Comments on: Off The Cliff We Go…

By: 5 ïëþõ øëþõ

5 ïëþõ øëþõ — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:00:41 +0000

5 ïëþõ øëþõ…

5 ïëþõ øëþõ …

By: What will the stock photography business look like in 10 years? | Taylor Davidson

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:13:01 +0000

[...] Yes, Digital Railroad is gone. [...]

By: Paul Panayiotou

Paul Panayiotou — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:16:38 +0000

Diablo reports unnamed buyer for DRR:

http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2008/11/drr.html

By: Jamie Klingler

Jamie Klingler — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:54:23 +0000

Just a little update, spent a good part of the day, but managed to track down any photographers on my latest invoice from DRR and will be paying them directly.

By: Tony Novak-Clifford

Tony Novak-Clifford — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:48:09 +0000

I know this is little solace to my fellow DRR members, but… I was auto-billed in august for another full year DRR membership renewal. I just got off the phone with my credit card company. They were able to issue an immediate credit for the entire membership billing to DRR.

It’s worth a try….

By: Gene

Gene — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:45:54 +0000

I’m owed more than $20,000 from Marketplace sales through DRR ….that money is most assuredly gone now.

By: Reinfried Marass

Reinfried Marass — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:47:03 +0000

A company like VII did rely on the ‘backbone’ of a company like DDR ??? … *loooooooool (sorry). Hard to believe.

There are 50 (or maybe 100) photographers in the world who get the red carpet rolled out, the rest is treated like monkeys.

Inapprehensible, but many even seem to enjoy it, running after each new ‘webservice’ that promises ‘em to make some cents on their pics. Even when the ’subscription fees’ are higher than the amount most contributors ever could make there. And each week 1000’s do upload again and again … hoping, praying, begging …

Especially the ‘internet companies’ have no real relationship to the people they make a living from. They let you down in a snap. No honor, no sense of responsibility… just crap.

The future is found in the past. Back in late 40’s the industry did like to squeeze the photographers too. And Capa, Bresson (among others) did react …

And always keep in mind: ‘they’ need YOU, ‘they’ can’t do it by themselves. Yes, ‘they’ can buy a point-and-shoot and go out and take some pics. But ‘pics’ aren’t photographs. And when ‘they’ think ‘pics’ are just enough , when ‘they’ believe all the people out there (clients, magazine readers, …) are stupid, not able to see the difference between a pic and a photograph, then ‘they’ dig one’s own grave.

So be proud to be a photographer. Don’t let you down -heads up. Be free and independent – just like an (independent) trucker. Don’t sign weird contracts. Don’t rely on sneaky internet companies again. Live and learn.

Face the upcoming stormy conditions (assuming you didn’t buy one of these crappy cams without weathertight seals :-) )

First there is nothing – then there is a photograph. How many can really do this ?

Anyway …

Best, Reini

By: jay

jay — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:30:47 +0000

crazy times in the photo world. maybe selling direct s looking pretty good.

By: th

th — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:05:16 +0000

Anyone else been drinking more than usual lately? I’ll be @ the Gate on 5th ave in Brooklyn tonight. Beers on me.

By: Thomas Pickard

Thomas Pickard — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:24:25 +0000

When you think about some of the agencies that were using DRR, such as VII and Redux, it is just staggering how DRR has treated people….

By: Gary Crabbe / Enligh

Gary Crabbe / Enligh — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:51:05 +0000

I’ve also put in my two cents about this train wreck on my own weblog.

Worst for me is that I was seeing some very decent potential from the Marketplace, but the DRR software was one of several achilles heels.

Worst for everyone is that the combination of archive and active marketplace had great potential for individual image makers, and to have screwed up that potential with 20M in VC funding underlies that there were some very serious flaws at the root operating level.

For 20M, this should have been a world class operation; but businesses that live by the VC funds die by the VC axe. The blood that gets spilled is ours.

Give me 6 million, and I’ll rebuild it, make it better than it was before; stronger, faster. (old TV reference)

PS: Jamie; pay direct. Why dump money into a black hole?

By: Randy Santos

Randy Santos — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:40:12 +0000

Jamie- I wouldn’t pay any invoices to DRR, that money will certainly not go to any photographer’s work you have licensed. Diablo Management now handles DRR and you can be sure the least of their concerns is paying photographers. Check out Diablo Management’s website and their compelling executive portraits, they look like they’d be loads of fun to hang out with.

Pay the photographers direct if you can, they would certainly appreciate it. Or, if it makes you feel any better you can send me a check. DRR owes me a tidy little sum from licensed images that they have been paid for.

The way this shutdown was handled was just plain wrong. I think also that PhotoShelter should be given some credit for really helping the DRR Archive photographers out in many ways.

By: Stephen Alvarez

Stephen Alvarez — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:35:34 +0000

DRR tanking is no surprise to me. I said goodbye to them this summer. While I liked the idea of the service it never really worked well. The interface was quirky and difficult for clients to use. In the end having photos there did not save me any time or add any income. In 3 years I successfully delivered a image to a paying client exactly once.

I feel for people who are now trying to get their images back, but doesn’t everyone have a back up system?

By: Tom Broadbent

Tom Broadbent — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:09:48 +0000

You can download files individually through the site. Batch is disabled.
It will take time but at least you can get them.

Tom

By: Davin Ellicson

Davin Ellicson — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:46:36 +0000

The word on this from Photohelter:

http://blog.photoshelter.com/corp/

By: Jamie Klingler

Jamie Klingler — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:28:43 +0000

Just wondering what will happen with the accounts. I’ve got outstanding invoices to pay DRR but would struggle time wise to locate and contact each photographer and pay them directly, but don’t want to pay DRR if the photographer’s won’t see the funds.

Is it worth paying the invoice, or shall I try to go direct?

Jamie

By: bird.

bird. — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:10:19 +0000

I don’t understand how DRR can get away with it all. Can people go after them legally?

What sort of people make a decision like this is what I’d love to know… Appalling.

By: latoga

latoga — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:09:45 +0000

The obvious lesson learned though these recent experiences is that online is not a substitute for having a reliable archive system of your own. Luckily I have heard of very few photographers who only had photos stored on DRR or PS. I just hope that those DRR customers who were owed $$ from sales are able to collect…

By: Debra Weiss

Debra Weiss — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:51:46 +0000

DRR has disabled FTP transfers out of their system to any destination. Photoshelter is working with their management to restore access. For those who had imagery with DRR, I sincerely hope it was backed up.