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Author Topic: Important Dreamstime Announcements - New Pricing Structure  (Read 48541 times)

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« Reply #50 on: April 01, 2011, 13:54 »
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I think what they really meant to accomplishment with the "SR-EL" is something like:
Quote
Unlimited Rights EL:
- no restriction on print run
- no restrictions on seat limits
- unlimited items for resale
- unlimited electronic items for resale

etc.  The whole notion of "ownership" is foggy at best.  Why not have just offered an "all you can eat" EL?


« Reply #51 on: April 01, 2011, 14:18 »
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I think what they really meant to accomplishment with the "SR-EL" is something like:
Quote
Unlimited Rights EL:
- no restriction on print run
- no restrictions on seat limits
- unlimited items for resale
- unlimited electronic items for resale

etc.  The whole notion of "ownership" is foggy at best.  Why not have just offered an "all you can eat" EL?

Why there is suddently so much fuss about SR-EL on Dreamstime?... They've had that option for years and there's been many sales of that kind - I had one in the early days when removing an image from other sites wasn't a big deal (now I wouldn't do that - selling on too many sites). It looks like you've been sitting behind the tall fence of your little Istock garden for too long and know little about what's going on in a big scary world...;-)

« Reply #52 on: April 01, 2011, 14:22 »
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Why there is suddently so much fuss about SR-EL on Dreamstime?... They've had that option for years

Exactly.  Because I didn't notice it before today :) .

« Reply #53 on: April 01, 2011, 14:31 »
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A long time ago, April Fool's Day was fun.  Then came the internet.  Now every clown running a web site feels he needs to cook up some story and tries to make it somewhat confusing so you'll waste time evaluating it, and a little bit worrisome until you do.    Gosh my sides just hurt from laughing.

« Reply #54 on: April 01, 2011, 14:35 »
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Why there is suddently so much fuss about SR-EL on Dreamstime?... They've had that option for years and there's been many sales of that kind - I had one in the early days when removing an image from other sites wasn't a big deal (now I wouldn't do that - selling on too many sites).
Yes. I've had at least one offer to buy SR-EL on DT over the years (maybe 2 offers, I can't remember for sure). I didn't take them up on it because if you figure in the time of removing the image from 7 sites, and the lost revenue from sales on those sites, it just didn't seem worth it.

« Reply #55 on: April 01, 2011, 15:16 »
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Why there is suddently so much fuss about SR-EL on Dreamstime?...
Because they drew attention to the licensing with their two additional SR licenses.

The issue really doesn't affect contributors. If there ever was a problem arising from it, then the agency would be the one to take the heat. 

« Reply #56 on: April 01, 2011, 16:08 »
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Dreamstime raises prices and cuts commissions (again) is really what they're using a whole lot of smoke and mirrors to say. Where else have I heard that recently??

It may only be going from 30 to 25% for one DL per image, but on DT frequently that's all you get.

Also the new "weekly subscriptions" - what??? Buyers can now sign up for a $45 1-week and download 70 images at subscription prices and therefore bypass the higher prices entirely??

( I'm going by Roberto's summary: http://www.mystockphoto.org/new-levels-features-licenses-at-dreamstime/ seeing as dreamstime seems to be currently offline. Maybe the detail got mixed up in an April Fools joke gone wrong.)

« Reply #57 on: April 01, 2011, 16:34 »
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Holger, we arent only getting first sales at pictures.. Level 1 and over had increase in price, I think it will be positive.. OK we could have prices raised and no Level 0, which is only good for buyers and for "new pictures" (which Dreamstime seem to reject quite well), now buyers will go to Level 0, when they would go to a 1 instead

March 66 sales (32 1st sales)
« Last Edit: April 01, 2011, 16:39 by luissantos84 »

« Reply #58 on: April 01, 2011, 16:40 »
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The people running these sites have ony one goal in mind: tweaking the 'business model' to squeeze out more profit.  And they'll be doing this endlessly, forever.

