Can I submit the same photo to both macrostock and microstock agencies?
Asked 11/12/2010
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2 answers
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If I have non-exclusive agreements with multiple stock agencies, is it generally acceptable to upload the same image to both macrostock agencies and microstock agencies? I'm mainly wondering whether there are licensing or contract issues to watch for, and whether doing this affects the image's value or sales potential.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
5
The obvious difference would be on the value of sales. If you've an exclusive or very high quality image, then you probably want to exploit its value, and sell for a higher price through a specialised agency.
Conversely, if your image lacks exclusivity, (for example, two people in business suits shaking hands), then there would be a lot of competition on microstock already, so the client may not even look further than this.
In real terms, this would mean that you'd be cutting your own margins by posting to the microstock; Instead you may get a better return by targeting your images on a per-image basis.
Originally by user21. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user21
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—if your agreements are non-exclusive, you can often submit the same image to both macrostock and microstock agencies, but you need to check the contract terms carefully.
The main concerns are:
- License conflicts: A photo offered as Rights Managed through a macrostock agency may be incompatible with offering the same image as Royalty Free on microstock.
- Pricing clauses: Some agencies may prohibit offering the same image elsewhere at a lower price, even under non-exclusive terms.
- Positioning and value: Putting an image on microstock can reduce its perceived exclusivity and may undercut higher-priced sales. For more generic images, that may matter less; for stronger or more unique images, you may want to place them more selectively.
- Technical standards: Macrostock agencies may have stricter quality or size requirements.
So the short answer is: usually yes, but only if the licenses and contract terms don’t conflict.
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