[STOCKPHOTO] Bill Gates Pictures Corbis' Future
George Lessard
Microsoft's chairman explains why he's bullish on the image-
management market and the role his other baby, Corbis, will play in
it
Full story at:
<http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060315_68
2466.htm>
[excerpt]
The convergence of technology, entertainment, and media industries --
together with a host of new devices -- has created a tremendous
opportunity for the makers and distributors of digital content.
What's the big play for Corbis in the convergence?
Gates: Corbis has a special role with imagery and video to have a
library that covers the world, both the history and the subject
matter, and has it available in several different rights models.
When you're trying to do a marketing campaign, Corbis is there to
help out. Also, we're there with the rights clearance, some of the
services around it, and also some of the software that makes it easy
to find out exactly what you want. It's really speaking to the
breadth of things people want to do and the processes now being very
digital.
Many of the companies that were bought to create Corbis came from an
industry where people were digging around in photo drawers to find
things. Now it's very much an online activity. You can navigate
through the pictures according to exactly the characteristics you
want. Are a lot of the materials now multipurposed for different
media?
Gates: After the photographer goes out and takes the shots, they put
it in the Corbis archive and they don't know exactly what it will be
used for. We're particularly strong in editorial. We're a growing
presence in the commercial side. You'll see a photograph of Winston
Churchill being used for an ad campaign. We're strong with a lot of
well-known stars, both in getting the imagery and making sure the
rights management is done in the right way.
Davis: I'd add that one of the models Corbis has used is to take
material that has traditionally sold into one environment, say
advertising or magazines, and make it available in others. The cross-
selling has been a source of a lot of growth. It's a good model for
cross-purposing.
The explosion of digital photography, combined with the Internet,
makes it possible for millions of people to share photos and videos
via Web sites like Flickr and BitTorrent. Is there a role for Corbis
in this citizen-creator phenomenon?
Gates: Most of what we get is done by professional photographers. We
do have partners who are in the spot-news business, who create the
stuff people need right away. We're good at archiving and organizing
it, so we take that material and make it available. You could have
some amateur work come in through the spot-news channel. It will be
like it is with e-zines and bloggers. In photography, you'll have
the whole array of stuff that's just up there free, and then
increasing levels of quality. The whole spectrum is being figured
out. We're at the highest-quality end of the spectrum.
With the Internet, you have this huge distribution pipe, and the
possibilities for piracy and misuse are unlimited. How do you deal
with that?
Gates: Our customers want to license the photos in the right way.
They want to make payments and do the whole rights-clearance
process. Secondly, there's quite a bit of technology involving
watermarking that we use to try to find the photos and where they
might be used on the Internet. There's some casual use that might
involve not paying the right fee, but even there, if it's in digital
form, the ability to enumerate it should make it possible for the
rights of the creator to be largely adhered to.
Davis: One of the attractions of a service like Corbis is that both
photographers and artists, as well as clients, rely on us to manage
the rights well. We track down unauthorized use. Clients also want
to seek indemnities to make sure the rights they're using are
secure. This is central to everything we do.
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AmericasWonderlands.com
More Sci Tech videos, then "Bill Gates Pictures the Future". If not
there, you might try a search.
Ian Murray
Dear Bill,
Any pictures I look for of places that I know have twenty year old
cars in them and people wearing clothes that even the local charity
shop won't accept. I have enquired maybe eight times about submitting
images to Corbis. I never had a reply. Which bit of editorial,
excluding history, is Corbis strong at because I just don't see it?
Bill, do you really know what Corbis is doing with your money?
Ian Murray
> Gates: After the photographer goes out and takes the shots, they put
> it in the Corbis archive and they don't know exactly what it will be
> used for. We're particularly strong in editorial. We're a growing
> presence in the commercial side. You'll see a photograph of Winston
> Churchill being used for an ad campaign. We're strong with a lot of
> well-known stars, both in getting the imagery and making sure the
> rights management is done in the right way.