Every business tries to grind its suppliers' margins down to dust.  The smart ones know that if they go too far, they'll lose their suppliers.  But the microstocks, with millions of images on the shelves and suppliers not really interested in taking them back, have little to worry about.  They could sell just what they have now, for years.

What we can expect is for "pricing plans" to get ever more complicated, convoluted and confusing; and for all sorts of "subscription" schemes to be introduced until the whole idea of a "commission" is a thing of the past.

The thing to note about today's announcement from DT is how these things are getting steadily harder to understand and interpret. 
« Last Edit: April 01, 2011, 16:47 by stockastic »

« Reply #59 on: April 01, 2011, 16:54 »
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Well. I still count Dreamstime as one of the most contributor-friendly sites. I can't recall Serban ever shafting us like a couple of other well-known agencies. When he does change the commissions there is always a good bit somewhere else to balance it out. Unless this leads to a huge shift to subscriptions, it should give quite a nice boost to earnings IMHO. And who else is giving us a rise this year?

« Reply #60 on: April 01, 2011, 17:01 »
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Dreamstime raises prices and cuts commissions (again) is really what they're using a whole lot of smoke and mirrors to say. Where else have I heard that recently??

It may only be going from 30 to 25% for one DL per image, but on Dreamstime frequently that's all you get.

Also the new "weekly subscriptions" - what??? Buyers can now sign up for a $45 1-week and download 70 images at subscription prices and therefore bypass the higher prices entirely??

( I'm going by Roberto's summary: http://www.mystockphoto.org/new-levels-features-licenses-at-dreamstime/ seeing as dreamstime seems to be currently offline. Maybe the detail got mixed up in an April Fools joke gone wrong.)


I didn't bother to count all of March's 84 sales, but on the first page, only 60% of sales were level one for me. 20% of sales were level 5. I can't see how I'll lose money on this one.

lisafx

« Reply #61 on: April 01, 2011, 17:03 »
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Well. I still count Dreamstime as one of the most contributor-friendly sites. I can't recall Serban ever shafting us like a couple of other well-known agencies. When he does change the commissions there is always a good bit somewhere else to balance it out. Unless this leads to a huge shift to subscriptions, it should give quite a nice boost to earnings IMHO. And who else is giving us a rise this year?

Absolutely, on all counts.  

I don't see this as a commission cut at all.  Level 0 only applies to images that have NEVER sold, so it will give a boost to new images and to old non-sellers.  Dreamstime has been deactivating older non-sellers or donating them for free, so this is an improvement over deactivation or giving them away.  

Revenues look to increase overall with this plan.  I wish the other sites were half as conscientious as Dreamstime.

(the above is said with the acknowledgment I will soon be eating my words if they follow this up with a commission cut some time this year).  

« Reply #62 on: April 01, 2011, 17:25 »
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hmm just got the email about april fool's, pity it is 9am on the 2nd here  ;D

« Reply #63 on: April 01, 2011, 17:45 »
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Well. I still count Dreamstime as one of the most contributor-friendly sites. I can't recall Serban ever shafting us like a couple of other well-known agencies. When he does change the commissions there is always a good bit somewhere else to balance it out. Unless this leads to a huge shift to subscriptions, it should give quite a nice boost to earnings IMHO. And who else is giving us a rise this year?

They've cut commissions from 50% to 25% in less than 2 years - of course the effect might be that you earn more because the prices are higher, but if the agency is earning more overall, why do they have to cut commissions? Every image ever uploaded is a "level 0" image at some point - just now you get a lower % for its sale.

The weekly subscriptions on the other hand is just insanity. Why would anyone buy credits at Dreamstime anymore? You can buy 52 credits for $50 to download about 5 XL images or buy a 1-week package and download 10 per day for $45 and with no real commitment.  

One of the reasons subscriptions haven't been attractive is because the minimum price on most of the agencies was too high for causal buyers (eg. $249 at shutterstock) and the downloads are spread over such a long period that its not a volume most people will use. Neither of these factors are relevant when you bring the price down to about $45 and spread it over only 1 week.     

