good search engine, they have the Micros and Alamy trumped for starters. In addition, not all of the files tagged with 'Australia' on e.g. iS are relevant to Australia - even with my deep ignorance of Australian flora and fauna, I can see  wrongly-tagged files, plus some multi-country spammed landscapes and beaches. Presumably there's some proportion of buyers who value their time more than spending hours checking and double checking the authenticity of cheap files.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2017, 05:09 by ShadySue »

namussi

« Reply #18 on: June 12, 2017, 04:12 »
0

I also know of specialist agencies in countries a third the size of Australia that do really well.

Could you tell us a bit more about what you mean by "really well", please?


« Reply #19 on: June 12, 2017, 11:05 »
+2

I also know of specialist agencies in countries a third the size of Australia that do really well.


Could you tell us a bit more about what you mean by "really well", please?


Of course, "really well" is subjective. But this one for example - http://www.folio.se - their niche is Sweden (and also a bit of the rest of Scandinavia). Both RF and RM. Around 200 contributors.

The company is only 3 people with a turnover of around $600,000-800,000. Not astronomical but in the stock image world today I would call it "really well" from a small player. You can disagree.  :)

As you can see on their site Germany, the US, the UK and Japan are frequent buyers. Not just Scandinavia.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2017, 13:02 by increasingdifficulty »

« Reply #20 on: June 12, 2017, 11:36 »
0
I've looked at their terms as I have a few hundred shots of Australia, and may have more in the future.

For non exclusive images they pay 25% commission, but it seems that if you don't have some Australian tax ID (as i understand), they withhold 50% tax from that...

« Reply #21 on: June 15, 2017, 05:56 »
0
Thanks everyone for your interest and comments. The Swedish site is a really interesting case study; in comparison we have I think around 160 photographers. Actually probably a few more than that now. So far Australian designers and businesses both big and small have shown great interest and been very supportive which has been great. And sales are so far going pretty well.

I didn't even think to pose as anyone else on a forum like this. I guess someone will tell me if I'm not supposed to 'promote' Austockphoto here  :)

I'd be keen to hear more helpful feedback from experienced stock photographers if anyone gets a chance to take a look at the site, thank you!

jonbull

    This user is banned.
« Reply #22 on: June 15, 2017, 06:14 »
0
Actually, a localised specialist agency is a very good idea. I know of one (RM) which has survived for years supplying photos of a much smaller country than Australia (used to be 'general', then specialised).

Good Luck @OP.
Precisely.

Advertising agencies in certain countries often want images that are from that country, and often in a style that matches well with the country and is often best done by local photographers. Many agencies have more than $1 to spare and don't want to wade through 200,000 crap images on Shutterstock.

It's not strange at all and that's how it works with more high-end sites. So save your comments.

I wonder how many of you "how not to run your business" commenters actually run your own successful business?

It just becomes another tiresome bitter rant on how bad the business idea is, instead of saying: cool, but I'm not in Australia so best of luck.

i agree
there are photographer in aussie doing aerial for example and posting in instagram that are top notch for example, and you won't find this kind of photos in micro.

namussi

« Reply #23 on: June 15, 2017, 08:01 »
0
Thanks everyone for your interest and comments.

Do tell us why you think you have the right skills and experience to make this succeed.

What are the mistakes that other new entrants have made, and what are you doing to avoid them?

« Reply #24 on: June 16, 2017, 10:46 »
0
Geeze everyone wants the new players to come with something different and as soon as they do, you complain.

Australia's GDP is around 13th in the world, GDP per capita is around 10th.

No need to be so negative all the time. Lets concentrate our negativity on the agencies that actually deserve it :)

which maybe be so, but this is a global world, no need to live in an oyster or a lilypad.
if it has what it takes to cut it with local portfolio, it can succeed just as well globally with a global portfolio..
and provide contributors who are looking for a viable alternative to the sick and tired istUck and shItterstock.

« Reply #25 on: June 16, 2017, 11:00 »
+2
Not true.

The art of positioning is very important.

