SnapVillage, Corbis' new micropayment stock photography brand launched
last night, may be a little late to the party, but it brings some badly
needed innovation to a market segment that until now has operated
mostly for the benefit of distributors, leaving the vast majority of
participating photographers little more than financial crumbs.
Though SnapVillage still pays royalties of just 30 percent more on
this later the new brand gives photographers much flexibility in
pricing their images and offers the best shooters the possibility of
moving up to a regular Corbis contract, potentially making this a real
"farm team" approach to cultivating new talent.
In addition, Corbis asks no image exclusivity and lets photographers
opt in or out of a subscription service offered on the test (beta)
version of the SnapVillage web site.
If the new site lives up to its promise, talented amateur and part-time
professional photographers who want to leave their day jobs might just
find a workable option at SnapVillage. At the same time, microstock
image buyers might like the simplicity of the SnapVillage licensing
process.
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SnapVillage Commentary . . .at the Stock Asylum
