Stock Photographers May Need A New Home

“Hope has two daughters: Anger and Courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.”—Saint Augustine

This past week has been filled with Getty acquiring MediaVast and adding WireImage, FilmMagic and ContourPhotos to the already vast Getty collection.

And now recent headlines are stating that Getty is in negotiation with Jupiter Images. If Getty does acquire Jupiter images what does it mean for the artists who have contributed to these collections?

Many in the community are crying foul: "Is Getty trying to monopolize the Stock industry or is this just sound business?". Are the customers and artists the losers in this “Brave New World” approach to business? Will the customers be forced to pay higher prices? Will the creators (artists) be squeezed out of business? In the past when Getty acquired Artville, many of the artists were dropped from the collection only to give birth to BrandX, now a Jupiter asset. Will Getty again follow the same trend? It’s possible and only time will tell. Artists will have two choices: accept the consolidation or look for new opportunities. The choice is yours. For those of you with the courage to look for new opportunities consider PhotoSpin.