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Author Topic: Success stories on Alamy - the $100,000+ club  (Read 43347 times)

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« Reply #75 on: February 01, 2018, 11:08 »
0
I don't know where you've got the idea that I've got self-imposed exclusivity with Alamy. I never said that. I'm on SS, iS, 123, DT, BS and CanStockPhoto as well.
I didn't call Alamy a "macro" either. It's a hybrid but it markets itself with generally higher prices than the others and doesn't aim primarily at the subscription market. Would it generate more money if it did? Maybe, who can tell? But then it wouldn't be Alamy, would it?

Ah Ok,
I assumed that when you said:
" how can you compare, when Alamy and the micros sell into different markets?",
you actually meant that is also our upload strategy. My bad.

My point is (see above examples) that both Alamy and SS are tapping both micro and macro markets (maybe mid-stock is a better term)
This is why I'm saying that Alamy can to do better than 5.4% of my revenue.


ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #76 on: February 01, 2018, 11:41 »
+5
It's not totally logical to complain that Alamy "could do better" while supporting and praising the sites which undercut it.

« Reply #77 on: February 02, 2018, 00:57 »
+2
My point is (see above examples) that both Alamy and SS are tapping both micro and macro markets (maybe mid-stock is a better term)
This is why I'm saying that Alamy can to do better than 5.4% of my revenue.

OK I'm going to stop boring everyone with replies after this. I just want to make a final observation, which is that SS has spent 14 years establishing its relationship with its customers. There's no reason to think any of those customers would switch to Alamy even if it duplicated the SS pricing and tried to copy the marketing techniques SS used and if they did start to switch, you can bet that SS would cut its prices - and our commissions - to counter that.
There's a long string of sites on the bottom of the list that have tried to duplicate the market of the successful few and failed. Its not an accident that iS, SS, DT, BS, Fot (Adobe), 123  and CanStockPhoto are all among the oldest sites. Only Pond 5 and Deposit Photos in the two top tiers were set up since 2005 IIRC. DP managed to break through with an extremely aggressive marketing strategy backed by a huge budget (but still only got to 6th place) and Pond 5 is for footage, not stills.

I recall someone observing that the reason DT didn't rise above 3rd place in the poll in the early days was probably because it paid commissions of 50%, which limited its advertising budget, while iS and SS had a lot more cash to put into promotions. So, really, the first thing Alamy would need to do if it was going to "do better" would be to cut the commissions to 20% or less.... Not really what we are looking for, is it?
« Last Edit: February 02, 2018, 06:08 by BaldricksTrousers »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #78 on: February 02, 2018, 07:08 »
0
Also remember last year when someone (Mirco?) persuaded people over on the Alamy forum (i.e. some of who don't come here as they don't supply the micros) to input their figures for the poll here - Alamy's earnings rating went up considerably, but people here didn't believe it.
Meaning other suppliers do better than most of us here (I can't poll for Alamy, as it would take my iS earnings out of exclusive, so both of the iS figures would be more inaccurate than they might otherwise be, and anyone else who is Exclusive RF at iS and RM on Alamy is in the same position).

« Reply #79 on: February 02, 2018, 07:26 »
0
Also remember last year when someone (Mirco?) persuaded people over on the Alamy forum (i.e. some of who don't come here as they don't supply the micros) to input their figures for the poll here - Alamy's earnings rating went up considerably, but people here didn't believe it.
Meaning other suppliers do better than most of us here (I can't poll for Alamy, as it would take my iS earnings out of exclusive, so both of the iS figures would be more inaccurate than they might otherwise be, and anyone else who is Exclusive RF at iS and RM on Alamy is in the same position).

Oh really?  :o You really believed that? That was another publicity stunt coordinated by the likes of the OP. Lol!

What makes you believe that similar top earners from other agencies spend time updating the stats?

