--- title: "Shutterstock: what they buy and what they pay" url: https://www.brightinfo.com/buyers/shutterstock/ site: https://www.brightinfo.com/ description: "What Shutterstock buys, what it pays and its deal terms, from public sources with a link for every fact. Last verified November 3, 2026." last_updated: 2026-11-03 --- # Shutterstock: what they buy and what they pay Buyers › Data marketplaces › Shutterstock Shutterstock is profiled here as a data marketplace [1]. Data types cited in this profile include: Images, Video, 3D models, Music [1]. Last verified November 3, 2026 ## Quick facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Type | Data marketplace [1] | | Status | Active; Getty Images delivered notice terminating the Getty–Shutterstock merger agreement (reported July 7, 2026) [2] | | Website | Not published | | HQ | New York, NY (350 Fifth Avenue) [3] | | Founded | Not published | | Ownership | Publicly traded (NYSE: SSTK) [3] | | Program | Shutterstock Data Licensing and the Contributor Fund [1] · https://submit.shutterstock.com/help/en/articles/10594694-shutterstock-data-licensing-and-the-contributor-fund [1] | | Price | Not published | | Pricing basis | Revenue share: contributors earn a 20% average corporate royalty rate of revenue Shutterstock receives for data licenses; each contributor's share is proportionate to the volume of their content and metadata in purchased datasets [1] | | Payment timing | Earnings pooled in a collective fund and distributed periodically as the fund accumulates significant revenue for distribution [1] | | How to start | Be a Shutterstock contributor opted into data licensing; accepted marketplace content is then made available for data licensing [1] · Contributor account settings have an opt-out from future datasets (added January 2023); the article said separate image and video toggles were being introduced in August 2024 [1] | ## What they buy - **Data types:** Images, Video, 3D models, Music [1] - **Excluded:** Premier editorial content [1] - **Intended use:** Training machine learning and computer vision models, AI content generation [1] ## Price and payment - **Price:** Not published - **Pricing basis:** Revenue share: contributors earn a 20% average corporate royalty rate of revenue Shutterstock receives for data licenses; each contributor's share is proportionate to the volume of their content and metadata in purchased datasets [1] - **Payment timing:** Earnings pooled in a collective fund and distributed periodically as the fund accumulates significant revenue for distribution [1] - **Seller fees:** Not published - **Platform's cut:** Not published - **Referral bounty:** Not published ## Deal terms - **Deal structure:** Pooled revenue-share fund (Contributor Fund) [1] - **Exclusivity:** Not published - **Term:** Not published - **Field of use:** Training ML and computer vision models only; commercial or public use of the content prohibited [1] - **Onward transfer:** Not published - **Seller keeps ownership:** Not published ## Privacy and data handling - **De-identification:** Not published - **Raw data deletion:** Not published - **Certifications:** Not published - **Personal data handling:** Full model releases and the identities of models and contributors are never shared with computer vision partners [1] ## Process - **Steps:** Not published - **Timeline:** Not published - **Sample before offer:** Not published - **How to start:** Be a Shutterstock contributor opted into data licensing; accepted marketplace content is then made available for data licensing [1] · Contributor account settings have an opt-out from future datasets (added January 2023); the article said separate image and video toggles were being introduced in August 2024 [1] ## Who they sell to - **Sells to:** OpenAI, LG [4] · OpenAI, Black Forest Labs, Runway, ElevenLabs [5] ## Track record ### Named deals - OpenAI datasets (data deals); contributor earnings first issued Q4 2022 [4] - March 2026: announced a major expansion of its training datasets [5] ## Watch for - FTC matter settled: Shutterstock to pay $35 million to the FTC and change its subscription enrollment and cancellation practices (8-K, May 14, 2026) [3] ## Sources 1. Shutterstock Data Licensing and the Contributor Fund | Shutterstock Contributor, submit.shutterstock.com. Published September 18, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company statement) https://submit.shutterstock.com/help/en/articles/10594694-shutterstock-data-licensing-and-the-contributor-fund 2. Getty abandons Shutterstock merger plans - GOV.UK, gov.uk. Published July 7, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (filing) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/getty-abandons-shutterstock-merger-plans 3. Shutterstock, Inc. - Form 8-K (May 14, 2026), sec.gov. Published May 14, 2026. Accessed October 30 and November 3, 2026. (filing) https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001549346/000114036126021319/ef20073632_8k.htm 4. AI-generated Content on Shutterstock: Contributor FAQ | Shutterstock Contributor, submit.shutterstock.com. Published July 17, 2025. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company statement) https://submit.shutterstock.com/help/en/articles/10594676-ai-generated-content-on-shutterstock-contributor-faq 5. Shutterstock Announces Major Expansion of Licensed Training Datasets to Power the Next Generation of Generative AI (press release via Finviz), finviz.com. Published March 19, 2026. Accessed October 30, 2026. (company press release) https://finviz.com/news/338738/shutterstock-announces-major-expansion-of-licensed-training-datasets-to-power-the-next-generation-of-generative-ai Last verified November 3, 2026 **Disclosure.** Bright Info is a sell-side broker. We may invite Shutterstock to bid for a client's data. This profile is compiled from public sources; it is not endorsed by or affiliated with Shutterstock. Corrections: hello@brightinfo.com. ## Related - All data marketplaces: https://www.brightinfo.com/buyers/data-marketplaces/ - Troveo: https://www.brightinfo.com/buyers/troveo/ - Versos AI: https://www.brightinfo.com/buyers/versos-ai/ - Wirestock: https://www.brightinfo.com/buyers/wirestock/ - All buyer profiles: https://www.brightinfo.com/buyers/ --- © 2026 Bright Info · https://www.brightinfo.com