Stockphoto Seller
With Microsoft, in contrast, Gates has followed a more regular path to corporate domination--not thaqt such domination is a good thing for real people. Don't ask me why Corbis should be approached differently by the same guy, but the "Gates approach" to domination in stock photography is better exemplified by Getty.
Carl May/BPS
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Acclaim Images
>>>
Dear Bill,
Any pictures I look for of places that I know have twenty year old
cars in them and people wearing clothes that even the local charity
shop won't accept. I have enquired maybe eight times about submitting
images to Corbis. I never had a reply. Which bit of editorial,
excluding history, is Corbis strong at because I just don't see it?
Bill, do you really know what Corbis is doing with your money?
<<<
This could be a good post, Ian, but do you get the value of it?
The value is in the fact that Corbis is a big lumbering giant and they
are ineffective. One thing I am finding about competing in an industry
that is dominated by an 800lb gorilla is that that gorilla doesn't care
or notice when you steal some of its bananas because it has so many of
them.
Why are you waiting for that gorilla to throw you a banana? Why don't
you take the initiative and go get some of your own? For the first time
in history any Schmoe with a web site has access to the entire world,
and it's FREE to get in "the yellow pages" of our time: Google.
Fred Voetsch
Acclaim Images Stock Photography
http://www.acclaimimages.com/
Brian Seed
Ian should send his message to Bill. It's right on target. One assumes that
Bill is still a smart businessman--he need's to be because Microsoft is
being threatened on all sides, and not only with major lawsuits by the
Euopean Union.
I don't think enough of us write to the companies that sell us products. I
believe there are conmpanies that value this frank input.
Brian Seed
markboltonphoto
wrote:
>
> Is there some reason people are interested in Gates on stock
photography? Corbis, and the same Gates-owned company under a couple
of previous names, has not managed to make it to profitability in over
a decade. The company has been a revolving door for personnel and
approaches to doing business. On the executive level, there has been
I am first to admit that I dont know the history of stock photography
that well, and I know that there have been a lot of phtgs who got v
pissed off with Getty et al during the late 90's because of the
contracts issue. Times are changing, and like it or not these days we
have to deal with all sorts...micro, RF...Bill Gates etc etc.
I am with Corbis, and have been for two years. I have about 400
images with them (all RM), and those images FAR outsell any other
images I have with my 10 other agents (pro rata). I have a 50 per cent
deal with them, except for sub agents, and let me tell you, the
cheques NEVEr fail to arrive, on the same day EVERY month. I have a
brilliant editor in London, who I go to see regularly, and she helps
me in the direction my shooting goes. I take my stock very seriously
(its 80per cent of my income), and I work hard. I am not a brilliant
photographer, but I have a good eye, a good workflow and a good set of
agents. Forget who's in charge at such and such an agency and take
some good pics!... Mark 'green behind the ears' Bolton
lens...@aol.com
I suppose it's part of the territory when you're one of the world's most wealthy men, one of the world's most philanthropic men, and one of the world's most savvy businessmen. For some reason, success, innovation, and wealth seems to bring out the worst in some people (jealousy, perhaps).
For all the glitches, mistakes, anti-trust suits, and other foibles, Microsoft still manages to rule the world in computer software and operating systems. Most 'schmoes with websites" can thank Mr. Gates for having that opportunity.
Until Linux, or some other 'open source' software comes along that is better for my stock business, I will continue to use what, in my opinion, is the best software out there for running my computer, and it's databases, spreadsheets, and, maybe someday....metadata ;}
As for Corbis, at least Bill seems to understand that RM/RP is the fairest, most appropriate licensing model for his images, and puts alot of faith and support in his photographers/contributors.
p.s. don't forget - pictures with 20 year old cars, and fashions, have a market too ;}, and I'm sure Mr. Gates would welcome any comments, suggestions, or constuctive criticism anyone might have - he has a great customer support / service organization.
regards, from a proud Microsoft shareholder......
Len Holsborg
lens...@aol.com
agents:
http://gettyimages.com
http://cgibackgrounds.com
Ian and Fred,
Brian Seed
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ian Murray
I applied to Acclaim once and never heard back either! Wait and see
about initiative.
