Author Topic: 5th Annual Independent Microstock Survey Now Live - For The 2012 Microstock Year (Read 27429 times)

leaf · « **on:** January 01, 2013, 08:22 »

The yearly microstock survey is now live and can be found here.
http://microstocksurvey.com/index.php?sid=86518

I've added a couple additional questions to the survey, thanks to feedback from previous years, but still tried to keep it as short as possible so it doesn't take too long. If you have your stats ready it should still take less than 5 minutes to complete. Last year we had well over 700 microstockers respond which is a great number. Hopefully we can match (and break) that record this year. Please share the link so we get as many and as varied respondents as possible. Everyone's numbers are useful for the results, from the person with 5 images/illustrations to the full time pro.

Like the previous years, as a thanks for filling out the survey I'll be running a little give away, this year for a 52" wescott reflector, one of my favorite photography tools. If you are an illustrator or already have a reflector and don't want a second one, you can get a gift certificate from BHPhoto instead. The winner of the reflector will be randomly drawn at the end of January.

Poncke · « **Reply #1 on:** January 01, 2013, 10:12 »

You are freakin me out here, you misspelled independent exactly the same way as Lagereek. Could it be that you are.... nah it couldnt be

Posted the link on my page for you and completed the survey

ShadySue · « **Reply #2 on:** January 01, 2013, 10:14 »

Quote from: Poncke on January 01, 2013, 10:12

You are freakin me out here, you misspelled independent exactly the same way as Lagereek. Could it be that you are.... nah it couldnt be

Posted the link on my FB page for you.

Yeah but you've also got to watch out for random, commas.

Mantis · « **Reply #3 on:** January 01, 2013, 10:17 »

traveler1116 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 01, 2013, 10:17 »

All IS exclusives have content on Getty now or they should (if they have vetta, e+, agency, or video).

ShadySue · « **Reply #5 on:** January 01, 2013, 10:34 »

I started it, then there was a question about do you intend to go exclusive with iStock in the coming year, which was unanswerable if you are already exclusive.

Also I thought I should wait in Pollyanna mode to see if I have any GI sales coming through: I count them in my iStock total, as I don't submit to Getty directly.

Also there is a question about Alamy, but I'm not sure if you want us to count Alamy sales in our micro total.

lisafx · « **Reply #6 on:** January 01, 2013, 12:00 »

Wow, Tyler. You are on the ball! I just finished it.

FWIW, royalties in 2012 were down 9% over 2011 for me. Wondering if others saw similar?

cthoman · « **Reply #7 on:** January 01, 2013, 12:06 »

Filled it out too. I'm not sure if I just sign my name to it. It's kind of hard to fill it out anonymously (at least with my answers).

cascoly · « **Reply #8 on:** January 01, 2013, 14:43 »

*On which site did you experience the least increase (or largest degrese) in gross earnings?

what if several sites vie for this honor?? ie earning approach 0

none of my sites were degreased, however - those sites remain as slimy as ever

====
also the form for entering the draw is mostly blank space

leaf · « **Reply #9 on:** January 01, 2013, 15:00 »

Quote from: ShadySue on January 01, 2013, 10:34

I started it, then there was a question about do you intend to go exclusive with iStock in the coming year, which was unanswerable if you are already exclusive.

Also I thought I should wait in Pollyanna mode to see if I have any GI sales coming through: I count them in my iStock total, as I don't submit to Getty directly.

Also there is a question about Alamy, but I'm not sure if you want us to count Alamy sales in our micro total.

Sorry, I've fixed that question now. It shouldn't have shown up if you were exclusive.

Yeah, i guess Alamy creates a bit of confusion as it is a bit of a crossover site. I include my alamy earnings because I have all my micro images on Alamy. I consider everything I make from my 'microstock images', microstock income.

leaf · « **Reply #10 on:** January 01, 2013, 15:06 »

Quote from: cascoly on January 01, 2013, 14:43

*On which site did you experience the least increase (or largest degrese) in gross earnings?

what if several sites vie for this honor?? ie earning approach 0

none of my sites were degreased, however - those sites remain as slimy as ever

====
also the form for entering the draw is mostly blank space

Well if there are a couple sites tied for worst place then you'll have to just pick one.

In regards to the draw, which browser were you using?

Poncke · « **Reply #11 on:** January 01, 2013, 15:25 »

I have seen degrese on the survey and degrease here but isnt it decrease?

