http://finance.yahoo.com/news/scoopshot-secures-1-2-million-130000195.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CWWguVRBDEAVjeTmYlQ

Scoopshot is taking on the multi billion-dollar photo industry with a new service for crowdsourcing on-demand photography in minutes, backed by Yuri Arcurs. Offering an alternative to stale stock photo libraries and expensive agencies, Scoopshot gives all photo buyers the ability to set assignments for its global network of 280,000+ mobile photographers.

The photography-on-demand service has received $1.2 million funding from Yuri Arcurs, the world's top selling stock photographer, who sells one photo every eight seconds.  Scoopshot will use the funding to accelerate its international growth with a focus on the UK, US and German markets.

This crowdsourcing of photography assignments has been tried before without much fanfare. Think this one will be any different now that they've got some of Yuri's money and possibly his industry knowledge to help them?

I don't see how this could work.  Do they think photographers the world over, or even just iphone shutterbugs, are going to run out to do custom shoots to spec the same day, upload them immediately, and happily dance off to spend their $5 on a coffee?

That idea is hilarious. Custom photo shoots for 5 dollars? Of course....that is what we all love to do all day...

All the worlds stock imagery, at least the good quality content, is being supplied by a very, very tiny group of people who can create images with the necessary level of quality.

Good luck sending assignments to enthusiasts with mobile phones for 5 dollars...

ETA: with all the experience yuri has, I wonder if the concept is a different one to what is presented in that article. He really should know that custom photography doesn't work for 5 dollars.

This guy claims he was making $500 a week on Scoopshot. I just don't see how.

Or I do see how, but I don't know why anyone would want to do that much work for that money.

Obviously fake story. If anyone claims it isn't: show the shots + the usage. The days when advertisements just stretched the truth and used some weasel words are long gone, now with this crumbling economy everyone clawing the others' eye out for the last few pennies left by the .1%, they are just lying like there is no tomorrow.

It seems like it should be hugely successful (if you can get people to contribute). P.T. Barnum would be proud.

How interested are real businesses in non-released imagery?  They can't all want brick walls and cats.

You think Yuri is the just throwing $1.2mill out the window?

Yep. Why not? Have seen lot smarter people totally tank.

Wake up and smell the coffee guys and gals.

You think Yuri is the just throwing $1.2mill out the window?

Most likely, yes. Yuri might be a highly successful photographer but his record as an 'angel investor' in risky dot-com businesses is unknown. I think he is far too driven by his ego and he probably doesn't have enough experience to do the necessary due diligence or make rational decisions __ but we'll see. He might still be lucky.

There's no way this concept is strong enough to make it to an IPO. By far the quickest way to make big money will be to sell out early to FB, Google or the like in the way that Instagram did.

Michael Birch, the founder of would-be social media site Bebo, did very well. He sold out to AOL for $850M in 2008 ... and has just bought it back at auction for $1M.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebo

I looked at the 12 images of Glasgow on Scoopshot - a recent task to get interesting places and people for Visitors

https://www.scoopshot.com/v2/task/rbscsmmtgknqr

Other than the mall interior, which is a nice shot and not what you'd find on the agencies because of rules about property releases and, in SS's case, the idea that editorial must be newsworthy, I think what SS and Dreamstime have to offer is much better.

"Stale" or no, the 850+ Glasgow photos on DT and the 1,500+ on SS are a ton better than what Scoopshot has to offer. When there's nothing newsworthy or new in a topic, but people just need images for a web site or brochure, "stale" stock does just fine I think

The summer sandwich photos are equally dire, including (anyone remember this from Buy Request at iStock?) several that aren't of sandwiches at all. A pot of shrimp on a stove, a soda bottle on some blankets...

https://www.scoopshot.com/v2/task/dgzfjzmnbdlgj

You have to love the small, out of focus shot of a package of Oscar Mayer Bologna...

This seems (a) insane as a business idea and (b) an odd thing for Yuri to fund given that he has an interest in the existing stock business staying around.

People seem to greatly underestimate the awfulness of pictures people grab with their smartphones.

I realize whoever wrote the text on the Scoopshot web site is not a native English speaker, but there are several places that mention Scoopshot transferring the copyright (although there are also seemingly contradictory mentions of multiple sales being possible and only publishing rights being transferred)

https://www.scoopshot.com/v2/about/faq

"When you send your photo or video to Scoopshot, you give Scoopshot the right to use it in the Scoopshot service. All photos are for sale and cannot be used without buying appropriate publishing rights.

Scoopshot has permanent rights for transferring the copyright of the photo or video. Scoopshot will then ensure that you get the agreed compensation for the transferred rights."

I looked at the 12 images of Glasgow on Scoopshot - a recent task to get interesting places and people for Visitors...

Some of them are decent. But what seems to be severely lacking is any sort of buyer protection. These photos obviously aren't model released, some feature logos, possibly protected architecture, lots of stuff that would land any of us in hot water at a stock agency. And stuff that can easily get a buyer sued if they use it commercially.

Again, seems like an awfully odd thing for a guy like Yuri to be involved in. He knows the business, especially the legalities of it. Why get involved in something like this?

Maybe the 1.2 million will go into things such as model releases...a digital model/property release within the app...maybe some editing functionality to remove logos...who knows.

Maybe the 1.2 million will go into things such as model releases...a digital model/property release within the app...maybe some editing functionality to remove logos...who knows.

startups are NOT supposed to make real money, their goal is to be sold to a rich suc-ker in no more than 2-3 yrs, that's how it works with VCs.

if yuri invested 1 million he plans to get 2-3 millions back, simple as that, every VC does that, it pays well because of the high risk involved (up to 90% of the startups miserably fail or never find a buyer).

look at Demotix, same sh-it, and finally they sold it to Corbis, but do they ever made a profit ? i doubt so.

Quote from: dingles on July 16, 2013, 21:14

Maybe the 1.2 million will go into things such as model releases...a digital model/property release within the app...maybe some editing functionality to remove logos...who knows.

startups are NOT supposed to make real money, their goal is to be sold to a rich suc-ker in no more than 2-3 yrs, that's how it works with VCs.

if yuri invested 1 million he plans to get 2-3 millions back, simple as that, every VC does that, it pays well because of the high risk involved (up to 90% of the startups miserably fail or never find a buyer).

look at Demotix, same sh-it, and finally they sold it to Corbis, but do they ever made a profit ? i doubt so.

true true, imho Yuri probably invested in an upcoming 'magic IPO' or something similar. But the sucker is more likely to be a poor sucker... these magic IPOs are avoided by institutional investors (except the insiders of course).