Wednesday, March 18, 2009

AudioMicro Gets New, Big Competitor: Getty Images

Los Angeles-based AudioMicro, the stock audio startup looking to provide music and sound effects, has some new competition this week: Getty Images, through its iStockphoto site. AudioMicro, which has raised funding from DFJ Frontier, operates a web site which allows video and other media producers to download royalty-free stock music, sound effects, music cues, and other musical elements. iStockPhoto, the stock photography site owned by Getty Images, launched its own stock audio offering Wednesday, iStockAudio, saying it would offer 30,000 audio files, including 11,000 royalty-free tracks. Ryan Born, AudioMicro's founder, is no stranger to Getty: he was VP of Finance and Controller at MediaVast (WireImage.com), which was acquired by Getty Images in 2007. Born told socalTECH that the entry of iStock into the area "validates and expands the market" for micro stock audio.

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