This independent study was undertaken during May and June 1998 and seeks to place members of the British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies, a major sector of the image trading industry in the UK, within the context of the emerging digital economy and to comment upon it. The study looks at the challenges facing the image industry as we move into the 21st century and its responses to them.
The views contained herein represent the personal views of the author unless otherwise stated. The author acknowledges the generous response of BAPLA members to interviews and a survey. To protect commercial interests, the anonymity of respondents to the survey has been preserved.
Thanks are due to Mark Getty of Getty Images, Ivan Purdie of The Image Bank and Victoria McQuade of Text 100 for responding candidly to interviews. Assistance was also given by Alexis Gerard, President of the Digital Imaging Group, Hilary Evans of the Mary Evans Picture Library, Julian Jackson Consultant to PRA, Sheena Bassett of PIRA International, Judith Perle of the London Business School and Linda Royles, Administrator of BAPLA .
It is to be hoped that this report will stimulate discussion of the important issues confronting the industry, and rather than be overwhelmed by the changes, assist it to prepare itself better for contributing to, and being architect of, the evolving infrastructure.
The digital market place is in its infancy. It is important to understand the general changes affecting all industries in the late 1990s in order fully to appreciate the issues. In this context, the report looks at the image supply industry and in particular attempts to understand the changes occurring in those industries with which the image providers are most closely associated.
1. The UK business environment
A government report ‘Moving Into The Information Age’, published in May 1998, shows that the UK lies in second place, behind the US in terms of the numbers of employees using PCs with modems and ahead of Japan, Germany and France. We should therefore conclude that the use of computers in industry is no longer an issue. However, the same report finds that the use of services still lags behind the infrastructure and hardware. A large proportion of computer usage is confined to word processing and accounts, whereas the most developed application is e-mail. Interestingly, UK employees who use e-mail, use it with a greater frequency than employees in any other countries in the study.
The proportion of countries with web sites mirrors the number of companies with internet access. 37% of British Companies have web sites, compared with 41% in USA and 45% in Japan. A benchmark study found that UK companies placed particular importance on using their web sites for advertising and marketing and that 13% of UK companies with web sites are now using them for sales, compared with 29% in the USA. The USA and UK both have the commercial advantage that English has been adopted as the language of the internet, however this may well change as access becomes customised.
The established image market in the UK exists in the main to feed an ever hungry, mainly print-based industry of newspapers, magazines, journals, catalogues, display, packaging and book publishing. In addition to this sector it also supplies the advertising industry and to a lesser degree the television and video industries. New markets include the multimedia producers of CD ROMs, DVD and corporate web site designers. The providers of this content are the representatives of photographers and artists, as well as the photographers and artists themselves, photo libraries and historical archives, museums, specialist collections, universities, newspaper libraries and a large number of individuals with highly specialised and unique holdings. Within this diverse group of companies, there exists further division in terms of the manner in which they sell their images. On one side is a licensing model which permits the user a one-off licence for a one-off usage with defined territories and restrictions . On the other exists the ‘royalty-free’ industry which buys out the photographers and artists and offers a number of images to be used almost freely. Additional fees are imposed for bulk usage, and the usual constraints apply on matters of taste and decency. Although this sector of the industry had a totally different client base when it began, as the quality and content has improved, so the difference has, to some extent, been eroded. Interestingly as the quality has improved so the usage has been redefined. ’Royalty-free’ usage is becoming subtly more restrictive.
Associated industries in the digital market place.
First to enter the digital age was the music industry. The move from analogue to digital was met with outcry from the consumer when vinyl was replaced by CD and digital tape. Today however, we don’t question digital radio, rather we appreciate the improved quality of the sound. Further changes are imminent, entirely due to the digital market place. A recent announcement by a2b & Digital Sight / Sound Inc. offers on-line purchase and download of commercial pop music via home computers.
This Autumn, BDB will launch digital terrestrial television in the UK. We are world leaders in this field. It is predicted that the digital television revolution will be complete by 2006. Electronic news gathering has been the accepted standard for news teams for some time.
Video has been digital since the early 80s and will be followed eventually by film. Already digital effects have taken over in the film special effects arena. ‘Lost in Space’ is a showcase for British digital special effect sequences, and ‘Titanic’s ’ digital effects were much remarked upon. Significantly on 19th June 1998, Microsoft announced its investment in Pluto Technologies International, a company developing post-production and network technology for television. The first Digital Film Festival showcased at Austin, Texas in 1997. It was formed to screen and sell short films and animation made entirely on computer and continues to showcase a new digital genre of film.
The art world is also debating a new form, that of Digital Art, created entirely using computer technology . Although currently often output to paper, there is pressure to exhibit on-line in virtual galleries. The digital art form is producing innovative work of differing standards as artists familiarise themselves with the new tools.
Photography, the very source of much of the image industry itself, is changing. Although initially the amateur market may well be more excited than the professional market, digital photography merely provides a different toolset for the photographer. It will return control which has been eroded and allow personal manipulation of images and finishing in a way that has been largely removed by lab processes in recent time. It hands the skill back to the photographer. Time will be required to learn to use these new tools and a different look from the analogue model will emerge. The introduction of colour was just as daunting . In the same way that early film effects were instantly recognisable and ‘jarred’, but now blend seamlessly into film, so digital photography will cease to be an issue when photographers become adept at using the tools.
Digital photography as Ron Graham notes is already being used in airborne military photography, aerial surveys and remote sensing, astronomy and spectography. It is used in photo journalism, for wedding CDs , holographic interferometry and medical photography. One of the first departments to use digital imaging was the medical illustration unit of Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1993. Digital imaging extends throughout the medical profession and is included in ophthalmology, dentistry, X-ray, physiology and anatomy. Digital photography is also used by paramedics at accident scenes to assist planning of patient treatment pre-arrival at hospital. Digital imaging is being used in facial scanning, forensic science and police work. In all these applications immediacy is important and the market is consumer driven. In addition to the professional photography arena, the take up of digital cameras in the consumer market has been successful with the range of cameras available growing from only 40 in 1996, to over 200 a year later. In a groundbreaking arrangement with AOL, Kodak has just announced digital delivery of consumer film on-line .
Advertising, the traditional arena of the graphics industry is moving, albeit slowly, onto the net. Apart from web site content, browsers now carry banner advertising. This industry was worth $351 million during the first quarter of 1998 . Although a tiny proportion of the print industry level, the significant factor is that this is a fourfold increase in business over the same period in 1997.
US predictions expect internet advertising to top $1billion by the end of 1998. Tom Hyland, Chairman of Coopers & Lybrand’s New Media Group suggests that 1998 will be a breakout year for the industry, ‘The days of advertising (on the web) as an experimental buy are over, it is now part of the advertisers regular business’.