That is why not all companies make anything and everything.

namussi

« Reply #26 on: June 17, 2017, 04:38 »
+2
if it has what it takes to cut it with local portfolio, it can succeed just as well globally with a global portfolio..
and provide contributors who are looking for a viable alternative to the sick and tired istUck and shItterstock.


But the strategies --- niche and local vs global and general -- are very different.

It's unlikely that the skills and resources you need for one strategy will guarantee success in the other.

« Reply #27 on: June 17, 2017, 08:37 »
+2
Not true.

The art of positioning is very important.

That is why not all companies make anything and everything.

We call that competitive differentiation. Become good at a niche, get better and better at that niche and your business will grow for the right reasons.

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #28 on: June 17, 2017, 12:08 »
0
And to be fair, there's always non-Australian people who need Australian stuff. Travel agents, travel blogs, YouTube channels on Australia, promo videos and the like.

namussi

« Reply #29 on: June 17, 2017, 23:11 »
0
And to be fair, there's always non-Australian people who need Australian stuff. Travel agents, travel blogs, YouTube channels on Australia, promo videos and the like.

The big question then is: how do you reach them?

How often do these people outside of Australia need pix of Australia?

And when they do, how can you make them thing first of Austockphoto instead of Getty, etc?



SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #30 on: June 18, 2017, 00:54 »
0
The same as anyone thinks of any site other than Getty... Google. So he's going to win or lose on where he ends up when people search for 'Australian stock photos' or something similar. Some kind of marketing that gets the place in peoples minds would help as well. 

namussi

« Reply #31 on: June 18, 2017, 02:49 »
0
Some kind of marketing that gets the place in peoples minds would help as well.

It would. But what had you in mind?

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #32 on: June 18, 2017, 03:07 »
+1
As I'll be getting no benefit from it, I don't have sufficient time to invest in coming up with an appropriate marketing plan!

« Reply #33 on: June 18, 2017, 08:01 »
0
I guess one advantage is you can at least focus the marketing on the niche rather than some general attack on the whole market. Five years ago I reckon they would have done OK but now I'm not sure but as has been said credit for trying something a little different.

Chichikov

« Reply #34 on: June 19, 2017, 06:30 »
0
And to be fair, there's always non-Australian people who need Australian stuff. Travel agents, travel blogs, YouTube channels on Australia, promo videos and the like.

The big question then is: how do you reach them?

How often do these people outside of Australia need pix of Australia?

And when they do, how can you make them thing first of Austockphoto instead of Getty, etc?

I suppose that the "Au" of Austockphoto is for Australia.
But if you don't know that the site is about Australia you will probably not understand it.

AustraliaStockPhoto should be more descriptive and comprehensible.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #35 on: June 19, 2017, 06:42 »
+1
I just searched on Australia stick photos and Austockphotos came up fourth, a few places above australiastockphotos.com*, so they must be doing something right.
*iS and Getty weren't on the first page.

« Reply #36 on: June 19, 2017, 07:21 »
+1
I just searched on Australia stick photos and Austockphotos came up fourth, a few places above australiastockphotos.com*, so they must be doing something right.
*iS and Getty weren't on the first page.


Good for them! After seeing this thread, I hope iS and Getty don't do their usual "annihilate every other decent business" shtick. It's good to see the little guy excel for a change.

Chichikov

« Reply #37 on: June 19, 2017, 09:16 »
0
I just searched on Australia stick photos and Austockphotos came up fourth, a few places above australiastockphotos.com*, so they must be doing something right.
*iS and Getty weren't on the first page.

If you have already connected to the austockphoto page before it is normal that it appears in the first positions (as it is recorded in the browser "history").
At me it appears as absolute first with Chrome and Google.
But if I use TOR (not registering the history) + Duck Duck Go (not tracking anything), AustralianStockPhoto is second just behind Shutterstock, and austockphoto is only in 9th position.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2017, 09:20 by Chichikov »

Chichikov

« Reply #38 on: June 19, 2017, 09:17 »
0
.

namussi

« Reply #39 on: June 19, 2017, 09:24 »
0

I suppose that the "Au" of Austockphoto is for Australia.
But if you don't know that the site is about Australia you will probably not understand it.