ShadySue · « **Reply #12 on:** January 01, 2013, 15:54 »

Quote from: leaf on January 01, 2013, 15:00

Quote from: ShadySue on January 01, 2013, 10:34
I started it, then there was a question about do you intend to go exclusive with iStock in the coming year, which was unanswerable if you are already exclusive.

Also I thought I should wait in Pollyanna mode to see if I have any GI sales coming through: I count them in my iStock total, as I don't submit to Getty directly.

Also there is a question about Alamy, but I'm not sure if you want us to count Alamy sales in our micro total.

Sorry, I've fixed that question now. It shouldn't have shown up if you were exclusive.

Yeah, i guess Alamy creates a bit of confusion as it is a bit of a crossover site. I include my alamy earnings because I have all my micro images on Alamy. I consider everything I make from my 'microstock images', microstock income.

Hmm, mine are totally different images.

But RM prices are on a downward slide, and with the percentage decrease won't always be that much above micro level.

pancaketom · « **Reply #13 on:** January 01, 2013, 17:13 »

I'll wait 'til the PP results are in so I have my real totals, even though they won't make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully they will be reported before Jan. (by the way is IS reporting credit card sales anywhere without detective work like greasemonkey scripts and so on?)

leaf · « **Reply #14 on:** January 01, 2013, 17:25 »

Quote from: Poncke on January 01, 2013, 15:25

I have seen degrese on the survey and degrease here but isnt it decrease?

thanks. fixed.

gillian vann · « **Reply #15 on:** January 01, 2013, 21:11 »

On which site did you experience the greatest increase in gross earnings?
Choose one of the following answers.

compared to what? if this is my first (real) year they've all gone up.

the end bit was weird, and kept saying my email was already subscribed, no matter which boxes were checked or unchecked. then it locked me out.
(no biggie, I don't want to have to post a reflector to Australia)

tab62 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 01, 2013, 21:23 »

Too many English majors on this site

cascoly · « **Reply #17 on:** January 01, 2013, 21:49 »

Quote from: leaf on January 01, 2013, 15:06

Quote from: cascoly on January 01, 2013, 14:43

====
also the form for entering the draw is mostly blank space

In regards to the draw, which browser were you using?

ie9

the info is there - you just have to scroll a lot to the side & down

cthoman · « **Reply #18 on:** January 01, 2013, 22:21 »

Quote from: vannphoto on January 01, 2013, 21:11

On which site did you experience the greatest increase in gross earnings?
Choose one of the following answers.

compared to what? if this is my first (real) year they've all gone up.

the end bit was weird, and kept saying my email was already subscribed, no matter which boxes were checked or unchecked. then it locked me out.
(no biggie, I don't want to have to post a reflector to Australia)

I interpreted that as which site grew by the most in total dollars not by percentage. I guess if it is your first year, then you don't have stats from last year though.

leaf · « **Reply #19 on:** January 02, 2013, 07:04 »

Quote from: cthoman on January 01, 2013, 22:21

Quote from: vannphoto on January 01, 2013, 21:11
On which site did you experience the greatest increase in gross earnings?
Choose one of the following answers.

compared to what? if this is my first (real) year they've all gone up.

the end bit was weird, and kept saying my email was already subscribed, no matter which boxes were checked or unchecked. then it locked me out.
(no biggie, I don't want to have to post a reflector to Australia)

I interpreted that as which site grew by the most in total dollars not by percentage. I guess if it is your first year, then you don't have stats from last year though.

yeah, that's correct. The the question should also only show if you've been involved in microstock for more than 24 months.

aeonf · « **Reply #20 on:** January 02, 2013, 07:21 »

Done!

fotografer · « **Reply #21 on:** January 02, 2013, 08:15 »

I made a mistake and put how much I was down on last year per month instead of for the whole year and it was too late to rectify it by the time I realized.

leaf · « **Reply #22 on:** January 02, 2013, 09:14 »

Thanks everyone who has filled out the survey so far. We are up to 89 respondents already!

JPSDK · « **Reply #23 on:** January 02, 2013, 09:42 »

when will you publish the results?

rubyroo · « **Reply #24 on:** January 02, 2013, 10:52 »

This reminds me of the oft-repeated exchange in The Agony and The Ecstasy:

Pope: "When will you make an end Buonarroti?!"
Michaelangelo: "When I am Finished!!!"

