Bruce Livingston interview about Saatchi Online

David Norden interviewed Bruce Levingston about Saatchi Online

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Click below to listen to the answers of the 43 minutes interview or  left click to download the interview on your computer:

OK the Questions from the interview with Bruce Livingstone :

- Hi Bruce Livingstone, I am glad to have you here tonight you are involved in quite important projects and your last one is  Saatchi Online.

You have completely reconceived it, and will present us your project today .
 As a founder of  iStockphoto you seemed to have great ideas for the future of Saatchi Online.

It is now an open social platform and marketplace which quickly drew 80,000 artists globally and it provides the art community with a new way to discover, share, exhibit, promote, discuss and sell art online. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit more

- Bruce, You say you garantee satisfaction of buyers, but who is curating the works, how do they know they are buying something valuable? Are there some quality criteria to be selected as an artist, or can anybody show anything? Even junk? Or is there a quality selection by a jury, or museum curators,
the artists or the public? An online vote system? What for the artists who fail.

- How can customers be assured to get the goods. Are the artists paid after delivery? Do you work like an Escrew service.

-Apart from the 30 % commission, is there any other costs involved for the sellers and the buyers?

- Do the artists have to pass a selection procedure? Must the works be send to Saatchi, or do they remain at the artists places?Who has the copyright? When does the artists receive there unsold works back? Are there some things to keep in mind?

-Are there some minimum or maximum prices for the prices? Technical limitations of the artworks?

-What are “Shadows” and what should we understand with “head to head competition”

- Bruce you came from istockphoto to Saatchi Online. What is the main difference between selling
photography and Art works online. How did the market change the last years, and what are the new
challenges for the artists and for the website owners. How do you see the future trends ?

- You speak about social media. How can an artist interact with buyers online, and how can you
differentiate between artists and clients? Also what is your actual % of arrtists and clients in the system.
What is for an average artists the ¨% of chances to make a living out of your system. Any success stories?

- What is the average amount that people spend into your system, and how many are buying, do you
have some numbers to give us. For how much are you selling in total on the system? Is it seasonal?
What ¨% of the artists are earning money from this system?

I read you are selling” printed canvas”, are these  limited series, does the artist need to put
a real signature on them? Who is taking the production costs?

How about the social integration, is there facebook integration? Can people like, and comment or rate works on your site? On the site I see that for works there is a nice slideshow, but the comment from facebook are not embeded into Saatchi online.
What is the difference with a simple shopping cart?

What is the Events section about?

Are you only selling “contemporary art”? What about antiques and other fields.
I am a specialist in African Art and I know many dealers struggling with selling online,
and having plenty of backstocks.

Any collaboration possible in the future, some kind of “licensing” deal of the system in other areas like antiques experts ?

Thanks for the interview will post it soon

David Norden
skype: nordend or mailto:david.norden@telenet.be

Friday 18 march 2011
Bruce Livingstone about Saatchi Online. Click below to listen to the answers of left click to download the interview on your computer:

Saatchi Online Revamped as Social Marketplace for the Discovery and Purchase of Art from Emerging Artists

Charles Saatchi, who originally conceived of the site, remains a major shareholder along with Balderton Capital.

LOS ANGELES, Ca.- Saatchi Online, which re-launched in beta five months ago, now begins connecting its 100,000+ artists with potential buyers who have been visiting the site in growing numbers since October 2010. On March 16, 2011, Saatchi Online started selling pieces of artwork from emerging artists. Saatchi Online offers the highest earnings in the industry, giving 70 percent to the artist.

Saatchi Online manages all aspects of transactions and logistics from artists to buyers. The site even offers a seven-day money back guarantee, no matter the initial cost of the piece. Other unique features of Saatchi Online include;

• powerful social networking tools,

• fee-free peer-to-peer competitions called “Showdowns,” and,

• the incredible opportunity to have one’s work displayed at the Saatchi Gallery in London and other locations around the world.

Charles Saatchi, who originally conceived of the site, remains a major shareholder along with Balderton Capital. The site has been completely reconceived under the direction of former iStockphoto founder and CEO, Bruce Livingstone. The new social marketplace quickly attracted 100,000 new artists because it provides the art community with a new way to discover, share, exhibit, promote, discuss and sell art online.

“We have given powerful social and technical tools to the global art community, accelerating meaningful connections between artists and collectors,” said Bruce Livingstone, CEO of Saatchi Online. “People crave a sense of community with those who share their passions, their obsessions and even their trials. I fully expect several of the art luminaries of the next century to be discovered here.

Tags: Bruce Livingstone, Saatchi Online