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Getty Launches Flickr Tie-In
Advertising, Music Video / Film
Posted by Patrick Burgoyne, 12 March 2009, 11:31 Permalink Comments (9)
Getty Images has launched its Flickr Collection – a set of images from the photo sharing community available for licence through the Getty Images site
The Flickr Collection features images selected by Getty's photo editors "based on their expertise in licensing digital content and insights into customers’ needs," according to a press release. Their choices major on "a variety of conceptual imagery, such as everyday scenes and believable subjects, and original and regionally relevant content". New images will be added each month.
There are more details on the selection process on Getty's Creative Blog, but none regarding payment terms. However, when the deal was first announced last year, it was reported that Flickr photographers would "be paid in the same manner as professionals if their images are used commercially". That would mean that photographers would receive 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the licensing fee for limited use, or 20 percent if the image may be used with fewer restrictions.
PDN Online tried out the Collection and found it pretty pricey. For a shot of "Mount Hood seen from an airplane", to be used half page on a website for five years the price was $2,070. A dedicated Flickr message board has more details of how things work.
Of course, if you want to use Flickr images, you could always go direct to the photographer (as we have often done in order to use images in CR), in which case they would receive 100% of the fee. You can't do this with images in the Getty Flickr Collection though as Getty demands exclusivity over not just the images featured but also those that are substantially similar (see comments below). But there's no doubt that the sheer volume of traffic that Getty attracts on its site, the idea that their team has filtered a collection to provide only those images that people are likely to use and the security and trust element that comes from having Getty manage the licensing/quality etc could prove an attractive model for image buyers.
This story has been updated
9 Comments
It's great that large firms like Getty are embracing social networks and publicising the great amount of talent found on Flickr. On many occassions lickr shows work that is far more experimental and unrestricted, so this sharing attitude can only be a good thing!
Not sure how Getty can stop buyers going direct to the photographer but it's an interesting thought!
Michael
http://www.studio-bodhi.com
2009-03-12 11:57:07
It is useless because it is expensive. They don't get that price is the key as business atomize into smaller and more interconected entities.
2009-03-12 12:26:35
Apparently Getty has exclusive rights to sell the images they select from your Flickr account (as long as you agree to it), forbidding you to sell them yourself. So you can't go straight to the photographer on Flickr to get the image cheaper and give the them more money than Getty would.
2009-03-12 12:35:52
@ flipper 01
This is from the FAQ on Flickr: "Getty Images has the exclusive right to sell your images and images substantially similar to those in a commercial context once you've accepted their invitation (and signed the Getty Images Contributor Agreement). Any and all of your other non-similar photographs not in the Flickr collection can be sold freely by you, though not on Flickr itself, because that goes against our Community Guidelines. You know, like, don’t use Flickr for commercial purposes."
More at http://www.flickr.com/help/gettyimages/
Re bypassing Getty, I meant in general terms, not regarding specific images. I'll change the copy to make that clearer.
Patrick
CR
Patrick Burgoyne
2009-03-12 13:15:10
If you haven't used it already, I recommend http://www.compfight.com/ to search for images and then contact the photographer directly.
2009-03-12 19:02:07
they should do the getty porn collection. that's really new.
2009-03-12 19:22:18
The Macdonalds of the photography world strike again. This is not good news as one company dominating one industry is not a good thing. Getty already is not a photography friendly site so this is tapping in to a market of photographers who have alot less knowledge than the average professional.
If you've seen the comments on flikr you'll see how naive people are and how perfect Getty paint this picture.
2009-03-13 14:40:32
Here we go again, is nothing sacred? I couldn't agree more with wot.
2009-03-13 17:38:16
@ Wot
But surely the naive comments people leave under an image aren't the fault of the [quite possibly professional] photographer who took that image?
Flickr is a massive community, so naturally there's quite a mix of people. Some even manage to leave well-informed comments. Maybe you should look around a bit further?
For you to comment that Flickr users "have a lot less knowledge than the average professional" is rather naive in itself, when I am constantly coming across professional photographers who use Flickr, as indeed I do myself.
2009-03-16 21:06:16
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