AustraliaStockPhoto should be more descriptive and comprehensible.

But the Au could also mean GOLD!

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #40 on: June 19, 2017, 09:43 »
0
I just searched on Australia stick photos and Austockphotos came up fourth, a few places above australiastockphotos.com*, so they must be doing something right.
*iS and Getty weren't on the first page.

If you have already connected to the austockphoto page before it is normal that it appears in the first positions (as it is recorded in the browser "history").
As I said above, I hadn't visited Austockphoto before. By contrast, I was on iS twice yesterday using Google on my phone.

Chichikov

« Reply #41 on: June 19, 2017, 11:23 »
0
I just searched on Australia stick photos and Austockphotos came up fourth, a few places above australiastockphotos.com*, so they must be doing something right.
*iS and Getty weren't on the first page.

If you have already connected to the austockphoto page before it is normal that it appears in the first positions (as it is recorded in the browser "history").
As I said above, I hadn't visited Austockphoto before. By contrast, I was on iS twice yesterday using Google on my phone.

Excuse me but I did not see it.

It is probably for this reason (one of the reasons) that for me, with Google and Chrome, it appears in first position.
In fact I don't know, I just suppose that it is like this.
With Safari it appears in 5th position using Google (the 1st result is Shutterstock and the 2nd iStock, then megapixel, then Adobe).
And I repeat, using another browser and another search engine it appears in a different position, so at last your personal experience has not a great value from the statistical point of view, no more and no less than mine. :)

Did you try different browsers and different search engines? And did you find the same results?
Even with TOR and Duck Duck Go, using different nodes (the countries from where apparently you connect) I get different results, so I suppose that the place from where we connect can have an influence on the result too, as for the language you use in your search engine (I also get different results with google.us, google.fr and google.ua).
« Last Edit: June 19, 2017, 11:28 by Chichikov »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #42 on: June 19, 2017, 11:51 »
+2
I was only relating that on a search I did the new site did very well. Anecdotal, not statistically significant. Also to point out that australiastockphotos already exists.

gillian vann

  • *Gillian*
« Reply #43 on: February 03, 2018, 22:06 »
+1
Just to reply as to why this agency is needed: despite there being a lot of "australian" pics on Getty etc, there aren't a lot that are actually authentic. Snowman on the beach? hahaha, we don't actually do that! But some photographers do it because you northern hemisphere ppl think it's funny, and it sells. We also don't do much flag waving, maybe on Australia Day, and even that is now becoming cringey (you'd have to be here to understand why). Australia has a certain look to it and many USA editors just can't quite understand it. Some our stuff is totally daggy (look it up) but that's part of who we are. Our teens don't wear uniforms, or make up to school, and   they have a different everyday look to USA or UK teens. Our homes look different, as do our roads (no yellow lines), cars, etc. Many designers lament the lack of actual Aussie content on the big sites, or that a search for "australian" stuff yields so much non-aussie stuff in the search. the fact that some of you don't get that "au" or "aus" is our abbreviation should also highlight the differences between us, and some suggesting what you think the company name "should" be, ha! our internet suffix is "au" and we often refer to anything Aussie as "aus" for short. It's all good.

 I confess there are many times when I shoot my life to look as bland, generic and USA as possible, because I agree the bigger market is the USA so I try to maximise my selling potential. It's so refreshing to be able to include all the little Aussie things in my images for Austock, and nice to be able to take real photos of my life here and not something that appeals to the hipster/PNW aesthetic all the time.  Also, the owners are nice people. It's a small startup and you can ring them on the phone and have a chat. Austock isn't doing the microstock thing, their pricing is high and the royalties paid are excellent.

And yes, I contribute to Austock.  :D
 
« Last Edit: August 22, 2018, 19:37 by gillian »

« Reply #44 on: October 11, 2018, 08:03 »
+1
I enjoy significantly better downloads from my Australian landscape content than those I've taken in USA and Europe. I don't think they are better. It's mainly due to little competition. Australia is a bit too far for photographers to get to.


 

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