Ian Murray
Geography Photos
Mauricio-José Schwarz
>Ah, the Bill Gates, Microsoft, Corbis bashers have awoken....again.
>
>I suppose it's part of the territory when you're one of the world's
>most wealthy men, one of the world's most philanthropic men, and one
>of the world's most savvy businessmen. For some reason, success,
>innovation, and wealth seems to bring out the worst in some people
>(jealousy, perhaps).
Ever wonder why Ingvar Kamprad never gets that treatment, nor causes
that unpleasant impression when his name is mentioned? (He owns Ikea,
somewhere between as rich as Bill or richer.) Or any other of the
wealthiest men and women in the world? Food for thought.
And, if "philantropic" is distributing software licenses and claiming
full price as a tax break for each and every one of them, that word
has changed a whole lot since I last saw a dictionary.
>For all the glitches, mistakes, anti-trust suits, and other foibles,
>Microsoft still manages to rule the world in computer software and
>operating systems. Most 'schmoes with websites" can thank Mr. Gates
>for having that opportunity.
And please never mention Tim Berners-Lee. Nor the guys who actually
wrote the software Bill sold to IBM. Nor Xerox and their graphical
interface thingy there. Nor Sun.
>regards, from a proud Microsoft shareholder......
I see.
No flame war from this side, though, I promise not to answer this
thread even if I get flamed real bad. I only have this to say: if
Bill Gates markets other people's photos as he does other people's
code (he writes no code and takes no pics), some proud Corbis
photographers might soon get a bill from Bill for using their photos
in their own websites and promotion without his Billiness permission.
With luck, he'll allow them to use the photos "for free" for a while,
and take out full license price as philantropism in his tax return.
Charity, after all, begins at home.
Mauricio
Ei Katsumata
<mjschwarz@...> wrote:
> And, if "philantropic" is distributing software licenses and claiming
> full price as a tax break for each and every one of them, that word
> has changed a whole lot since I last saw a dictionary.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm
Stockphoto Seller
Depending on Google for marketing may get some of the scraps the gorillas leave scattered around when the group moves on, but that approach is a loser if one wishes to sell in the midst of the stock photography marketplace. The biggies have sales and marketing staffs spending millions of dollars per year to bring in and hold clients and sales. They get the large majority of sales in the stock photo industry at the present. One doesn't compete with them except in the smallest, most marginal manner if one decides to wait for customers to show up by way of the big Internet search engines.
Carl May/BPS
Acclaim Images <fre...@yahoo.com> wrote:
....
The value is in the fact that Corbis is a big lumbering giant and they
are ineffective. One thing I am finding about competing in an industry
that is dominated by an 800lb gorilla is that that gorilla doesn't care
or notice when you steal some of its bananas because it has so many of
them.
Why are you waiting for that gorilla to throw you a banana? Why don't
you take the initiative and go get some of your own? For the first time
in history any Schmoe with a web site has access to the entire world,
and it's FREE to get in "the yellow pages" of our time: Google.
....
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stockphoto Seller
Carl May/BPS
Mauricio-José Schwarz <mjsc...@gmail.com> wrote:
Ever wonder why Ingvar Kamprad never gets that treatment, nor causes
that unpleasant impression when his name is mentioned? (He owns Ikea,
somewhere between as rich as Bill or richer.) Or any other of the
wealthiest men and women in the world? Food for thought.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stockphoto Seller
Congratulations on having a good personal experience with Corbis. I know at least a dozen other photographers who are happy with Corbis. But it says nothing about the fact that corporate aggregator has failed to turn a profit in over a decade of trying or about the subject of my message, the credibility Bill Gates's pronouncements on the stock photography business. There are also photographers doing well off Getty, not bothered by the lesser splits offered by the giants nor by the desire of the corporations to own ever-increasing amounts of their content and thus make independent photographers obsolete. Keep a careful eye on any corporate aggregator these days: their contract photographers may be replacing the kinds of images they learn will do well through experience with your work.
