I'm not entirely sure of the significance of the news that Digital Railroad is to cut staff. Charles Mauzy, CEO, has said in a statement to stockphototalk that Digital Railroad would be concentrating more on the Marketplace feature in future. Marketplace is a recent development in Digital Railroad's history and allows members to see images directly to buyers and gives buyers a central place to buy members' images from.

It's been suggested that Digital Railroad might be saying goodbye to over 20 employees, which would be almost half of its work force. Either those people have genuinely become surplus to requirements as the company moves its focus or something more problematic is afoot. It seems strange for a company that's received so much investment and which is supposed to be rapidly growing should feel the need to shed so many staff.

Time will tell I'm sure but I'd watch this space.

Tags: digital railroad, photography

I’ve been a Digital Railroad user for a while, posting my pictures to their online service and using the cataloguing features of their web site. I first met up with some of their representatives at a seminar in New York and then again later at a similar event at the Apple Store in Regent Street. There’s obviously a vision for Digital Railroad that’s been followed since the service launched, perhaps at some stage to sell out to a Getty, Corbis or similar. The recent launch of the Marketplace feature seems to tie in with that vision.

Photographers with work on Digital Railroad can now sell their work through the Marketplace. It’s good for individual photographers as we can combine our images with other photographers’ work, in what in effect has become a library. Providing there is sufficient content then I assume buyers will like it because it will offer them a one-stop shop for new images.

I’ve heard a few reports of photographers making sales through Marketplace although it’s early days (for which you can read that I haven’t had any sales through it myself). I suppose that in this day and age it’s becoming increasingly important to have what I’m told is called an “online presence” and Marketplace may well offer another string to a photographer’s bow in that sense.

Tags: digital railroad, marketing, photography