Author Topic: Exciting news from Shutterstock HQ! (Read 27767 times)

Shutterstock · « **on:** January 15, 2015, 06:17 »

Hi Shutterstock Contributors,

Exciting news from Shutterstock HQ! Today we’re pleased to welcome Rex Features, Europe’s largest independently owned photographic press agency and PremiumBeat, a royalty-free music service with 5,000 curated music tracks from leading composers around the world, to the Shutterstock family!

Shutterstock’s customers have been asking for an end to end solution including both commercial and editorial content. The acquisition of Rex is a decisive move into the editorial category and underscores our mission to provide the world’s storytellers with all of the content and tools they need to bring their ideas to life. By adding a more robust editorial offering, including entertainment, news and sports imagery, Shutterstock is expanding to serve the full breadth of imagery needed by media companies and advertisers around the world.

This acquisition of PremiumBeat allows us to accelerate our progress in music by welcoming a strong and growing customer base, content library, and team to Shutterstock.

Paul Brennan
VP, Content Operations

Shelma1 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 15, 2015, 06:21 »

With a headline like that I was expecting announcement of a raise.

Dook · « **Reply #2 on:** January 15, 2015, 06:25 »

Great news! Will we be able to contribute our editorial work to Rex for more exposure and sales in news category?

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #3 on:** January 15, 2015, 06:49 »

How is this actually exciting for the regular contributor? How does it affect us?

cobalt · « **Reply #4 on:** January 15, 2015, 06:51 »

It´s very interesting, I have never really shot editorial photos, because I didn´t have the impression that it sells as well as creative stock.

But now with direct upload via mobile phone,maybe I´ll try it again.

So will editorial images from SS be chosen for REX and mirrored there?

How high are the prices on REX and how much can the artists earn, if content should be chosen for REX?

http://www.rexusa.com

ETA: I see some of you were faster...

bunhill · « **Reply #5 on:** January 15, 2015, 07:23 »

Getty tried to buy Rex in 2010 but were blocked by competition regulators.

http://blog.melchersystem.com/2010/04/26/getty-images-buy-rex-features/

bunhill · « **Reply #6 on:** January 15, 2015, 07:27 »

Also - isn't Rex all RM ? Does that mean Shutterstock is moving into RM ?

Tror · « **Reply #7 on:** January 15, 2015, 07:41 »

Good news! Thanks for the post Paul....

...for Contributors I would have hoped more for something like "SS gives a raise of 15% in royalties to its Contributors from next month on!" - after reading the "exciting" Headline :-)

MxR · « **Reply #8 on:** January 15, 2015, 08:43 »

I thought the exciting news would be closing the bad joke of Bigstock (mixing worst of subscriptions with the worst of RC istockphoto) ... and more money ....

dealwork · « **Reply #9 on:** January 15, 2015, 08:44 »

Are video files included?

ruxpriencdiam · « **Reply #10 on:** January 15, 2015, 09:25 »

Moved.

sgoodwin4813 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 15, 2015, 09:58 »

Thanks for the news - some more details would be appreciated. This could be good, bad or neutral for contributors depending on how it is implemented.

If this means that Rex content will now be ingested into SS - as Getty did with their own content on iS - then for contributors it will be very bad. Just more competition for the same buyers. Please don't expect us to cheer if that is the case.

If the two companies will stay completely separate and the only difference is who owns them then for contributors it is probably neutral.

If this means that SS contributors will now be able to sell content RM on Rex via SS then it could be very good. Many of us sell images RM on Alamy and another market for those images would be welcome. In that case we will cheer.

Please let us know about what this means for contributors in practical terms (if known) so we will know whether to cheer or jeer. Thanks.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 15, 2015, 10:01 »

I fixed the grammar and added some possible additions in brackets:

"Hi Shutterstock Contributors,

Exciting news from Shutterstock HQ! Today we’re pleased to welcome to the Shutterstock family Rex Features, Europe’s largest independently owned photographic press agency, and PremiumBeat, a royalty-free music service with 5,000 curated music tracks from leading composers around the world.