Jupiter Communications predicts that on-line advertising and direct marketing will grow from $1 billion in 1997 to $9 billion by 2002. The image industry must take note of this growth.
In December 1997, Hallmark, the world’s leading creator of greetings cards launched its web site. It offers more than 1,100 cards and 100 animated/ multimedia cards. It evidently feels sufficiently confident about the protection of its images in the digital market place to go on-line.
New media also demands visual content. To date the complexities of clearing ‘electronic ’rights and the lack of development funds has inhibited the CD ROM market’s interest in the image supply industry. Successful publishers in this market have often been those with rich content in-house and have simply re-purposed, however DVD will offer a new market to CD-ROM publishers who have understood the difficulties of the distribution market. There are enormous future possibilities for on-line publishers, particularly in the education market in support of distance learning and teacher resources.
Web page design is in its infancy, but will become the most important area of growth for picture libraries. Originally the internet allowed the transfer of data that was of necessity text, whereas the possibility now exists for incorporating stills , audio, video and animation. While a number of factors have to date inhibited this mix of media, the problems are now being addressed and already design is changing rapidly. It is increasingly unusual to find a purely text based site - today’s web sites include logos, animation and a varying degree of streaming video and audio. All this content is digitally produced. The implications for the visual content industry in terms of new markets are enormous.
Image trade on-line is increasing in the medical profession as both diagnosis and education become possible globally and in real time. The many practical uses of digital photography in this area have already been mentioned in the changes in photography section.
The print industry throughout London is promoting its digital print services to consumers. Digital scanning and printing is itself having a huge impact on the print industry. NPES ,the Association of suppliers on printing and publishing technologies, recently published a landmark research study documenting the major current and future impact of digital technologies and market dynamics on printing and publishing workflows and business operations. The core finding of the study for both suppliers and end users was ‘Get digital; get networked ; re-engineer for the new infrastructure’. It reported that ‘The economic forces propelling this transformation are at least an order of magnitude larger than those that produced the desktop revolution in page make-up during the past decade’. The study found that the transition was occurring most rapidly in North America, with Europe following about 18 months behind.
In addition to the above mentioned related industries, there is a hunger from the home computer market for content for both educational and leisure use. This market perceives no difference between clip art and high quality imaging.
The digital age is best outlined by Andrew Grove, Chief Executive of Intel, who in an article for Forbes Magazine in 1996 , summarised the situation thus, ‘What can be done, will be done’. He pointed out that all information could be expressed digitally, that all information could be transported in a digital form and that all information could be stored in a digital form. He rightly concluded that ‘If it can be done...it will be done’. He recognised that the computer industry had taken 15 years to restructure. The communications industry he thought would take less than ten and the restructuring of the media he predicted might be quicker than that.
In spite of the high level of consumer satisfaction to be found with the friendly and personal service it provides, the current business model, with a few notable exceptions, is inefficient, repetitive and anachronistic.
The current process, based on the requirement for rapid provision of transparencies demands that the supplier has a good understanding of the clients’ needs, both artistically and technically, recalls previous requirements and most importantly has recorded previous usage of an image which may preclude further usage and is aware of territorial restrictions on licensing. The demands of the clients are varied, dependent on whichever part of the print industry they represent. The requirement to understand a number of reproductive processes and limitations, in addition to the different house styles required, is an onerous one.
The delivery may be local, national or international requiring an assortment of services from couriers to mail. The image searching may be undertaken by the clients, by freelance researchers or by the library’s own staff, or a combination of all three. The clients’ demands are as varied as the industry itself. The one uniting and common thread, which is the essence of the bond between parties, is the intimate understanding of this process and a gut feeling for what works.
One of the most important and least understood aspects of the debate about the digital process is the fear of losing the personal, intimate approach to the business. The fear is that it will be replaced by an unthinking and ultimately shallow automated process and that a remote client will lack the ability to respond in a meaningful way to a self-directed search. Image providers are frustrated by the current lack of opportunity to educate the on-line client to search meaningfully for greater fulfilment. This very frustration and apparent destruction of a subtle process may in fact hold the key to a new, more fulfilling role for researchers. In digitising the industry, a new role will of necessity emerge for image searchers. For too long the extraordinary skill and knowledge of experienced and highly intelligent image suppliers has been the invisible, little acknowledged element which has made the industry so valuable. In the main, not only has this talent gone unrecognised, with the provision of the right image being taken for granted, but of late it has been financially unrewarding as libraries have been forced to stop charging for searches in order to remain competitive.
If digitising material not only increases the market by making images available globally, but also simplifies the tedious processes of tracking and dispatching of images, it will be possible to offer a value added service to clients. Failure to find images at ‘entry level’ to fulfil a brief will encourage buyers to move on to ‘value added’ services offered by image suppliers on-line. Once more the concept of paying for searching will be endorsed. In the digital market place it will be accepted as an enhancement to the existing service. Current image suppliers will become the ‘supersearchers’ of the electronic image market place and will find it a more rewarding existence as a result.
The image industry by its very nature, is comprised mainly of small companies and individuals who are not overtly commercial, working alongside nationals and multinationals who have far greater commercial skill. The digital market place will be a great leveller in providing an opportunity for all to trade globally. Those who successfully manage the change from analogue to digital will be rewarded with a higher profile; their expertise acknowledged and compensated for. They will move away from providing delivery services to become content makers. Routine tasks will disappear and be replaced by more complex ones.
Issues inhibiting the digital market place
Research shows that businesses highlight three issues as potential inhibitors to the widespread adoption of internet commerce: the lack of a predictable environment, concerns that the government will overtax the internet and uncertainty about the internet’s performance, reliability and security. These issues are addressed below as are the potential benefits of digitising.
The internet was originally designed to carry text. It now is being asked to deliver a range of media from graphics to video and sound, but the success with which it delivers multimedia is determined by the delivery format, the modem speed, the processor speed of the computer and sophisticated compression techniques.
ISDN is the minimum standard at which the image industry should contemplate operating, with leased line networks preferable for larger companies. Pictures produce large file sizes which take a significant time to be downloaded. Multimedia applications on-line are being inhibited by slow modem speed and the lack of communication link capacity. LAN (Local area networks ) and WAN (Wide areas networks) are being promoted intensively by Government initiatives and technology suppliers in the UK. A successful digital future requires equally affordable access to all forms of IT.
The development and success of the visual content industry on-line is dependent on access to efficient and quick transfer of data. On-line access from PCs and other on-line retrieval devices, such as web enabled consoles and network computers, is forecast to grow from 3 million households in 1977 to 30 million by the end of 2000. The UK is leading the world in many of these technologies.
