Saltmine Agency: Read this

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Microstock Marketplace
Seattle, WA, July 11, 2007. Saltmine, Inc., the interactive design and development division of Enterworks, Inc., today announced it has partnered with Corbis to help design and develop SnapVillage, the new online image marketplace that launched recently at www.snapvillage.com. SnapVillage is a unique online marketplace for pictures, illustrations and Flash files contributed by users and available for purchase by both novice and professional buyers at an affordable price.
Anyone can upload an image, illustration or Flash file, which is made available for sale after a simple review process. Contributors can select their own price for the images they submit and earn royalties on each image downloaded.
Saltmine was chosen to provide a range of creative and technical expertise to help research, design, develop, test and launch SnapVillage. The new site represents a unique entry into the “microstock” market by Corbis, a creative resource for advertising, marketing and media professionals worldwide.
SnapVillage simplifies the process of contributing, searching, buying and licensing images. By focusing on the user experience throughout the design, Saltmine and Corbis created an ideal website for seasoned professional image buyers, as well as casual and amateur buyers.
“To bring a user-focused website that provides true innovation to the microstock segment, we knew SnapVillage would have to be built from the ground up and require a unique blend of creative and technical talent,” said Adam Brotman, Vice President of Networks at Corbis. “Saltmine worked with us on many aspects of the project including naming and brand identity, user experience research and design, custom development and integration and comprehensive testing. They collaborated effectively with us along the way and delivered as promised.”
“Although we brought a wide variety of technologies to bear, we knew from the beginning that technology mattered only if the end result aligned with Corbis’ vision of a consistently satisfying experience for image contributors and buyers,” said Jonathan Day, vice president of business development at Saltmine. “Throughout the project, we worked closely with Corbis to deliver numerous innovations, all of them driven by practicality, simplicity and ease-of-use.”
Some of the key features that Saltmine helped develop for SnapVillage include:
A “pick your own price” option that allows contributors to select the license price of their images. Working closely with Corbis, Saltmine designed and developed this “feature first” in the microstock market.
A sophisticated method for identifying “Snappyness,” the measure of user interest in each SnapVillage image. Saltmine created the underlying algorithms for rating “Snappyness,” which draw on user interaction data.
A simplified buying experience that frees purchasers from file size choices and restrictions on intended use. Combining user feedback with Saltmine’s user experience and e-commerce expertise will enable further refinements to the site.
The work performed by Saltmine began with extensive market research and will continue after launch as user feedback about SnapVillage is collected and carefully analyzed.
“We’re committed to continually learning how SnapVillage can best serve its users — the image contributors and purchasers that make this a one-of-a-kind community,” said Seth Gordon, director of user experience at Saltmine.

Getty Images Financial Update-- HOT....

Seattle, WA, May 01, 2007. Getty Images, Inc., the world's leading creator and distributor of visual content, today reported preliminary results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2007. Results presented in this release are subject to change as a result of the matters described in the Restatement of Financial Statements section below.
Quarterly Highlights
Revenue grew 6 percent to a record $213 million compared to $201 million in the first quarter of 2006
Royalty-free imagery revenue grew 13 percent
Editorial imagery revenue grew 16 percent
Earnings per diluted share were $0.63. Excluding costs related to the company's review of its equity compensation grant practices and a terminated acquisition, earnings per diluted share were $0.68
Cash and cash equivalents grew by $47 million during the quarter to $387 million
Agreed to acquire WireImage, a leading creator of entertainment and event imagery

Getty Images buys Wire Images

Getty Images Completes Acquisition of WireImage
Expanded Capabilities Allow Company to Meet High-Speed Demand for Celebrity Imagery
Seattle, Apr. 26, 2007. Getty Images, Inc. (NYSE: GYI), the world's leading creator and distributor of visual content, today announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of WireImage. The deal, which was announced on February 22, 2007, also includes MediaVast, Inc. the owner of WireImage, and sub-brands FilmMagic and Contour Photos.
"Celebrity, entertainment and sports photography is a fast-growing and vital part of the imagery industry, and this acquisition positions us to meet and exceed the demand for nearly instantaneous content," said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images. "Growing our entertainment imagery business has been a key strategic focus, resulting in revenue growth of approximately 60 percent in each of the last three quarters of 2006. We see further growth opportunity as a result of this acquisition. The real winners will be our customers who can now expect to see exciting new developments with products and services including podcasts, editorial video, multimedia, mobile and exclusive imagery."
Getty Images intends to maintain MediaVast's three brands and its market Web sites. With the combined resources of Getty Images and WireImage, Getty Images will continue to generate new imagery for their respective celebrity and entertainment collections and make it available for online distribution globally.
The acquisition was driven by the rapidly evolving celebrity imagery business. A recent article in Variety pointed out that the category is increasingly being led by online publications that publish articles at breakneck speed and therefore demand images immediately.
Getty Images is shortening the time between image capture and the worldwide distribution of the image through its industry-leading Web site, which features search in local languages and purchase in local currencies, and leads the industry in delivery speed, service and international distribution. The acquisition of WireImage and MediaVast gives the company more coverage capabilities for events and portraiture, and expands the entertainment and celebrity imagery segment.
The acquisition of WireImage will also enable Getty Images to accelerate the growth of its video distribution business. The company increased its portfolio of video and film footage in 2006 and has been preparing a build out of its back end delivery systems. WireImage established a foothold in the video business and Getty Images will continue to grow the category by adding editorial footage to the mix.