In my view, the selection of people using this forum is representative and gives a decent view of the relative positioning of all agencies on the marketplace. That stunt was such an obvious cheat!  ;)

One more thing: Alamy can clearly do better. But it doesn't mean they should copy SS.
Of course we like to see 50% commissions! But this is not very efficient, if their strategy and price structure only leads to a dozen of sales a month or 5 times less revenue than the 3rd top competitor.
50% of nothing is nothing.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2018, 07:28 by Zero Talent »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #80 on: February 02, 2018, 07:33 »
+1
Also remember last year when someone (Mirco?) persuaded people over on the Alamy forum (i.e. some of who don't come here as they don't supply the micros) to input their figures for the poll here - Alamy's earnings rating went up considerably, but people here didn't believe it.
Meaning other suppliers do better than most of us here (I can't poll for Alamy, as it would take my iS earnings out of exclusive, so both of the iS figures would be more inaccurate than they might otherwise be, and anyone else who is Exclusive RF at iS and RM on Alamy is in the same position).

Oh really?  :o You really believed that? That was another publicity stunt coordinated by the likes of the OP. Lol!
Now you're just being silly.
It was over on the Alamy forum and talked about there.
Quote
What makes you believe that similar top earners from other agencies spend time updating the stats?
Where did I say that?
Quote
In my view, the selection of people using this forum is representative and gives a decent view of the relative positioning of all agencies on the marketplace. That stunt was such an obvious cheat!  ;)
Winky noted

Quote
One more thing: Alamy can clearly do better. But it doesn't mean they should copy SS.
Of course we like to see 50% commissions! But this is not very efficient, if their strategy and price structure only leads to a dozen of sales a month or 5 times less revenue than the 3rd top competitor.
For you.
Everyone's port is different, and some will do better at some agencies than others. Different buyers.
As said above, it's not rational to compare ports with e.g. lots of videos and vectors with ports on Alamy where videos are a virtual non-starter and AFAIK, they don't sell vectors.
So the poll tells us nothing at all about the relevance of Alamy photo-sales to micro-stockers, many of whom supply multiple media. And it doesn't really say anything to those who (like me) supply only photos for the same reason.

What individuals like you and I find is relevant and accurate, but only for each individual themselves.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2018, 08:01 by ShadySue »

« Reply #81 on: February 02, 2018, 09:13 »
+11
Oh really?  :o You really believed that? That was another publicity stunt coordinated by the likes of the OP. Lol!

Hey there,

You're of course entitled to your opinion, but I can confirm that no-one at Alamy had anything to do with encouraging others to post their results here. There was no publicity stunt.

Reading through the comments here, it seems many take the view that $100k gross sales (before commission deductions) is not a significant figure or "not enough to earn a living off". A couple of points on that if I may:

1 - The "$100k" club has a nice ring to it - as mentioned in my first post, many have made several hundred, but that's the minimum requirement to be featured

2 - Alamy has always been honest and has openly encouraged photographers to use us for additional revenue streams on top of their other ventures. We're non-exclusive. We want photographers to make the most they can from their portfolio. We'd love to be the only agency they use, but we've never claimed to necessarily be the only place you should place your work. Lots of photographers do use us exclusively and lots of photographers earn a very nice living from Alamy sales alone, but many have other irons in the fire too - whether that's private commissions, other full time jobs or the use of other non-exclusive libraries.

It's your call as to how you feel, but we read these forums to engage with photographers, learn and understand what's important to you. We're not here for any publicity stunts or tricks. I posted a link to these blogs because there are lots of questions posted here about "who's selling" and "whats selling" on Alamy, so hopefully they provide a bit of insight.

Cheers

James A
« Last Edit: February 02, 2018, 09:18 by Alamy »

« Reply #82 on: February 02, 2018, 10:19 »
0
Also remember last year when someone (Mirco?) persuaded people over on the Alamy forum (i.e. some of who don't come here as they don't supply the micros) to input their figures for the poll here - Alamy's earnings rating went up considerably, but people here didn't believe it.
Meaning other suppliers do better than most of us here (I can't poll for Alamy, as it would take my iS earnings out of exclusive, so both of the iS figures would be more inaccurate than they might otherwise be, and anyone else who is Exclusive RF at iS and RM on Alamy is in the same position).