Other technologies such as the proposed ‘internet in the sky’ will have an enormous impact. The Teledisc Network, which Bill Gates is backing, is scheduled to go into service in 2002. It will provide two-way broadband connections for voice, data, video conferencing and high performance internet access. It is expected to be up to 2000 times faster than today’s analogue modems and to support millions of simultaneous users. If Teledisc is successful it will revolutionise global communication and will further stimulate the development of multimedia applications.
The internet is a low cost distribution channel for digital products, but growth has been impeded by concerns over copyright infringement and piracy.
Digital content can be watermarked or encrypted to protect the image .This is much more secure than current distribution methods, and software tracking devices will allow the agency to track client usage of any picture from the site. Watermarking and encryption are gaining support across the industry and although watermarking can be removed, it is a laborious process and further the pirate will not know whether the picture is additionally invisibly protected by encryption .
Several companies offer digital-watermarking products including Digital Stock who offer a visible watermark in the centre of each sample image. More complex solutions are available from Digimarc, the market leader, Signum Technologies and Signify. One of Digimarc’s strengths is that its Picturemarc encoding is integrated into software such as Adobe Photoshop, Coreldraw and Photopaint. However, the real power of Digimarc is in its MarcSpider, a web agent which searches for Picturemarc encoding on images, from which it compiles an image listing giving the URL ( Uniform Resource Locator), date and the last modification. This system can be enormously time-consuming to check, but if an image is being used exclusively on one site only and appears elsewhere, this method of tracking will permit the library to follow up the transgression of copyright.
Further copyright options include Digital signature and certification. Digital signature, as it suggests, is an electronic version of a signature which is checked by cryptographic techniques to ensure that the data has not been changed during transfer and verifies the sender details. Digital Certification is a certificate of authentication issued by a credible third party, such as a government, which guarantees the authenticity of the transmitted data. The DTI expects legislation to be passed in the next Parliament in support of an agreed standard. The greatest implication of certification is in enabling electronic commerce rather than in protecting the image itself. Wired reports that ‘Intel (INTC), an investor in ValiCert, will incorporate a plug-in version of the technology into the next version of the Common Data Security Architecture, or CDSA. Using CDSA and its own technology, ValiCert aims to make authentication, encryption, and identification a standard piece of transacting business on-line.’
The current technical limitations are forcing companies to take different approaches . Some only put their lower-value material on-line. Others have created private ‘value-added’ networks (extranets) that limit access to certain clients who are known to them or satisfy a certain specified criteria. Others are identifying interested parties on-line by issuing and checking portal passwords before allowing access to their material. All the above measures however have limited value unless copyright issues are addressed.
Digitising not only makes it possible to market images on-line globally, reaching new markets, but more importantly forces governments to look at the issue of global copyright. There is an acceptance that British copyright is evolving towards a global standard, with general feeling that the European machine is too bureaucratic and cumbersome to deal with the issues. In December 1996, governments negotiated treaties at the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) that addressed the question of how copyright should be recognised and protected in global internet commerce. Governments are now working under the auspices of the UN to have these treaties ratified. Internet trade will force rapid global agreement on protection of intellectual property. As Dr Hugenholtz pointed out in his paper to the European Commission Legal Board in 1995 , ‘ The digital network would bring back to rights holders what they (nearly) lost in the age of mass copying : the power to transact directly with information users.’ PACA has proposed the foundation of a new world-wide umbrella organisation, an international Images Agencies Organisation, (IMAGO) which is expected to be launched officially in November 1998.
The commercial value of copyright cannot be underestimated. In 1997 in the US, the nation’s core copyright industries (which include the movie, recording, publishing and software industries) topped the list of leading exports with $US 18billion in foreign sales.
The growth in electronic commerce has been impeded by a lack of customer confidence in providing credit card details and other personal information on-line. However the current practice of giving details by phone has a considerably higher risk attached. The tide is turning. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law has just completed work on a model law that supports the commercial use of international contracts in commerce. In addition to this measure the International Chamber of Commerce has issued guidelines for a model commercial code. Measures are already being taken to alleviate concern and smart cards and digital cash will offer alternative methods of electronic commerce. Digicash offers a software solution, whereas smart cards, e.g. Visa’s Stored Value Card, provide electronic cash.
E-commerce is of particular benefit to small companies whose survival can depend on cash flow being sufficiently fluid. Payment ‘on purchase’ would greatly assist them, removing the time consuming problem of issuing and following up invoices. It would also be beneficial to the image originators who would receive accelerated payment.
Development of the market place
Of necessity libraries have been digitising to a number of different standards, low resolution for on-line browsing and high resolution for print. This in turn produces radically different file sizes with differing download times, larger files being prohibitively slow to transmit. While compression standard battles continue, an open standard, called Flashpix has emerged which offers a single standard format enabling one file to be created for all purposes. Not only does Flashpix address the different delivery requirements, but together with IIP (Internet Imaging Protocol) creates a bandwidth-efficient way to allow speedy delivery of photographic-quality images on-line, thus removing the prohibitively slow delivery issue which has been such a deterrent to the market
This format is being promoted by the DIG (Digital Imaging Group), an open industry consortia of major players in software, hardware, photography and image marketing. Members include Eastman Kodak, Fuji, Canon, Agfa Gevaert, Poloroid, Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Adobe, Corbis, Photodisc, Index, and others interested in the digital arena. Associate membership is available and should be adopted by organisations such as BAPLA and PACA in order to keep up with the future of imaging.
The Group was created to expand the use of digital images across consumer, business and professional image markets and applications. Since it was launched in October 1977 its profile has grown to include over 50 industry members and over 100 products are now compatible with Flashpix/IIP. Attempts are being made to encourage all sections of the image industry to support this standard. The First Congress met at the end of June 1998 and reports shortly.
PACA (The Picture Agency Council of America) is lobbying for standards in cataloguing and indexing techniques. Its Electronic Picture Roundtable group is promoting key-word guidelines and points out that unless they are adhered to industry wide, cataloguing will become useless. PACA is working closely with software developers and database producers to set a standard.
In ‘The Telling Image’ , Duncan Davis noted that ‘the human brain... can recognise and sort pictures at a level of sophistication that is quite unattainable by computer based methods (which is why) this sorting and indexing is so important.’ The Image Bank has its ‘natural language’ search tool, while others have experimented with sorting by shape and by colour. This is a critically important area which is not developing sufficiently quickly to keep pace with the automation of on-line sales.
