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Messages - Sugandha
Pages: [1]
1
« on: July 08, 2009, 08:40 »
Hi Friends,
I just discovered this group and am amazed to see the superb response and participation.
This is my first post here. 
I am an entrepreneur ex Getty Images and am poised to launch a bank from India.
This is new market opportunity !
We also have a set-up where your image keywording can be outsourced as desired.
Apart from that we providing transparency and negative scanning services, image cut out services, and image cleaning services.
Would love to hear from you all, You can contact me at [email protected]
Best to all
Sugandha
This is in response to the amount of resistance online for my post 1 Also, one more thing i would like to say, Just because MJ WAS a legend, Elton John IS a STAR and there are lots of singers and bands who never made it to the top should people stop wanting to be Super stars. Jus because Harrods is one of the most Hi profile store, and there are heap of failed business ventures in similar format .... the season should not change  ? You think there will never be any one better or at par with the No. 1?
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« on: July 08, 2009, 08:26 »
that is my thought too.
I have (unfortunatley) been very critical of new agencies, mostly because so have been and gone and really havent managed to offer something new to buyers or artists.
but I see the value in different markets, I see the different times that I get most of my sales between sites like say istock and fotolia, I see istock slump with I assume 4th of July but havent really noticed the difference of FT.
About a billion people in india, and plenty wouldn't buy stock but certainly a different market and I am certainly interested to see what they are going to offer.
Thankyou Phil,
What is it that you are looking for I think I need to understand this here ..... " i keep heraing " no justice" not worth it" ..... Y ? what has gone wrong with other agencies that u wer a part of ?
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« on: July 08, 2009, 08:23 »
I still don't see or hear anything that makes this any different from any other stock site. Every site out there has people from Getty (vivozoom anyone?) or istock, etc. Just because you live in India doesn't mean you'll have some magic hold on that market, especially with a generic name like 'stockimagebank'... IMO...
Most of you guys don't even know y businesses fail. Can you point out reasons y do u think the ones that have closed down; have closed down? I will look forward to listening to y do u guys feel businesses in the west have gone the downhill way ?
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« on: July 08, 2009, 08:17 »
Very Very Valid inputs David. Replying to your skepticism in brief.
1.If you google my name "Sugandha Dubey" my linked in profile can be viewed to validate my professional status.
2. I was the business and content head for the region for three years. Set up the practice in the SAARC region.,
3. mentioned Getty to validate that having worked for the leader in Stock Imagery understand the nuances of the business from the business perspective.
I have looked at your LinkedIn profile, and at http://www.visageimages.com, which will be the market leader and have a head start in the region on your project, now I feel more comfortable that you are not a wannabe that has no real insight into the business side of the industry, as this is a young business 3 years is reasonable.
4. You would also agree that its silly to post everything i.e business details and other dynamics on this forum. This was just to initiate a conversation and get an insight of the thought process of contributors across the globe. which is y i have mentioned my mail id for those interested to contact me directly interact with me.
I know that it would not be wise to lay all your cards on the table, and you have mentioned the market in India as emerging market that you will be going after, also you mention content and the publishing houses in India, there are already many publishing companies that cut costs and use companies in India to source the assets on thier behalf, rather than having an in-house asset buying resource, these Indian companies source the assets via the existing stock websites and then present the lightboxes back to the publishing houses.
If they have problems finding an image then they use request services like http://www.photographersdirect.com/
5.You will be surprised, but contrary to what you feel, I have got an overwhelming response from contributors who are interested in the project. People are willing to contribute and look forward to the launch of the site.
I am not surprised at this and it is a big problem in this industry, some big artists have the staff and infrustructure to take a chance with a startup, then there are a lot of artists that are not business minded and are happy to find and upload to a startup and complain here later, they just do not value and protect their assets as well as they should, many sole trading contributors have jumped in without doing their homework, invested a lot of time and effort with new agencies, for the agency to fail as it did not understand the market, or it made all the right noises but then overtraded VC was withdrawn and the costs brought them down, or they were just badly run.
If you went into a local manufacturer and said to the owner, I am going to open a stand in the high street, I cannot operate without stock and would like your assets as part of the stock, I will not pay anything for these assets but sell them for you, and when I have sold 100 of your assets I will pay you a percentage of the selling price and your share will be the lowest, this store will be in competition to the stands you already supply and will be targeting many of the same customers, would the manufacturer do business with you.
I am sure that in your business life you would not commit any of your company assets before a full risk assesment, looked at the potential market, worked out a business plan with the possible gains and losses to you as the vendor, including the possible return on investment by working with this agent, and most important a better knowledge of the people you were dealing with, why should any artists be different, some of these points you have now addressed.
6. I already have a bouquet of leading top notch Corbis and Getty contributors already in my panel., people who know me and believe in my project.
This one does not work out as you think especially with a new startup, you may offer an alternative agency to the industry leaders like Corbis and Getty, but the contributors with these and niche agencies are image and similar exclusive, so what are these contributors going to offer your agency, the assets that C & G are not interested in.