Oh really?  :o You really believed that? That was another publicity stunt coordinated by the likes of the OP. Lol!
Now you're just being silly.
It was over on the Alamy forum and talked about there.
Quote
What makes you believe that similar top earners from other agencies spend time updating the stats?
Where did I say that?
Quote
In my view, the selection of people using this forum is representative and gives a decent view of the relative positioning of all agencies on the marketplace. That stunt was such an obvious cheat!  ;)
Winky noted

Quote
One more thing: Alamy can clearly do better. But it doesn't mean they should copy SS.
Of course we like to see 50% commissions! But this is not very efficient, if their strategy and price structure only leads to a dozen of sales a month or 5 times less revenue than the 3rd top competitor.
For you.
Everyone's port is different, and some will do better at some agencies than others. Different buyers.
As said above, it's not rational to compare ports with e.g. lots of videos and vectors with ports on Alamy where videos are a virtual non-starter and AFAIK, they don't sell vectors.
So the poll tells us nothing at all about the relevance of Alamy photo-sales to micro-stockers, many of whom supply multiple media. And it doesn't really say anything to those who (like me) supply only photos for the same reason.

What individuals like you and I find is relevant and accurate, but only for each individual themselves.

Ok.

I see the reply from Alamy and I trust the stunt was not coordinated by Alamy representatives. But it was coordinated nevertheless, as you stated yourself.
This makes those significantly out of range samples just exceptions that any statistician would immediately discard form a decent evaluation.

Yet, for some naive people, those abnormal samples were somehow representative for the marketplace! Really?

The point you didn't get is that similar flawed samples could be triggered by any other group colluding to influence the polls.

You also keep on saying that it is only my situation. And I keep on repeating that it is NOT only my situation. My situation is very much aligned with the polls on the right side of the page, when there is no collusion. So it is not just about me, but a about a representative amount of micro/mid stockers. It is more probable that their current position (5th or 6th) is right. It is very unlikely that those spikes, putting Alamy first were a true picture of the marketplace.

Of course there are exceptions. Of course there are people doing well with Alamy. Never denied that.

Similarly, of course you can make money from, let's say, tennis. But don't give me examples like Serena or Roger and don't ask them to vote in a poll aiming to display averages. Serena and Roger are not representative for the average population. If they would vote in such polls, you will get a false impression that common people can make millions from playing tennis.

Anyway, Kudos to Alamy for being brave enough to advertise in this forum.

But it doesn't take away the fact, that statistically, they are on the 5th or 6th position, for the majority of us.
And this means that they can do better.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2018, 10:44 by Zero Talent »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #83 on: February 02, 2018, 10:22 »
+1
But it doesn't take a way the fact, that statistically, they are on the 5th or 6th position for the majority of us.
And this means that they can do better.
You're still not comparing like with like.
They choose not to sell vectors, and I have no idea what's happened to video there.
You could only compare if there was a section of the poll which only counts photo stills sales.

« Reply #84 on: February 02, 2018, 10:32 »
0
But it doesn't take a way the fact, that statistically, they are on the 5th or 6th position for the majority of us.
And this means that they can do better.
You're still not comparing like with like.
They choose not to sell vectors, and I have no idea what's happened to video there.
You could only compare if there was a section of the poll which only counts photo stills sales.

That's a fair and valid point!
The poll is looking at the bottom line, regardless of how and what these companies are selling. It is a good representation of the bottom line, for most of us, regardless of the media we sell.

Isn't it maybe exactly what they need to do in order to "do better, much better"? Why not selling videos? Why not selling vectors?
I don't do vectors, but I would love to see some of my videos sold by Alamy!

It also implies that you agree with me, when I say that those bogus spikes, putting Alamy on the first overall position, were not representative for the marketplace.



« Last Edit: February 02, 2018, 10:45 by Zero Talent »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #85 on: February 02, 2018, 10:49 »
0
I only do stills, so I don't really care, but why would they start selling vectors when so many other places sell them so very cheaply?

I presume they have a reason for not developing their video sales, but I'm not privy to what the reason is.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2018, 12:57 by ShadySue »

Semmick Photo

« Reply #86 on: February 02, 2018, 12:32 »
0
Thanks for share. I like that Alamy is fair agency. We must feed the sagencias that pay well and do not throw the prices
Well, you never get the calculator price because they negotiate massive discounts for their clients. Lets not get ahead of ourselves here, Alamy slashes prices, they just don't update the calculator.