Captioning becomes evermore important in allowing the remote viewer of images to understand them, as does a meaningful search engine for the catalogue. While the current debate rages over whether to digitise or not, libraries would add significant value to their on-line presence (which in a majority of cases is informational only) by putting their electronic catalogues on-line. Not only would this encourage an initial search by the client to ascertain the relevance of the library to its need, but also it would provide a valuable service to the client at very little cost to the library and encourage the on-line client to stay at the library’s web site rather than move on. Further, it may encourage a follow up e-mail enquiry.
Importantly, although formats may change in the digital environment there is no loss of quality in transferring from one digital format to another. This is important not only from the point of view of archiving but also when a direct comparison with analogue is made, where loss of picture quality occurs with each generation of picture creation. Image manipulation will allow images to be ‘tidied up’, making previously unusable images usable. Further, adoption of photo-journalism techniques, whereby photographers are able to download images for immediate distribution, will offer a new immediacy for all.
The electronic model offering solutions for searches in real-time is extremely seductive. The immediacy of the streamlined service, like First Class travel makes the previous standard difficult to accept. During the period of transition between the analogue and digital arenas, libraries must continue to promote the entirety of their stock and not just their digital sources. Although satisfaction of immediate hunger may be addressed on-line, it will be to the benefit of libraries to promote “value added” searching by library staff on behalf of the client or the electronic business model may initially produce a ‘lazy’ client. Libraries must continue to remind their clients of the possibility of deeper and more meaningful searching of their additional analogue resources. Non- digitised material must be offered in a supportive way with the possibility of ‘scan on demand’ or ‘ by special courier service’, if the additional searching is to be properly appreciated. Once material is available on-line, clients will quickly become accustomed to the immediacy of access but will need reminding that there are other options for obtaining material.
‘Push’ technology will also play its part. The seemingly innocuous forms at the portals of web sites exist not only for client entry screening but as complex market research tools. Libraries will be able to maintain user profiles, monitor their buying habits and therefore promote new material to individuals with a known interest or past buying habit in a particular area. This ability to customise is being introduced widely in net commerce, ranging from the streaming of news according to subject preference to the promotion of retail sites of interest to each individual customer. Already Amazon.com has harnessed this technology. People using a search browser on the web are offered a list of relevant book titles available from Amazon.com. This is an enormously powerful tool and one which will assist the photo libraries in maintaining and enhancing their traditional customer service ability.
There is a great difference between having a web site which is an information only site and having one which permits the exchange of goods and sales to take place. There is enthusiasm and support for marketing and information only sites which enable the retailer to suggest sales opportunities to the client and it is shown that information sites help build a brand presence. They also assist the promotion of sales literature, catalogues and CD ROMs which can be ordered on-line. Catalogues and CDs will continue to support sales and are much appreciated by buyers. On-line shopping however is in its infancy and with a few notable exceptions is not being adopted by the visual content industry. There is little attempt to make buying easier or to develop products for the electronic environment.
The potential for photo libraries to generate sales from web site creation companies and web content producers is largely unrealised. Information sites however have to be informative! The current BAPLA directory whilst giving an alphabetic listing of libraries by name, allowing further information to be accessed about each library, is totally useless in instances where the library title gives no hint of its content and the library is unknown to the searcher. To be useful to those with no prior knowledge of the British image industry it would be of assistance to list libraries according to their generic holdings. Unlike browsing a paper based directory where details are given for each library under its title, to click back and forth between web pages to read the entries is cumbersome and time wasting. Particularly when expecting to attract new global business, web sites listing a number of different companies, must give alternative search techniques at the interface. The most oft mooted reason for not offering on-line sales is that ‘customers have not asked for it’. It is indeed difficult to ask for a service that does not exist!
Most on-line newspapers have yet to see a profit from their ventures but still they remain committed to the internet. The Editor and Publisher Company on-line newspaper database lists more than 2,700 newspapers with on-line business, of which 60% are US based. Although profit is slow to materialise, the early adopters are staking their claim to the market. There are signs that their investment is prudent. Reuters, for instance, launched an information only web site in 1994. Today it offers a number of customised sites, including Business News, Securities and a Financial Market and has just announced a 50 million global technical centre to develop internet related products. Jean -Claude Marchard, Director of European operations, is quoted as predicting that ‘All Reuters services will be delivered either on the internet or via internet related products within 5 years.’
The on-line business will support the print business in tandem for an initial period, probably a decade, as it is concentrating on building an audience rather than imposing subscriptions. It will be the same for the emerging digital imaging industry; the analogue model will run alongside the digital model for some time to come.
By the end of 1997 more than 100 million people were using the internet with traffic currently doubling every 100 days. Predictions suggest more than $300 billion of commerce on the net by 2002 .The image business in Europe is estimated currently at 1.4 billion ECUs , an increasing proportion of which will go on-line.
Until 1996, very few retailers had an internet presence. Amazon.com (internet bookseller) was one of the first to recognise the opportunities and as an ‘early adopter’ in its own area had a head start of one or two years on its rivals. This time advantage gave it the opportunity to build a brand image and to take the lion’s share of the market before others had a sales capability on the web. So it is with Corbis, Getty Images and The Image Bank. In taking the early risk they have effectively kept out opposition. To the dismay of others one of the most damaging events in the new distribution model was the removal of search fees which had been the life blood of a large sector of the image industry. By getting in early they are dominating the on-line image-seeking community.
The most significant factor in on-line digital sales is growth, however small. The emphasis as we will see from the study of early adopters, is that Getty, Corbis and The Image Bank are set on capturing market share early rather than making profit. During this early period a number of different sales approaches are being made. They will be refined, adapted and even discarded according to the manner in which they are received by the customer base. Web content sites change constantly in response to competitor pressures as well as in response to their customers. The benefit to the followers into the market is that providing that their images cannot be replicated elsewhere and provided they have educated themselves in understanding this new market place, they can benefit from the refined business models that these three pioneers will produce. By studying the emerging business models, so libraries will be able to work out how they intend to develop themselves. For a brief time, libraries are privileged to be able to study the changing web scene.
A recent survey by PIRA International showed that image traders expected on-line trading to become an accepted method of doing business in 2-5 years time, with the great majority viewing it as a complementary channel to their normal activities. The reasons given for their business going on-line were because their clients demanded it and /or because their competitors were doing it
. The emerging digital economy is however remarkably unforgiving of latecomers. Complacency and lack of preparation now could have dire consequences for some parts of the industry, in the main those parts that hold neither unique collections nor are able to digitise sufficiently quickly. The early adopters of the digital image market place however are not without competition.Considerable challenge will come from within the newspaper industry. By and large, the image providers within newspaper groups have maintained a private industry-group picture network. This considerable resource would offer real competition in some areas were it to be made generally available.
Mission
‘The marriage of high quality content to fast delivery over the internet’ with a declared aim to be the world’s largest provider of commercial imagery.