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #25 on:** January 02, 2013, 12:08 »

I just did the survey - thanks for doing this Tyler

I was thinking about the results I reported and realized that my surprise at seeing that for me, IS outearned SS this year was in part because IS has been tanking in the second half of the year where SS was largely flat for me in the first half and doing really well in the second. So I answered the survey with accurate data, but I don't think it really reflected what's happening.

My answers were that IS was the biggest earner - but that included the PP and without that, it would not have been (SS was). I said IS had the biggest drop, SS had the most growth. I hope that captures the way it appears to me - IS is heading down and SS up although the PP is helping to obscure the drops. The reason that matters (versus just total $$) is that the PP income doesn't count towards next year's royalty calculation.

If I look at IS (no PP) first half vs. second half of 2012, IS dropped 6% in the second half whereas SS increased 63%. The PP started small (because they didn't have much of my portfolio over there at first) but its second half was 226% greater than the first (i.e. nearly 2.5 times the money in the second half).

I don't know if capturing any big shifts of this sort is relevant, but thought I'd just mention what I was seeing.

ShadySue · « **Reply #26 on:** January 02, 2013, 12:53 »

How do iS existing exclusives answer the question as to whether we intend to become exclusive at iStock next year?
The answer is presumably 'no', but that may skew certain result angles.

leaf · « **Reply #27 on:** January 02, 2013, 14:59 »

Quote from: ShadySue on January 02, 2013, 12:53

How do iS existing exclusives answer the question as to whether we intend to become exclusive at iStock next year?
The answer is presumably 'no', but that may skew certain result angles.

That question doesn't show if the person answered Yes to istock exclusivity higher up in the survey. (or at least shouldn't)

leaf · « **Reply #28 on:** January 02, 2013, 15:00 »

Quote from: JPSDK on January 02, 2013, 09:42

when will you publish the results?

I'll publish the first results in February

leaf · « **Reply #29 on:** January 03, 2013, 17:48 »

The survey is also now available in German, thanks to Amos from Fotos-verkaufen.de

RacePhoto · « **Reply #30 on:** January 04, 2013, 23:22 »

Quote from: leaf on January 02, 2013, 09:14

Thanks everyone who has filled out the survey so far. We are up to 89 respondents already!

Make that 90?

Mantis · « **Reply #31 on:** January 05, 2013, 08:06 »

Quote from: leaf on January 02, 2013, 09:14

Thanks everyone who has filled out the survey so far. We are up to 89 respondents already!

Hi Leaf,

What is the average number of respondents from, say, the last 5 five years? I am curious if the sample size continues to go up year over year.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #32 on:** January 05, 2013, 08:48 »

Quote from: Mantis on January 05, 2013, 08:06

Quote from: leaf on January 02, 2013, 09:14
Thanks everyone who has filled out the survey so far. We are up to 89 respondents already!

Hi Leaf,

What is the average number of respondents from, say, the last 5 five years? I am curious if the sample size continues to go up year over year.

don't know why but the quoting option is not showing up but that was leaf answer for 2011 survey

a total of 709 responses (so far) ... thanks everyone!

Mantis · « **Reply #33 on:** January 05, 2013, 09:57 »

Quote from: luissantos84 on January 05, 2013, 08:48

Quote from: Mantis on January 05, 2013, 08:06
Quote from: leaf on January 02, 2013, 09:14
Thanks everyone who has filled out the survey so far. We are up to 89 respondents already!

Hi Leaf,

What is the average number of respondents from, say, the last 5 five years? I am curious if the sample size continues to go up year over year.

don't know why but the quoting option is not showing up but that was leaf answer for 2011 survey

a total of 709 responses (so far) ... thanks everyone!

From inception? how does that break down by year? What was 2011's count, 2010, 2009, etc. Maybe it's irrelevant...just curious.

leaf · « **Reply #34 on:** January 05, 2013, 17:35 »

Here's the break down

2011: 709 responses
2010: 628 responses
2009: 413 responses
2008: 244 responses

This year so far.. 359 and counting. I think we are ahead of last year's numbers at this time.

Thanks everyone who has shared the survey link and taken the time to fill it out themselves!

leaf · « **Reply #35 on:** January 10, 2013, 04:48 »

487 responses and counting...

thanks everyone!

Anyka · « **Reply #36 on:** January 10, 2013, 06:03 »

I've always liked filling in your survey, it never felt als a "job you had to do".

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Author Topic: 5th Annual Independent Microstock Survey Now Live - For The 2012 Microstock Year (Read 27429 times)

Poncke

traveler1116

lisafx

Poncke

tab62

rubyroo

RacePhoto

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