I am not anti new agencies, I just see a new agency a month come online without an existing customer base or a business plan to show where the new customer base is coming from, any challenge is meet by 'that is a secret watch this space', and then contributors just uploading without considering the risks, the image library market is already saturated and the pie will not grow until the new markets out there are tapped into, some of these will need a new model rather than an new agency.
I have many other thoughts about this industry: http://digitalweblogistics.wordpress.com/
David
Hi David, I smell a lot of negation and cynicism in your posts. Fair enough. Your comments. Thank you so much for your interest in this post of mine. This discussion is leading nowhere, as i do not even know who you are and in what capacity you are making these " veteran comments". I on the contrary have 15 years of A++ career track record with the blue chip organisations. Its my business and venture. No one is forcing you or anyone to be a part of it. You are free to influence others if thats your agenda here. Photographers from Getty & Corbis don't need to, if they choose, to contribute anywhere and I am sure those guys are smart and market savvy since they are making a lot of bucks. There is a reason why they choose me and my firm. It surely does not concern anyone else, but me and them. Anyway, since you are very anti - " a new photo agency " you can look away and let me be too. Wish you the very best in your career. (probably you are a photographer)
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« on: July 07, 2009, 23:22 »
But you could explain what would make your collection different. If it's targeted to the local market, you might insist on Indian lifestyle, locations and models. That feels like a sound plan. If you want to compete at the global level with global style pictures and Yuri A. type of models, you might fail since there are already plenty of sites that have that kind of imagery. You will also have to consider the pricing. Costs of living are less in India than in the West, and customers probably can't bear the higher prices that are standard on global sites. In that case, global contributors will not be attracted for the low fees. Worse, since the Net is global, you might attract Western buyers with your lower prices targeted to the local market. Which contributors will hate.
Usually, sites sell most in the West, and contributors come more and more from the East/South wich is a downstream phenomenon considering the respective costs of living. That's why sneakers are all made in China. If you try to catch Western contributors, you might find yourself swimming upstream, like manufacturing sneakers in the US and selling them in China. 
Only salmons do a good job swimming upstream.
I can't catch your business plan and USP, sorry.
Update - our posts crossed but that was my point:
Doesn't make that much sense to me. The same Internet is available worldwide. It's just a matter of marketing existing sites in countries with currently low sales. Just because a site is based in India bur has the same content as everywhere else doesn't mean Indians are going to flock to it more than anywhere else. Point taken. But what can be lesser price than USD 1 to USD 15 @ Istock or microstock site. The photographers u feel will hate " indian low cost of living" and thus low pricing , but where have i said my images will be priced as low as 1- 15 UDS, the highest being 15 USD ie INR 750 max. My project is not to DEVALUE the product and have said it a few times. I believe that. I value contributors and am not interested in a sale at a low value. In india, I have made sales of Good Quality lifestyle images for as much as 1800 UDS per image. Its about quality content, and how you position !
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« on: July 07, 2009, 23:06 »
As the site evolves, those interested and willing to understand my vision can contact me for submissions. My first requirement being Travel Images, in highest resolution possible.
Sugandha
Sugandha,
I thought you was a business man, would you allow your companies assets to be uploaded or transfered to a website that only has a holding page, on the back of a post in a forum, it is way to soon for you to be asking for Hi-Res contributors assets.
Sorry but the first requirement is for you to have a website up and running, upload tool or ftp, published and verified contact details, a business model with a unique selling point, a marketing strategy, contributor terms and conditions, buyers terms and conditions, details of prices for buyers and commission rates for contributors.
You may not get Travel Images, in highest resolution possible as they are not niche there are other outlets for these, you should be listing the styles that will give the unique selling point, the ones that you need to fit into the indian markets.
Also you say you have worked for Getty, but you do not say in what capacity, Alamy has its servers and support departments in India to save costs, so there are many there that could say they have 'worked for Alamy', even if they were a department head, inspector or developer, it does not mean that we would then trust them with our assets.
Until then you will not get much support from most of the established contributors, even then unless you have something truly new with a good potential for sales you will be wasting your time.
David
Very Very Valid inputs David. Replying to your skepticism in brief. 1.If you google my name "Sugandha Dubey" my linked in profile can be viewed to validate my professional status. 2. I was the business and content head for the region for three years. Set up the practice in the SAARC region., 3. mentioned Getty to validate that having worked for the leader in Stock Imagery understand the nuances of the business from the business perspective. 4. You would also agree that its silly to post everything i.e business details and other dynamics on this forum. This was just to initiate a conversation and get an insight of the thought process of contributors across the globe. which is y i have mentioned my mail id for those interested to contact me directly interact with me. 5.You will be surprised, but contrary to what you feel, I have got an overwhelming response from contributors who are interested in the project. People are willing to contribute and look forward to the launch of the site. 6. I already have a bouquet of leading top notch Corbis and Getty contributors already in my panel., people who know me and believe in my project. I quite enjoy your interest and look forward to hearing from you. Regards S
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« on: July 05, 2009, 23:16 »
But you could explain what would make your collection different. If it's targeted to the local market, you might insist on Indian lifestyle, locations and models. That feels like a sound plan. If you want to compete at the global level with global style pictures and Yuri A. type of models, you might fail since there are already plenty of sites that have that kind of imagery. You will also have to consider the pricing. Costs of living are less in India than in the West, and customers probably can't bear the higher prices that are standard on global sites. In that case, global contributors will not be attracted for the low fees. Worse, since the Net is global, you might attract Western buyers with your lower prices targeted to the local market. Which contributors will hate.
