4/19/01According to TrendWatch, royalty-free CD-ROMs are the #1 stock image media for publishers, with 35% increasing their use of RFI CD collections. Meanwhile, 31% of publishers say they're increasing their purchases of single royalty-free images from the Internet. And the #1 decreasing method is negotiated-use, fee-based images found through a print catalog or an agency rep. Hmm...are agency reps now in the legacy category? Fast food, fast pics, fast approaching deadlines, Fast Facts -- who says we don't want convenience over quality, at least when we're "on deadline?" The growing availability of royalty-free imagery has changed the way publishers use and acquire images. If it's negotiated, it's declining; if it's royalty-free, it's increasing. We know this is not good news for shooters, but with all the new media that are appearing, publishing has become a constant eating machine (anybody have a 15-year-old son around their house?) that requires ever-more content to keep the beast sated. That said, there are still great opportunities for photographers and illustrators who can keep it fed quickly and inexpensively.