Claim
Leading royalty-free digital stock provider.
Holdings : Privately owned collections with over 20 million images.
Represents 3,500 photographers.
Allsport
Leading sports photography agency with over 4 million images,100,000 on-line.
Hulton Getty
Archival photographs -approx 15 million images of which currently 170-180,000 on-line. Adding 5,000 a month. 1.5million expected to be digitised in total, with remaining scanned to order.
Liaison Agency Leading US news and reportage agency on-line.
Tony Stone Images Contemporary stock photography on-line by end 1998.
Energy Film Library Stock footage (9,500 hours film).
PhotoDisc World leading royalty-free image library with over 60,000 digital images of which 35,000 are available on-line only and 25,000 available both on-line & CD-ROM.
Powerpics
Launched March 1998 offering images to Small Office/Home Office users for brochures and business documents on-line.
In the short period since 1995 when Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein first entered the industry, they have acquired a collection of leading companies, which are complementary to each other. Each company has kept its individuality and identity while benefiting from the digitising process.
The cornerstone of the Getty success is Photodisc, which was acquired in 1997. Photodisc, founded in 1991 was a pioneer in its field. It has gone on to become the world leader of royalty-free image both on-line and on CD ROM. Its web site is a frequent award winner and it was most recently awarded the 1997 Industry Achievement Award for the Best World Wide Web Site by the Washington Software Association. The Photodisc web site is clearly designed, works with industry metaphors and understands its role perfectly. Its simplicity and clarity of design produces a standard which others should seek to emulate.
Customising is already in hand. The 1998 Resource Book text is being provided in English, French, German and Japanese.The Photodisc web site in Germany has a German language interface and the French web site has its own interface. The provision is not just of information in a ‘home’ language, the raison d’être is really to address cultural differences and promises to provide a truly local service. Further ‘localising’ of websites is scheduled, with Japan soon to follow. Close tracking of customer buying trends has identified a rapid growth in royalty free usage. In 1996 the royalty-free market was worth $75m. Statistics for 1997 estimated it at $150 million with expectations of reaching $300million by the year 2000. Getty will continue to develop royalty-free for this new buying sector through continued and aggressive penetration of the new digital market. The importance of this market can be judged by the following results:
The first quarter of 1998, produced record results - Photodisc seeing an increase of 282% on the first quarter of 1997 and a growth of 35% on the fourth quarter. A third of Photodisc sales were generated on-line.
The purchase of the Tony Stone Library with its exclusive image licensing perfectly complements the royalty-free holdings of Photodisc and will be fully digitised by the end of 1998. Getty supports watermarking and encrypting of images and its scanning and digitising of the Tony Stone Library gives it great expertise in the technical process and in quality control, which will be valuable commodities in the near future.
Where Getty excels is in understanding the web culture. It reacts to it and while Mark Getty expects the analogue side of the business to continue alongside ‘for some time to come’, the strategic buying of complementary libraries increases the strength of the holdings and minimises the risk. Although different sales forces exist to support the individual libraries and their different markets, the consolidation of the different companies into one entity is successful.
Digital sales for the first quarter of 1998 were 23% of the group’s sales at $8.6 million. Current on-line sales are at about 30% of all Photodisc single image sales, with The Tony Stone library expected to pick up the bulk of the growth in the US next year when it comes on-line. The Hulton Library will initially be digitised only in part, with the remainder being scanned to order.
Getty is supporting new photographers with its London Photographic Award, a mechanism to bring together a new body of photographic work every year. The award winner will be rewarded with widespread exposure with both traditional and internet exhibition. It is also building custom for its footage library. When Energy has been unable to fulfil a stock request, it offers custom shooting of material at library prices. This arrangement allows continued growth in holdings whilst fulfilling customer requirements. It is a subtle marketing ploy.
While the library will continue to grow, with expected capital expenditure of $50million next year,( of which 50% will be spent on digitising and building the web presence), Getty is focused. It is careful not to diversify into areas where traditionally the company has no expertise, while continuing to develop associated areas of imagery such as illustration and encouraging digital artists. A broad spectrum of access is offered, from full-service to self-service and from rights-protected licensing to royalty-free licensing. The selection and distribution capabilities exist to service a range of customers from the domestic to the professional in an almost seamless manner.
While supporting watermarking and encryption, Getty sees no current inroads being made into promoting industry standards. ‘The market place’, he comments, ‘is anarchic’. He does not support standardising cataloguing, arguing that different libraries have a need for different cataloguing techniques and that ‘customers are not standard’. It is envisaged that the Library may develop a service to license other intellectual property through its network, in order to maximise the skill and expertise it already has in this area.
Getty aims to provide a ‘one-stop’ source of digital imagery on-line to offer professional users of photography everything they need. He acknowledges that small libraries will continue to survive and prosper providing they continue to invest in their speciality, and comments that the industry has refused to recognise over the last ten years the shift from a physical to an electronic world.
It is Getty’s belief that in the future there will be three aggregators of commercial photography who will represent the rest of the industry and will have ‘value’ added to their profile dependent on who they represent. Getty is obsessed with providing the ‘highest quality imagery capable of multiple sales, the best customer service, protecting strong brand names and increasing its world-wide distribution network.’ These developments are consistent with the philosophies of the best of photo libraries and agencies. The mission is to capitalise on these key strengths, to increase existing business and to acquire complementary businesses in the future .The careful strategic process will continue to gain support and acceptance.
Undisputed leader in web-based provision in terms of the size of its holdings, with 1.3 million images on-line, Corbis is building a ‘unique, comprehensive archive of high quality digital content that will serve as a worldwide resource of visual information’ and is dedicated to ‘redefining visual content for the digital age’. Corbis has a declared goal, ‘to become the place for pictures on the internet’.
Corbis has total holdings of over 23 million images which includes the Bettman Collection (containing the UPI & Agence France Presse archives as well as 10 years of Reuters News Photography), images from Ansel Adams, Yann-Arthus Bertrand, Lynn Goldsmith, Robert Holmes, Roger Ressmeyer, Galen Rowell, David and Peter Turnley, Michael Yamashita, the Detroit Museum, the National Gallery London, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the State Hermitage Museum. The Westlight collection was acquired in May 1998 . In 1997 Corbis acknowledged the growing market in royalty-free imaging with its acquisition of Digital Stock.
Corbis has championed the traditional photo library issues such as licensing and image protection. It supports digital watermarking and the Flashpix delivery format, but declined to comment on issues of copyright and encryption when interviewed. Its license strategy is varied. It has non-exclusive agreements with museums and photographers, and has purchase agreements whereby it buys up all rights to collections, including copyright. It commissions photography from well known photographers and retains the rights to those it selects. It uses researchers to trawl public domain archives such as the National Archives and the Library of Congress.