Shutterstock’s customers have been asking for an end-to-end solution that includes both commercial and editorial content. The acquisition of Rex is a decisive move into the editorial category, and underscores our mission to provide the world’s storytellers with all of the content and tools they need to bring their ideas to life. By adding a more robust editorial offering, including entertainment, news and sports imagery, Shutterstock is expanding to serve the full breadth of imagery needed by media companies and advertisers around the world. You, Shutterstock's contributors, will
[be facing stiffer competition with the flood of new images entering the Shutterstock library.]
[be invited to apply as Rex contributors.]
[have your editorial work automatically mirrored to Rex, giving it greater exposure to a worldwide audience with the possibility of larger royalties.]

The acquisition of PremiumBeat allows us to accelerate our progress in music by welcoming a strong and growing customer base, content library, and team to Shutterstock. Shutterstock music contributors will
[be facing stiffer competition.]
[be invited to apply as PremiumBeat contributors.]
[have your work automatically mirrored to PremiumBeat, giving it greater exposure to a worldwide audience with the possibility of larger royalties.]

[Most exciting of all, Shutterstock is raising royalties by 4% across the board. Happy New Year!]"

cobalt · « **Reply #13 on:** January 15, 2015, 10:15 »

LOL! You nailed it Shelma!

bunhill · « **Reply #14 on:** January 15, 2015, 10:36 »

Shutterstock widens its focus as it snaps up Rex Features agency - Financial Times

Meanwhile Jim Pickerell says there is speculation that Getty might sell it's editorial division.

marthamarks · « **Reply #15 on:** January 15, 2015, 10:41 »

Quote from: Shelma1 on January 15, 2015, 10:01

Shutterstock’s customers have been asking for an end-to-end solution that

That's a big improvement, Shelma. Ah, the glories of a wee bit of punctuation!

I struggled to make sense of the original "asking for an end to end solution..."
Did it mean SS customers were seeking the demise of something called an "end solution"?

Quote from: Shelma1 on January 15, 2015, 10:01

You, Shutterstock's contributors, will
[be facing stiffer competition with the flood of new images entering the Shutterstock library.]
[be invited to apply as Rex contributors.]
[have your editorial work automatically mirrored to Rex, giving it greater exposure to a worldwide audience with the possibility of larger royalties.]

Yep, that's definitely the information we need to understand the implications for us.

Quote from: Shelma1 on January 15, 2015, 10:01

[Most exciting of all, Shutterstock is raising royalties by 4% across the board. Happy New Year!]"

Ya'think it could ever actually happen? Wow, that would really be "exciting news"!

cobalt · « **Reply #16 on:** January 15, 2015, 10:48 »

Quote from: bunhill on January 15, 2015, 10:36

Shutterstock widens its focus as it snaps up Rex Features agency - Financial Times

Meanwhile Jim Pickerell says there is speculation that Getty might sell it's editorial division.

Thank you for the link. Are there any indications this might go to SS as well?

ShadySue · « **Reply #17 on:** January 15, 2015, 10:50 »

Quote from: marthamarks on January 15, 2015, 10:41

Quote from: Shelma1 on January 15, 2015, 10:01
Shutterstock’s customers have been asking for an end-to-end solution that
That's a big improvement, Shelma. Ah, the glories of a wee bit of punctuation!
I struggled to make sense of the original "asking for an end to end solution..."

I interpreted it totally differently to everyone else here, and didn't even consider the alternative.
I interpreted Shutterstock’s customers have been asking for an end-to-end solution that includes both commercial and editorial content. The acquisition of Rex is a decisive move into the editorial category... as meaning they had bought Rex and were going to move Rex's content into SS (as I interpreted end-to-end solution as meaning 'one-stop-shop') and sell previously fairly-priced RM editorial as RF editorial at dirt cheap SS prices.

I now understand that the alternative interpretion (that they have bought Rex and will run it in parallel with SS) is also valid, but don't see how that would meet that apparent customer demand.