Carl May/BPS
markboltonphoto <ma...@markbolton.co.uk> wrote:
--- In STOCK...@yahoogroups.com, Stockphoto Seller
wrote:
>
> Is there some reason people are interested in Gates on stock
photography? Corbis, and the same Gates-owned company under a couple
of previous names, has not managed to make it to profitability in over
a decade. The company has been a revolving door for personnel and
approaches to doing business. On the executive level, there has been
one shakeup and revolution after another....
I am first to admit that I dont know the history of stock photography
that well, and I know that there have been a lot of phtgs who got v
pissed off with Getty et al during the late 90's because of the
contracts issue. Times are changing, and like it or not these days we
have to deal with all sorts...micro, RF...Bill Gates etc etc.
I am with Corbis, and have been for two years. I have about 400
images with them (all RM), and those images FAR outsell any other
images I have with my 10 other agents (pro rata). I have a 50 per cent
deal with them, except for sub agents, and let me tell you, the
cheques NEVEr fail to arrive, on the same day EVERY month. I have a
brilliant editor in London, who I go to see regularly, and she helps
me in the direction my shooting goes. I take my stock very seriously
(its 80per cent of my income), and I work hard. I am not a brilliant
photographer, but I have a good eye, a good workflow and a good set of
agents. Forget who's in charge at such and such an agency and take
some good pics!... Mark 'green behind the ears' Bolton
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Stockphoto Seller
Why, then, does Corbis have so much RF and why are they acquiring more? Why does Corbis have so much wholly owned content and why are they acquiring more? Why has the mode of doing business at Corbis changed, along with major executives, every few years at Corbis, and why has it been so difficult for lower-level, experienced agency personnel to keep their jobs for more than a few years at Corbis (and at its earlier names)? Do photographers understand the whole thing has been kept alive with continuing infusions of money?
No one is bashing Gates for his (and his wife's) outstanding philanthropy--the largest private foundation in the world! And there are plenty of reasons for some to bash Microsoft, but there Gates (and company) has used a pretty understandable (and some say ruthless) route to corporate domination and has succeeded. But without regular feedings of money from Gates's outside pot, Corbis (a privately held company and not part of Microsoft) would have been dead in the water years ago. No venture capitalist would have hung with it even into the new millennium.
Carl May/BPS
lens...@aol.com wrote:
As for Corbis, at least Bill seems to understand that RM/RP is the fairest, most appropriate licensing model for his images, and puts alot of faith and support in his photographers/contributors.
lens...@aol.com
>>>you wrote:" Why, then, does Corbis have so much RF and why are they acquiring more? Why
years at Corbis (and at its earlier names)? Do photographers understand the whole thing has been kept alive with continuing infusions of money? " <<<
Don't know much about the other questions regarding executives, personnel, and infusions of money, but I intend to do some more research in these areas. As long as Corbis operations don't impact the performance of Microsoft, I'll remain cautiously optimistic that Corbis will turn profitable soon.
p.s. I intend on sending Mr Gates a nice e-mail extolling the virtues of RM, and how RF is having a negative impact on the ability of some of his shareholders to purchase more Microsoft stock ;}
regards,
Len Holsborg
lens...@aol.com
agents:
http://gettyimages.com/photonica
http://cgibackgrounds.com
direct to end users
-----Original Message-----
From: Stockphoto Seller <bpsli...@pacbell.net>
To: STOCK...@yahoogroups.com
Glenn Zumwalt
>Is wealth acquired by losing money? The question is Corbis, the
>business. Corbis does not make a profit. Bill Gates owns Corbis.
>Corbis is not a part of Microsoft. Corbis, through several name
>changes, is a decade old, so it is not without a track record. Is
>Bill Gates acquiring wealth through Corbis--or is he getting it elsewhere?
>
> Carl May/BPS
I think that Corbis is privately held by Sweet William, he may not
care if it makes a profit (and probably hopes it doesn't) so that he
can offset some of the money he earns through Microsoft. It probably
gives him a huge tax break.