Usually, sites sell most in the West, and contributors come more and more from the East/South wich is a downstream phenomenon considering the respective costs of living. That's why sneakers are all made in China. If you try to catch Western contributors, you might find yourself swimming upstream, like manufacturing sneakers in the US and selling them in China.
Only salmons do a good job swimming upstream.
I can't catch your business plan and USP, sorry.
Update - our posts crossed but that was my point:
Doesn't make that much sense to me. The same Internet is available worldwide. It's just a matter of marketing existing sites in countries with currently low sales. Just because a site is based in India bur has the same content as everywhere else doesn't mean Indians are going to flock to it more than anywhere else. But you could explain what would make your collection different. If it's targeted to the local market, you might insist on Indian lifestyle, locations and models. That feels like a sound plan. If you want to compete at the global level with global style pictures and Yuri A. type of models, you might fail since there are already plenty of sites that have that kind of imagery. You will also have to consider the pricing. Costs of living are less in India than in the West, and customers probably can't bear the higher prices that are standard on global sites. In that case, global contributors will not be attracted for the low fees.
Usually, sites sell most in the West, and contributors come more and more from the East/South wich is a downstream phenomenon considering the respective costs of living. That's why sneakers are all made in China. If you try to catch Western contributors, you might find yourself swimming upstream, like manufacturing sneakers in the US and sell them in China.
Update - our posts crossed but that was my point:
Doesn't make that much sense to me. The same Internet is available worldwide. It's just a matter of marketing existing sites in countries with currently low sales. Just because a site is based in India bur has the same content as everywhere else doesn't mean Indians are going to flock to it more than anywhere else. Indian market is evolving as i said previously. We are not accepting images from all types of contributors. We are making sure the images fit into the indian markets. One other area our site will be focussing on is Travel Images. We welcome images from contributors on travel related subjects. A lot of global publishing work is outsourced in India - as you may not be aware of. My objective is not to challenge anyone or the existing banks. We are positioning niche. As the site evolves, those interested and willing to understand my vision can contact me for submissions. My first requirement being Travel Images, in highest resolution possible. Sugandha
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« on: July 05, 2009, 21:40 »
We don't need an another agency saying 'there is new market' and then investing a lot of time uploading and then nothing.
When I see 'another new agency launched', my first thought is the same "where are the customers coming from", but we still need to look at each offering in it's own right, and make our own judgements.
I did respond by email to Sugandha before commenting and they are not going after the current western markets:
I see you intend to launch a new stock Imaging website, do you think we need another micro or macro website in an over subscribed market?
Most websites launched in the last couple of years have got a cold response, artist spending time uploading and no sales, the websites are good websites but have no customers.
I am not too sure if you are aware of the Eastern Markets. Indian market is still evolving. I am aware of the fallacies of the many image banks
Here, in India, usage of licensed images is a new. and the market is just abt warming up.
There is huge potential for western style images in these new markets, but the images purchases may not come through current US and UK agencies, so this may be one to bookmark and watch, as your images will not be competing against themselves.
David
Yes David. I am glad u understood the point I am trying to make.
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« on: July 05, 2009, 21:36 »
site just says coming soon??
yes. So does the topic of this discussion. We have not claimed that we are up and running
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« on: July 05, 2009, 09:49 »
Thank you people, I see a very interesting mix of comments, most of them justified. You see, having worked with Getty and observing its contributor banks, I can speak of my experience and reasoning. Do photographers know what is it that the market demands? Well I am sure a lot of you will say yes. There is no doubt that some of the images clicked are stunning images, moments, etc. etc. captured. But do u know what sells? What most banks don not tell you is to create images that sell. There commercial usage and there is editorial usage. What most image banks do is for the sake of mass reach tie up with each other or represent works of photographers through various tie-ups. What happenes then .. Picture 1 is available with A B C D Picture 2 is available with C D E F G H Picture 3 is available with A D G X Y.... in similar markets ( primarily UK & US) and so on..... ( and this ABCD runs in 25 -50 digits ) which means your image may be available with at least 25 other banks ... Yes one way of looking at it is that more the merrier the reach is multiplied., but i have many a times encountered a situation where an image is liked by a client and 4-5 image banks have the same image. What then ? In todays age, the best bargain wins. I feel the product is devalued. So much for now ... Yes we will be another image bank, I agree,,, but my market is not that exposed and my model is jus a wee bit different. SO keep pouring in your thoughts ... Its great feedback ! Cheers Sugandha
11
« on: July 04, 2009, 10:28 »
Hi,
No photo permit is not required at most places, especially if you inform the locals that you are a tourist.
The permit procedures are very long and lengthy. I would recommend only if you are financially very sound to try that.
Cheers
S
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« on: July 04, 2009, 08:55 »
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