Wikipedia
SnapVillage was an online, royalty free, microstock photography provider offering creative content, such as photography and vector images on both subscription and micropayment business models. SnapVillage is owned by Corbis Corporation - a buyer/seller of high-quality photography and film footage and related rights, based in Seattle, Washington. SnapVillage launched in July 2006 and differs from many microstock players such as istockphoto in that it is not necessary to purchase credits nor are prices varied depending on the resolution of the image. SnapVillage represents a significant evolution for Corbis since its founding by Bill Gates in 1989. Corbis was started by Gates in the belief that people would someday decorate their homes with a revolving display of digital artwork using digital frames. As part of this effort, Corbis amassed one of the most significant (and valuable) image collections in the world. Among its noted acquisitions were the 11 million piece Bettmann Archive, acquired in 1995 and the Sygma collection in France (1999).
SnapVillage is indicative of an industry wide shift from Rights Managed images to lower cost microstock, probably fueled in large part by the proliferation of digital cameras as well as broadband internet. Many in the industry point to a steady decline in the traditional rights managed business dominated by Getty Images and Corbis and suggest that Corbis was actually late to respond to the rapid growth of microstock. While SnapVillage wasn't among the first players to come on the scene, they are of still of some interest to photographers due to their parent company and their presumed access to growth capital.