Cheap Images from Getty . . .

Stock Asylum Staff Report
Sept. 5, 2007


Getty Images has formally announced the new economy pricing program that everyone has been talking about since last week.

In a press release issued late on this date, the world's largest distributor of stock photography said it would license all its creative and editorial images for routine web uses at bargain basement prices.

Interestingly, the company did not provide a date when the new, across-the-board $49 pricing would take effect for rights-managed and rights-ready images. The pricing is already available for royalty-free images.

It is possible Getty rushed out the press release to affirm its commitment to the program. Since it was mentioned recently in the photographers' section of the company's web site, the proposed pricing has concerned some image creators and those who represent creators.

In some cases, the price reductions are extreme. For example, the price cut for a sample rights-managed image will be $631.

But, Getty Images apparently believes the new pricing will attract more image buyers.

Citing trends toward increased use of alternative advertising and marketing, Getty said "The new product enables customers producing content for the rapidly expanding online market to use award-winning imagery from the broadest and highest quality collection in the world in their online media and advertising."

Under the new scheme, royalty-free and rights-ready images will have almost no meaningful restrictions.

According to information released to photographers, rights-managed images will apparently be limited to a one-year term for use on a commercial or editorial web site, in e-mails or in a multimedia project.

The release issued on this date did not specify rights-managed restrictions. All of the images will be 500 kilobytes, which is about 475 to 500 pixels on the long side.

The Getty Images web site is at: http://www.gettyimages.com.