Corbis is a content provider but also a producer. The Leonardo Notebook was repurposed as a CD ROM. Other award winning CD-ROM productions include ‘A Passion for Art: Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse and Dr Barnes’, ‘Volcanoes, Life on the Edge’ and ‘Critical Mass: America’s Race to Build the Atom Bomb’. In 1977, Corbis reorganised into two divisions, the image provision division became Corbis Images and a separate division, Corbis Productions, was formed as a dedicated on-line publishing division.
The real challenge is to get beyond the distractions of the Corbis web page interface, which adopts a magazine style and attempts to be all things to all men. It offers a free postcard sending service ( a cunning way of creating a database), free screensavers, promotes photo-books, offers travel interviews and so on. It is a relief to spot Corbis Images. This interface, in common with Microsoft’s house style, is somewhat erratic and messy. Beyond it however, there has been a great improvement in the presentation of the images, although there is still a tendency to overfill the page.
The two important sites are Digital Stock for ordering royalty-free CD ROMs and previewing images, and Corbis View, which is the on-line distribution service. The usual portal security is found. The search tool is quick and efficient with options to download high resolution images by FTP, ISDN or sent on CD ROM. A feedback site and further researcher services are offered. A price structure is however not given. The service is seductive and its ease of use makes paying for images almost seem an irrelevance.
Corbis has entered into a relationship with Hachette Fillipacchi Partnership to produce a series of monthly Hollywood retrospectives. This is a further attempt to broaden the image database audience; to pursue a specific opportunity and market. Populist though the intention is, in trying to reach out to all within the same web site, Corbis risks appealing to an audience which is fragmented and unfocused. Although in the long run as an innovator Corbis realises that the audience will be broad and less specialised; to confuse the specialised existing market now is a mistake.
The real challenge Corbis faces is in branding. It faces an uphill struggle, certainly in the UK professional market, to establish itself. Consumers are as often put off by the size of its holdings as they are impressed. Its aim, Corbis claims, is to ‘continue to set industry standards in imaging technologies, digital image cataloging, archiving, search and retrieval’. It is increasingly likely however, as the establishment of the new division suggests, that Corbis will become an important on-line producer and publisher. It has sufficient holdings to repurpose for a range of publications and it is likely that its on-line publications will grow probably with a DVD division alongside. This will, in time supersede Microsoft’s CD ROM publishing division.
The Image Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Eastman Kodak Company. Founded in 1974 in New York by Stanley Kanney and freelance photographer Lawrence Fried, it pioneered the use of stock photography for advertising. To serve a global community The Image Bank has developed a network of licensee relationships in major cities throughout the world, all of whom operate under exclusive agreements with The Image Bank.
Holdings
20 million photographs
14,000 hours film footage
100,000 illustrations Swanstock Fine Art
1,000 photographers/ artists
20 million additional images and footage from its subsidiary, Archive Holdings.(This collection can be text searched on-line but its holdings are not yet available for viewing on-line .)
Represents the Libraries of Warner Brothers and Colombia and Turner/MGM
Its latest acquisition of Petrified Films added 300,000 rolls of film covering the period 1920-1960.
In December 1997 Joe Knudson was appointed Vice President of Information Services with a commitment to ‘accelerate the process of maximising our ability to access image and data files electronically and distribute information electronically.’
To date, The Image Bank’s greatest strength has been its natural language search system, which runs alongside a Boolean search. It permits searches as specific as ‘three angry men in a polluted river at dawn’, a combination of literal description as well as contextual description. The Image Bank re-launched its web site in March 1998. The web site is vast and although easily navigable, it is somewhat unwieldy in feel. In the US it offers The Image Bank Express, an on-line service offering 1,000 images to all-comers. In England however, it provides only the Private Image Network. This secure environment, which is password protected and available only to known clients, offers 100,000 images which can be located and ordered on-line. There is a clear intent to keep the ‘casual’ and the commercial client separate and there is a declared commitment to updating the site visually daily.
In addition to the on-line booking facility, users can interact through feedback icons and competitions. Also included in the site are areas dedicated to artist information, both encouraging submittal of work and offering links to and profiles of photographers, illustrators and film makers. Additionally there are links to organisations and associations connected with the industry. A T- shirt image printing service is also offered..an acknowledgment of the home consumer market. The Image Bank recognises current trends; for instance it supports and encourages a UFO picture site.
While recognising the necessity of a world-wide ‘core’ library, The Image Bank also acknowledges the differentials between clients world-wide, hence the differing services offered by local offices. This presumably will be addressed in the future by the customising of the on-line site. The current on-line sales are estimated at 5% of total sales. The Image Bank is promoting on-line delivery and is encouraging clients to accept digital delivery of material and actively promoting ISDN. It also assists clients in using the system and educates them in respect of digital service. At the lowest level it assists them with calibrating their monitors correctly. Mindful that the current image buying process includes group discussion of suggested images before selection, it has pioneered a system which allows an image researcher to share the images placed in a lightbox folder for consideration, with others on a network. This process shows a commitment to supporting current work practices whilst encouraging digital searching and delivery.
The Image Bank does not protect its images with watermarking or encryption except on the CD ROM material which is distributed in support of its paper based catalogues.
Kodak’s relationship with AOL to deliver photographs to consumers on-line , although in its infancy, has ramifications for future net business using AOL‘s browser capability.
Ivan Purdie believes that e-commerce will push the on-line delivery into being more widely adopted. He is committed to assisting customers understand the benefits of the on-line system by promoting it alongside the established business. Catalogues, showreels and CD-ROMs can be ordered on-line.
The early adopters have moved swiftly over the last three years and change continues apace with new alliances and relationships forming at a tremendous rate. Although there are differences between the three major players, they are united in taking the digital route forward.
Short term the success of image suppliers is dependent on global copyright agreements, security and improvements in internet access speeds and infrastructure. Long term however the greatest advantage of the digital system is offered to individuals or libraries with the smallest stock. They have the most manageable level of stock to digitise and the maximum benefit from an increased global market. By definition their ferocious independence and unique stock cannot be replicated or they would not otherwise exist. In addition, Government initiatives such as the DTI’s Information Society Initiative may assist small companies to change from analogue to digital.
The new image market makes mid-size libraries with large general holdings, exclusive neither in format nor in content, most vulnerable. Digitising the whole library would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming with little benefit as it is unlikely that more than 20% of the stock comprises ‘current usage’ anyway.
The only option for these libraries may be to enter the ‘royalty-free’ arena or to target niche markets such as Education. The remaining alternative is to ‘scan on demand’ -until the demand ceases.