_____________________
Glenn Zumwalt Fotografy
age, Alamy, SAA, EP
lens...@aol.com
Ian Murray
Given all the legal restrictions on trade in the US would it be legal
for a person to do this? I mean to continue to subsidise a loss making
company which takes the second largest share of a particular market.
Is it permissible to possibly distort the operation of a free market
by using it for taxation reasons? I'm just wondering about a
hypothetical situation. How long can a business continue to make
losses whilst still being regarded by the tax authorities as a
legitimate attempt to run a profitable business rather than a tax
reduction scheme?
Regards,
Ian Murray
lens...@aol.com
Corbis is getting closer and closer to turning a profit, according to Mr Gates' Business Week interview. Do you have reasons to doubt his credibility ? I don't, but that's just my opinion.
I think a google search on 'anti-trust', 'corporate taxes', 'business losses', etc. would prove to provide more accurate info in this area, for those who think it's worth pursuing.....
regards,
Len Holsborg
lens...@aol.com
agents:
http://gettyimages.com/photonica
http://cgibackgrounds.com
direct to end users
-----Original Message-----
Glenn,
Regards,
Ian Murray
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stockphoto Seller
Closer and closer to turning a profit after more than a decade of trying? So what? Of course pouring money into a losing proposition is not a crime--but it does show an uncanny propensity for sticking with a business being run poorly. Gates is obviously out of his personal element when it comes to the stock photography business.
The influence and power that Corbis does have comes from the money, not from running a business well. When Gates started Corbis, he was all about controlling as much information as he could, including visual information. Encarta was going to be the universal reference for everything on might wish to know. His drive to dominate works pretty well with Microsoft operating system and business software but has never achieved the same level in areas like the mass media, the Internet, or (way down the line in terms of size) stock photography. None of the people I knew with common sense and successful stock photography industry experience ever lasted long at Corbis.
Corbis will continue to have influence in our industry due to the power of Gates's money. But except for the possibility of accidentally catching lightning in a bottle with new RF efforts or some other junk stock development, the company will never be a model for anything but a black hole until it learns to deal with the marketplace more realistically.
Carl May/BPS
lens...@aol.com wrote:
And I've never heard of 'cash infusion' being an anti-trade activity, but again, this is a topic for accountants and lawyers to analyze, and again, if it was illegal, it would have been dealt with already.
Corbis is getting closer and closer to turning a profit, according to Mr Gates' Business Week interview. Do you have reasons to doubt his credibility ? I don't, but that's just my opinion.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Glenn Zumwalt
>Given all the legal restrictions on trade in the US would it be legal
>for a person to do this? I mean to continue to subsidise a loss making
>company which takes the second largest share of a particular market.
>Is it permissible to possibly distort the operation of a free market
>by using it for taxation reasons?
>Ian Murray
With the amount of money he has he can find a tax attorney that can
get him almost anything. I know that sounds cynical and it
is. Second as long as he (Corbis) makes payroll and all of the other
required deductions for the employees,all he has to do is show that
he is trying to make a profit.
_____________________
Glenn Zumwalt Fotografy
age, Alamy, SAA, EP
lens...@aol.com
>>>You wrote: " Corbis will continue to have influence in our industry due to the power of
Gates's money.... the company will never be a model for anything but a black hole until it learns to
However, as far as 'dealing with the marketplace more realistically', judging by their website, I would think they are being as realistic, or more so, than most marketers of stock imagery. What am I missing ? What 'skeletons in the closet' are so drastic that they are detracting from Corbis's current ability to market effectively ? Do revenue / sales figures show that they are way behind in the industry ? Is there a 'corporate culture' at Corbis that stymies or discourages new ideas ?
Based on the corporate culture at Microsoft (from a shareholder's viewpoint), and Mr Gates' penchant for exploring and supporting new business ideas, I would find that hard to believe.
regards,
Len Holsborg
lens...@aol.com
agents:
http://gettyimages.com/photonica
http://cgibackgrounds.com
direct to end users
-----Original Message-----
From: Stockphoto Seller <bpsli...@pacbell.net>
To: STOCK...@yahoogroups.com