« Reply #87 on: February 02, 2018, 13:06 »
0
[snip]
Meaning other suppliers do better than most of us here (I can't poll for Alamy, as it would take my iS earnings out of exclusive, so both of the iS figures would be more inaccurate than they might otherwise be, and anyone else who is Exclusive RF at iS and RM on Alamy is in the same position).
I thought that iS polling alone indicated iS Exclusive in the Poll to the right. I was also under the impression that iS + Alamy was also scored as iS Exclusive. It's been a long time ago that I picked up that impression. Only Leaf could answer how the Poll works in this regard. I report iS + Alamy thinking my iS numbers go to the Exclusive number.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #88 on: February 02, 2018, 13:09 »
0
[snip]
Meaning other suppliers do better than most of us here (I can't poll for Alamy, as it would take my iS earnings out of exclusive, so both of the iS figures would be more inaccurate than they might otherwise be, and anyone else who is Exclusive RF at iS and RM on Alamy is in the same position).

I thought that iS polling alone indicated iS Exclusive in the Poll to the right. I was also under the impression that iS + Alamy was also scored as iS Exclusive. It's been a long time ago that I picked up that impression. Only Leaf could answer how the Poll works in this regard. I report iS + Alamy thinking my iS numbers go to the Exclusive number.

Leaf answered, but things might have changed since then I guess.
http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/rating-and-number-of-votes-showing-in-poll-results/msg448811/#msg448811

« Reply #89 on: February 02, 2018, 13:36 »
0
[snip]
Meaning other suppliers do better than most of us here (I can't poll for Alamy, as it would take my iS earnings out of exclusive, so both of the iS figures would be more inaccurate than they might otherwise be, and anyone else who is Exclusive RF at iS and RM on Alamy is in the same position).

I thought that iS polling alone indicated iS Exclusive in the Poll to the right. I was also under the impression that iS + Alamy was also scored as iS Exclusive. It's been a long time ago that I picked up that impression. Only Leaf could answer how the Poll works in this regard. I report iS + Alamy thinking my iS numbers go to the Exclusive number.

Leaf answered, but things might have changed since then I guess.
http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/rating-and-number-of-votes-showing-in-poll-results/msg448811/#msg448811

I'm sure that info is more recent than my (likely faded) memory. Thanks for the link. Looks like I'm skewing the poll with the way I make entries.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #90 on: February 08, 2018, 20:11 »
0
But it doesn't take a way the fact, that statistically, they are on the 5th or 6th position for the majority of us.
And this means that they can do better.
You're still not comparing like with like.
They choose not to sell vectors, and I have no idea what's happened to video there.
You could only compare if there was a section of the poll which only counts photo stills sales.
Well, how wrong can a girl be?
 :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
They do sell vectors, but despite being on there since 2009 and watching them for a couple of years before that, I had no idea.
I don't recall ever reading a post by anyone on their forum, or here, discussing vectors there! I guess that could be that I have the very slightest interest in vectors, but still, I could tell you about other sites I'm not even on or interested in which sell vectors. How weird.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2018, 20:34 by ShadySue »

« Reply #91 on: February 09, 2018, 08:24 »
0
Everyone can do better but statistically 5th or 6th is in the top 5% of sites at least. Excluding video its probably top 4. So not exactly a basket case. The poll is a handy guide but no statistician would take the results seriously for all sorts of reasons...sample size is tiny for example

« Reply #92 on: February 09, 2018, 11:59 »
0
Everyone can do better but statistically 5th or 6th is in the top 5% of sites at least. Excluding video its probably top 4. So not exactly a basket case. The poll is a handy guide but no statistician would take the results seriously for all sorts of reasons...sample size is tiny for example

A small sample can reflect a large group within the margin of error, and be pretty accurate. Who is in the sample group means much more. We have volunteers taking the poll and many if not most, ignoring the poll. People who volunteer is not a way to get a valid sample group. A hypothetical way to get an interesting result would be have a requirement once a year, January 1st, for access to the forum, you must answer the poll. That has problems too as a forced poll some people might just click and go, not trying to give honest answers. But there you are, a big sample of all people who come here, once a year.

« Reply #93 on: February 09, 2018, 12:41 »
0
I agree up to a point but a sample of 100 or less  is really very small the biggest flaw in the poll is its self selecting...in particular for Alamy where many of their contributors may not contribute to MS so less likely to be members. Having said that my feeling is the poll is roughly right in terms of order. Also it says nothing about distribution.....i.e a few Alamy "specialists" could do very well but those who just put their standard fare there extremely poorly bringing down the average.


 

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