The following survey gives an indication of the current thinking in the British image industry.
A survey of the members of BAPLA as listed on the BAPLA web site was conducted during June 1998. The survey was sent to all BAPLA members excluding newspaper libraries and members who were interviewed in the ‘early adopters’ section
The response rate although low at 20% nevertheless is valid as the respondents cover a good cross section of libraries, from museums and other national institutions to highly specialised libraries which are personally run, therefore providing a good sample of the industry as a whole.
A further 12% responded by telephone to query for whom the survey was being conducted. The paranoia was such that in spite of my careful explanation of my personal interest and absolute independence, the majority of respondents in this category simply refused to accept that the research was not sponsored by a sinister commercial force!
Disappointed though I was not to be able to convince them otherwise, it confirmed my belief that the unease felt within the industry to the change from analogue to digital was greater than was being acknowledged and was based primarily on the lack of information across a range of issues, as well as the lack of any coherent strategy within the industry itself.
1. Do you feel threatened by the need to provide digitised images?
An overwhelming 71% of respondents said they did not feel threatened by the need to provide digital images. The lack of demand from clients was cited by 22%, while 28% expressed an existing ability or an enthusiasm to provide digital images.
Of the 29% who did feel threatened by the need to provide digital images, lack of manpower to scan the images was the most significant factor, with only one respondent highlighting financial constraint. There was a frustration about the lack of time in which to digitise holdings and the problem of finding a suitable off the shelf management system. 90% of those who felt threatened by digitising were uneasy about the ease with which images may be manipulated or copied, although there was some enthusiasm for providing images in a low resolution format only.
2. Do you consider a web presence essential?
62% considered a web presence desirable, although the majority felt it was useful rather than essential. Primarily there was an enthusiasm for the web as a marketing device but only 31% considered it useful for distribution of images. Interestingly, a recent survey by Roger Smith of Picturesmiths conducted prior to setting up his stock library showed 15% of customers requested web site images.
3. Do you see the ‘home market’as a threat?
It became clear that this question was badly expressed. It was intended to address the new market of non-professionals, the enthusiastic home computer market with a hunger for images. Although 75% responded ‘don’t know’, the remaining 25% saw it as an extension of the client base.
4. How confident are you that watermarking/ encrypting images is the way forward?
41% were enthusiastic about protecting images with watermarking and encoding whilst 31% didn’t know. 28% were not confident that this was the way forward. Although there was enthusiasm for anything that assisted in safeguarding the image, the main problem remained the lack of an industry standard. Additionally it was felt to be pointless protecting images unless the industry was strong enough to track down and deal with international piracy. Although illegal use could be proven it was felt that subsequent action could be costly. One respondent pointed out that any measure was an improvement on the lack of safeguards for transparencies.
5. Do you expect British Copyright Laws to be maintained over the next 10 years?
68% did not expect British Copyright Laws to be maintained over the next 10 years with the majority believing that it would evolve into common global protection. Many felt that copyright was slipping behind in relevance, and was not sufficiently flexible. It was felt that practice would move on and the laws would follow. 14% didn’t know, but those who did, expected the current laws to be maintained and were confident about its ability to protect their images.
6. Do you have any confidence in European legislation to protect your business?
49% expressed no confidence in European law, commenting that it was so bureaucratic that it might be counterproductive and others expressing the view that it had created more problems. 14% didn’t know.
7. What is your opinion on copyright free images ? (Note it would have been more accurate perhaps to refer to ‘royalty or license- free images’, however there is no doubt the essence of the question was understood perfectly).
Surprisingly there was less hostility in these replies than might have been anticipated. Although some expressed the view that copyright free images were an insult to any self-respecting photographer or artist, others felt that the license-free market would never be able to provide top class images because they would not pay the appropriate money for them and were unlikely to be able to compete on variety, style, specialisation and by definition, exclusivity. Respondents were evenly divided on whether the quality was high or poor, with a grudging acceptance that it was improving and highly relevant to the market it served.
In terms of the volume of images on offer it was felt that this market was already too large. Although it was unable to compete with niche markets, it diluted the business of conventional libraries, but the volume did not make up for lack of quality and breadth. It was felt that any increase in this market would lower standards.
8. Multimedia producers do not traditionally come from film or TV backgrounds, or even from publishing. Many of them are unaware of your existence as they do not use traditional researchers.
(a) How can you publicise yourselves to the new media ?
BAPLA initiatives, trade associations, handbooks, media publications and targeted marketing by CD ROM were all mentioned with 29% recommending their web sites. 14 % did not know or had no opinion . However the most surprising response was as follows: ‘we already have too many clients - we are not looking for much new business, more interested in supplying existing customers’
(b) How can you commend licensing to those to whom it is an anathema?
It was recognised that there was prejudice on both sides. It was felt that picture libraries had to be a little more flexible and less scared of the new media and the multimedia producers needed to be aware of the resources available and the rights of others whose material they used. Calls came for restricted access, watermarking and there was general support for educating this sector of the market to encourage good behaviour. It was felt that the quality of images obtained from specialists should be promoted. On the other hand a tiny minority were inclined not to bother, ‘we aren’t particularly interested in new media...if they pay rates which we consider fair and reasonable we will deal with them, if not, we politely decline’.
Others were uncomplicated in their response to infringements, declaring ‘sue’!
9. Television and publishing has traditionally given you a base of regular clients in which personal relationships play a large part. Computer commerce destroys that. How do you intend to build on-line relationships?
Respondents place very great importance on excellent personal relationships with their clients. Although some had no intention of trying to build on-line relationships, those that did, subscribed to the view that computer commerce encouraged relationships, citing that e-mail encouraged informal chat. There was confidence that ‘once they have used your photographs for whatever purpose the relationship between client and supplier is as good as the work and service you offer and the repeat need is there for your work’. One respondent identified the advantage of a client database in permitting customising of service to a much higher level than is currently possible.
10. What is the value of BAPLA to you personally? (Perhaps the question that BAPLA was most reluctant to have asked, although the responses show that in general they are providing a good service for their members).
The following answers were freely given and unprompted. Respondents regarded BAPLA as helpful in providing :
information 31%
assistance & advice 26%
pricing 26%
referrals 17%
centre for industry 17%
forum 14%
status 9 %
advertising 3%
Criticism included:
no value 11%
subscriptions too high 6%
Other negative comments included concern by constant changes of staff, a need to improve, the impression that the organisation was still swayed by big member libraries and too easily impressed by big member wishes. Others felt that BAPLA was not much help on a practical daily basis and one respondent indicated that the subscription would be one of costs he would cut when his library become established. The Association was regarded as an information source rather than a rallying group and it was felt it needed to be more proactive.
