# Shutterstock

URL: https://aidataforsale.com/companies/shutterstock
Publisher: AI Data For Sale (Marketing Signals Ltd)
Updated: 2026-11-10

Shutterstock licenses its image, video and music library to AI developers. The deals reported, the $104 million it made, and alternatives for content owners.

A stock media company that became one of the first large licensors of AI training data.

## In short

- Shutterstock made $104 million from AI licensing deals in a year, Bloomberg reported in June 2024.
- Named AI customers include Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, OpenAI and Reka.
- Reuters reported initial deals worth $25 million to $50 million each.

## Profile

| Field | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Type | Content licensor (images, video, music) |
| AI licensing revenue | $104 million in a year, per Bloomberg (June 2024) |
| AI customers named | Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, OpenAI, Reka |
| Deal sizes reported | $25 million to $50 million per initial deal (Reuters, 2024) |

## Shutterstock's AI licensing business

Shutterstock licenses its library of images, video and music to AI developers. Bloomberg reported it made $104 million from AI licensing in a year, with customers including Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, OpenAI and Reka ([PetaPixel](https://petapixel.com/2024/06/04/shutterstock-made-104-million-licensing-assets-to-ai-devs-last-year)). Reuters reported initial deals of $25 million to $50 million each ([Reuters via The Star](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2024/04/26/inside-big-techs-underground-race-to-buy-ai-training-data)).

## What it shows other content owners

Large, well-described media libraries with clear rights command real money. Shutterstock's advantage was metadata (captions, keywords and categories) and contributor agreements that let it license. A company with a smaller archive can follow the same pattern: document rights, describe the content, and offer it on clear terms. See [image datasets](https://aidataforsale.com/data/image-datasets) and [video training data](https://aidataforsale.com/data/video-training-data).

## Things to check before you sign

- For buyers: whether contributor agreements cover AI training, and any indemnity.
- For content owners: whether your own contributor or employee agreements let you license.

## Alternatives and related companies

- [Troveo](https://aidataforsale.com/companies/troveo)
- [AI data licensing deals](https://aidataforsale.com/ai-data-deals)
- [Selling data as a publisher](https://aidataforsale.com/sell-data-to-ai/media-and-publishers)
- [AI Data For Sale: how our brokerage works](https://aidataforsale.com/how-it-works)

## Questions

### How much has Shutterstock made from AI licensing?

Bloomberg reported $104 million in a year, as covered by [PetaPixel](https://petapixel.com/2024/06/04/shutterstock-made-104-million-licensing-assets-to-ai-devs-last-year) in June 2024.

## Sources

- [PetaPixel: Shutterstock made $104 million licensing assets to AI developers last year (June 2024)](https://petapixel.com/2024/06/04/shutterstock-made-104-million-licensing-assets-to-ai-devs-last-year)
- [Reuters via The Star: Inside Big Tech's underground race to buy AI training data (April 2024)](https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2024/04/26/inside-big-techs-underground-race-to-buy-ai-training-data)