Scoopt - A New Picture Agency For Citizen Reporters

After the launch of iStockphoto here´s another cool idea (Snap-Send-Sell) "to bridge the gap between amateur photographer and picture desk":

As Kyle MacRae/Glasgow-based Scoopt writes, "this week sees the launch of Scoopt, the first picture agency ... set up specifically and exclusively to help amateur 'citizen reporters' sell the pics they take on their cameraphones to the media."

The website continues:

With so many of the public armed with cameraphones, real people could be taking pictures that the press simply aren't there to catch. There have been plenty of examples already of hobbyist photographers taking pictures that make the front page, but cameraphones now mean so many more people are in a position to get the scoop snap.

That's where our experience comes in. If you catch a scoop like this, we can make sure that the right people see your picture quickly. We will also ensure that you get a fair price for it. Sharing photos is fun but selling a scoop can be seriously profitable. [...]

Scoopt is a media agency that has been created specifically to help members of the public sell photographs and videos of newsworthy events to the press. We bridge the gap between amateur photographer – and by 'amateur', we means anybody with a digital camera or a cameraphone who just happens to be in the right place at the right time – and picture desk. [...]

When you send Scoopt a photo, you automatically grant us an exclusive worldwide license to market that photo for a period of six months. During this six-month period, you agree not to publish the photo anywhere else. When the six months are up, the license becomes non-exclusive.  [...]

We sell your photos in three ways:
1. When a photo is really hot – that is, when you have a genuine scoop – we'll get straight on the phone to our extensive network of media contacts. These are the people with the authority and the budget to buy photos for publication. Normally, the photo will first be published in a single publication on an exclusive basis.
2. After this initial publication, we'll do our best to sell the photo again and again on a non-exclusive basis to different publications. The scoop may be over but a photo can still be valuable. How often have you seen the same photo appear in different papers or magazines? Each time it does, the owner gets paid. When you join Scoopt, that could be you.
3. If a photo is not so hot, we'll put it in our gallery of 'stock' photos. This gallery can be seen only by registered members of the media. With luck, your photo will find a buyer somewhere down the line. It may fit a news story of the day or simply make a nice 'filler' picture in a magazine. The money won't be so good... but it's still money for the proverbial old rope.
[Strictly speaking, we don't 'sell' photos at all. Instead, we re-license them for publication in a number of different ways. This is an important distinction because it means the photo remains your property at all times. In legalese, you retain the copyright.]

Scoopt offers a 50/50-split:

All licensing and assignment fees, including secondary and subsequent licensing paid to Scoopt by Media Targets, will be split equally between you and Scoopt after deduction of VAT and similar taxes which fall due.

Scoopt offers a special section "Britain on Britain (Stories by the people of Britain)"

Britain on Britain is the Scoopt Supplement that allows you to make the news. We're looking for all stories that affect 100 or more British people today.  [...] Do you have a story to tell about life in Britain today? Do you know about something that other people should know about? Do you need to blow the whistle?  [...] The subject can be a local or a national issue. It should be topical and can be hard-hitting. It can be negative or positive. What matters most is that your story is of interest to a wider audience and affects -- or will affect -- the lives of at least 100 people in Britain. Some ideas:

• An act of stunning corporate, local authority or governmental stupidity
• An act of stunning corporate, local authority or governmental ingenuity!
• Shocking health and safety standards in the workplace
• The inside story on a local action campaign
• Wildlife being destroyed by illicit fly-tipping
• An on-the-spot report of a scientific or medical breakthrough
• Lousy (or brilliant) disabled access
• A Darwin Awards contender caught in the act
• The impact of the closure of a local factory or village post office
• A train or tube journey from hell
• Criminal behaviour going unreported or tolerated

Scoopt seems to be a very cool business idea, especially in the UK. According to Kyle MacRae of Scoopt,  there is no venture capitalist behind the company: "We're self-funded".

Scoopt also accepts video footage for distribution.