ShadySue · « **Reply #18 on:** January 15, 2015, 10:51 »

Quote from: bunhill on January 15, 2015, 07:23

Getty tried to buy Rex in 2010 but were blocked by competition regulators.

http://blog.melchersystem.com/2010/04/26/getty-images-buy-rex-features/

Ironic, as SS seems now to be fast becoming a monopoly.

Red On · « **Reply #19 on:** January 15, 2015, 11:23 »

When a close friend of mine has sold a world exclusive through hisownagency/SIPA/Rex/Getty, publishing eight picture and the cover of Rolling Stones, his roialties were 23 (twentythree) US Dollars, at the end of the chain. I'm not sure that the distribution of news photographs - that have a very short life - by SS could be economically convenient for photographers. When I shot for news in my town (I mean without trip expenses and without time expenditure to organize) I need to earn not less of 200$/day +taxes. May SS give me this sum?

bunhill · « **Reply #20 on:** January 15, 2015, 11:46 »

Quote from: cobalt on January 15, 2015, 10:48

Quote from: bunhill on January 15, 2015, 10:36
Shutterstock widens its focus as it snaps up Rex Features agency - Financial Times

Meanwhile Jim Pickerell says there is speculation that Getty might sell it's editorial division.

Thank you for the link. Are there any indications this might go to SS as well?

I don't know. Apart from Jim's site nobody else seems to be suggesting this. I haven't read his article - only the come-on. Maybe we should club together and buy 2 credits

Honestly - I could see the whole lot going to Shutterstock one way or another. It's a phenomenal company.

I am very curious whether they are going to be doing RM.

cobalt · « **Reply #21 on:** January 15, 2015, 11:54 »

I have some credits left over on Jim´s site. the article is short but has a wealth of really interesting information. I don´t want to spoil Jim´s income, so I don´t feel free to share the details, but I believe there are some very interesting insights.

If editorial is really sold, then Getty will be a much smaller company than it is now. Personally I always thought that the editorial buyers where also buying a lot of creative stock as well.

So SS is moving in the right direction to become the dominant player and like others have said, it gives them a chance to get experience with RM as well.

somethingpretentious · « **Reply #22 on:** January 15, 2015, 12:02 »

This is a forum for contributors, not Shutterstock shareholders. How is this exciting news for contributors?

wordplanet · « **Reply #23 on:** January 15, 2015, 13:04 »

I'm certainly eager to learn more since in addition to some news, I shoot a lot of general editorial (travel, famous people) which I mostly license directly or via Alamy and a small agency in Germany. I've put a handful of editorial shots on SS over the years and they've done okay so this could be good news if it means that it will be attracting more editorial buyers there, especially newspapers and websites which have an insatiable appetite for images and pay peanuts these days anyway.

The fact that Rex images is RM is confusing, so please give us more info Paul from Shutterstock - thanks!

etudiante_rapide · « **Reply #24 on:** January 15, 2015, 15:32 »

Quote from: wordplanet on January 15, 2015, 13:04

I'm certainly eager to learn more since in addition to some news, I shoot a lot of general editorial (travel, famous people) which I mostly license directly or via Alamy and a small agency in Germany. I've put a handful of editorial shots on SS over the years and they've done okay so this could be good news if it means that it will be attracting more editorial buyers there, especially newspapers and websites which have an insatiable appetite for images and pay peanuts these days anyway.

The fact that Rex images is RM is confusing, so please give us more info Paul from Shutterstock - thanks!

so true the part about insatiable appetite but pay peanuts. actually they pay peanuts it's good, most say we use wire photos free and give you exposure credit. the last part makes me laugh as if we do not already have exposure being stock photographers.
reading the rest of you here i think it is bad for us, just a buildup to pls shareholders. hope the rest of you are wrong, for our sake $:-\$

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Author Topic: Exciting news from Shutterstock HQ! (Read 27767 times)

Shutterstock

Shelma1

Dook

Sean Locke Photography

cobalt

bunhill

bunhill

Tror

MxR

dealwork

ruxpriencdiam

sgoodwin4813

Shelma1

cobalt

bunhill

marthamarks

cobalt

ShadySue

ShadySue

Red On

bunhill

cobalt

somethingpretentious

wordplanet

etudiante_rapide

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