11. Many comments have been made about the unfavourable terms of the Corbis contract. What do you find unacceptable?
50% had never read a contract, while a further 25% declined to comment. Two respondents did not think the contract unfavourable and pointed out that a photographer had a right to choose to accept or decline the terms of any contract.
Five respondents reacted with specific, undisguised dislike. Comments ranging from the hope that the Corbis contract would be rejected whenever offered, to dislike of unscrupulous conduct and single minded business people. One respondent thought the Corbis contract was ‘outrageous, but what do you expect from Bill Gates’? There was dislike of attempts to tie-in all images produced by an individual to only one library and a call for revolt!
12. Is the real threat of on-line collections that buyers will become accustomed to immediacy and therefore that libraries will become recognised for the extent of their digitised stock only, rather than their complete stock?
48% of respondents thought that clients would become accustomed to immediacy of the digital stock and 13% saw this as an advantage which would encourage the digitising of images.
The remaining respondents concentrated their replies on methods by which libraries could address this problem. While some deplored the emergence of lazy and poor researchers and usage of inappropriate but immediately available images, others saw that libraries must promote both sides of the business - their digitised and analogue stock, making it clear to clients that it was easy and worth accessing the remainder of the collection. There was a feeling that the most easily accessed pictures were bound to be used more, but a confidence that most people would wait for a thorough search if it was needed. Others saw a need to keep scanning new images to the web site and the need to advertise the fact.
13. Have you considered adopting links with software houses (e.g. Adobe /photoshop) such that you might advertise your collections through them?
An overwhelming 83% had not considered this approach, however 11% were interested in the idea. One respondent suggested advertising on search engines. Fear of being exploited was voiced by one respondent as an inhibitor to pursuing this route.
14. Is the difference between clip art and high quality images being maintained.?
46% did not know, whilst 26% were confident that it was. The remaining 28% thought that the difference was being eroded and the gap closed as the quality of clip art improved. It was felt that quality images might have to become higher quality still to stave off the perceived merge. It was felt that the non-professional, home computer user looking for images would perceive no difference in value between the two.
15. The two major players are obviously Getty Communications and Bill Gates with Corbis. Which of the two do you find more threatening?
46% were not threatened by either. 11% were concerned about Getty’s strategy and its interest in small libraries. 17% were unhappy about Corbis, citing Bill Gates’s control of software for their concern, and 9% were threatened by both. 17% had no opinion. One library was convinced that they were one and the same!
It was perceived by 6% that both Getty and Corbis operated in a different market. Smaller libraries were concerned that either should buy material in the area of their speciality, while one was willing to sell at the right price!
It was noted that there was nothing to be gained from concentrating power and availability of images in the hands of the few and it was further noted that while such conglomerations may make commercial sense, artistically and politically they were sad. One respondent confidently predicted that one or other of them would eventually fall flat on his face. Another respondent deplored their advent and the motivation behind them, commenting ‘I feel neither will be good for the industry in the long run. An analogy could be that of the supermarket and the delicatessen. Folk get fed up with the former which lacks variety and behaves arrogantly, while the really good deli that holds the right stock and offers personal service will always do well.’
Another comments, ‘Can’t compete (with Getty and Corbis) but will look for niches. They will take the cream but there will be enough left.’
Please feel free to comment on any other aspect of the digital environment as it affects you.
The following comments were offered: ‘Small is beautiful. We are not ambitious for global coverage. We just want to do what we do better than anyone else and are convinced we will succeed where other larger businesses will fail.’
‘We have remained unaffected by digital imaging - the business is still pretty much the same now as 10 years ago when we started’
‘We have a unique collection which can only be partially duplicated by the few similar libraries in our highly specialised field’
‘If they want your images- your speciality, your style, your knowledge, they’ll find you’
‘The greatest threat comes from libraries who make cheap, bulk deals. They will kill us first
’ The Digital world - New! Exciting!
‘By digitising our library we will be able to safeguard our collection from fire risk, damage at the printer’s, loss etc. We will also be able to tidy up images by manipulation and make previously unusable images useable.’
‘It would be useful for there to be some place to get advice on IT for photo agencies, ie. best software, best systems, scanners ...co-operative designers, discounts etc.’
‘I am hoping some industry standards will evolve before too long as at the moment lots of people are dabbling with new technology, but there doesn’t seem to be a consensus of opinion as to what size to scan to for example...’
‘Digital images are here to stay, it’s how we utilise them rather than how they rule the industry. Digital imaging is a vital key skill to anyone wanting to be in this business whether it be managing an electronic picture desk or knowing what a JPEG is; all of these are elements of a rapidly expanding environment.’
Lastly, we should perhaps consider this contribution:
‘The digital excitation... a volcanic eruption, a colourful phenomena facing the growing generation, but...not yet under control in the hands of a complex manpower...keep cool brain, we are in search of integrity and eternal human values once more’
That the image providers have to digitise is not in question, however the speed with which they do so will be dependent on technology, the successful defence of intellectual property rights and consumer demand. The need for establishing better marketing and distribution systems is clear. That the changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary is widely accepted, as is the certainty that the analogue model will remain alongside the digital model for the next five years and maybe even longer.
The greatest danger currently facing the industry is the lack of will to join the debate and to unite to contribute to creating the new infrastructure. BAPLA is not even an associate member of the Digital Imaging Group, neither is it on the consultative board of the DTI’s Information Society Initiative. Discussions with organisations such as BIMA (the British Interactive Multimedia Association) would be helpful. There is a need for BAPLA and its membership to be proactive rather than reactive. The infrastructure of the new digital market place is now being built - never has there been a more important time or greater opportunity to seek common standards across a range of issues, from cataloguing and indexing to database software, scanning devices, encrypting and watermarking tools, from e-commerce to security and on-line marketing. It is a time to form new alliances. Those not wishing to have a relationship with any of the three main aggregators must devise strategies now for alternative ways forward. Possibilities include joining together in a loose generic grouping of ‘best of class’, or forming alliances with software and hardware manufacturers and services, such as the scanning and print industry. There is a convergence of industries producing any number of unlikely partnerships. The digital market place expects, even demands new relationships. Do not hesitate to explore them!
The author hopes to have stimulated discussion and encouraged a greater transparency between members of the same industry. Within the industry there is an untapped pool of experience covering many aspects relevant to the new digital arena. This knowledge is not currently being shared. A forum is necessary to encourage exploration of the issues and to produce a new digital model which embraces, recognises and supports the unique and special skills of the industry, while enabling customised global sales in the diverse emerging market place.
To quote Hamlet, ‘The readiness is all ............’
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