Sorry but these changes are shafting everyone. Of course there's also no way of opting out of subs at Dreamstime, or deleting all your content if you're not happy with the changes because your portfolio is locked in for 6 months.

« Reply #64 on: April 01, 2011, 17:55 »
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Sorry but these changes are shafting everyone. Of course there's also no way of opting out of subs at Dreamstime, or deleting all your content if you're not happy with the changes because your portfolio is locked in for 6 months.

You have to think it won't work out for them very well either. It's pretty easy to download all 10 in a day. Which could easily mean they'll make very little or lose money on each transaction.

« Reply #65 on: April 01, 2011, 17:57 »
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Light grey is old prices, dark grey the new ones?

« Reply #66 on: April 01, 2011, 17:58 »
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Light grey is old prices, dark grey the new ones?
yes!

« Reply #67 on: April 01, 2011, 18:00 »
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good points Holger and Cthoman!

lets see how this go this month or maybe the others once buyers must have some old credits

« Reply #68 on: April 01, 2011, 18:06 »
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Does that new level 0 only apply to images that will be currently uploaded?  Because I'm not seeing a change on any of my (200+) files that's never been dl'ed.  They're still at level 1.

I'm already physically exhausted today and I don't really want to add brain exhausted to it.

« Reply #69 on: April 01, 2011, 18:13 »
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Does that new level 0 only apply to images that will be currently uploaded?  Because I'm not seeing a change on any of my (200+) files that's never been dl'ed.  They're still at level 1.

I'm already physically exhausted today and I don't really want to add brain exhausted to it.

thats a good question, guess we will know soon

« Reply #70 on: April 01, 2011, 18:21 »
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how does the 'levels' thing work ? Is it like the old cannister system as iStockphoto ?

« Reply #71 on: April 01, 2011, 18:50 »
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how does the 'levels' thing work ? Is it like the old cannister system as iStockphoto ?

Levels is per image. As the image sells more, it goes up levels - and also in price and % commission - from 25 up to 50% with the new system (from a flat 50% a year ago, but the levels take less downloads to move up and cost more credits now). A system I like a lot better than a per supplier system as every image rises on its own if it is worthy (and gets decent placement in the search etc. etc.).

I disagree that DT has never shafted contributors. Dropping from 50% down to 30% for most images was a shafting as far as I could tell. Dropping to 25% isn't good either even if it is only for the first sale. Sure, make level 0 cheaper than all the others, but don't drop our percentage too.

I don't much like all the smoke and mirrors between what a buyer pays and what we get, I wish they would list the actual price the buyer paid for an image along next to our cut. I can't see them doing that though.

« Reply #72 on: April 02, 2011, 00:20 »
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It's not "smoke and mirrors" it's merely complicated. If you really want smoke and mirrors, look at Fotolia where the purchase price of an image bought on credits is more or less unrelated to the commission actually paid.

bittersweet

« Reply #73 on: April 02, 2011, 06:49 »
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Does that new level 0 only apply to images that will be currently uploaded?  Because I'm not seeing a change on any of my (200+) files that's never been dl'ed.  They're still at level 1.

I read somewhere yesterday... can't remember exactly where and don't have time to look at the moment... that it only applies to new images, for now.

« Reply #74 on: April 02, 2011, 10:25 »
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Well. I still count Dreamstime as one of the most contributor-friendly sites. I can't recall Serban ever shafting us like a couple of other well-known agencies. When he does change the commissions there is always a good bit somewhere else to balance it out. Unless this leads to a huge shift to subscriptions, it should give quite a nice boost to earnings IMHO. And who else is giving us a rise this year?
Absolutely! It's THE site i'll keep promoting to everyone.
I also applaud them for their constant effort to try and keep improving their site; the dynamic search, the geolocations (i first thought that one was a bit unnecesary, but now you can browse stock images through the world map i see how its handy), etc etc etc!
« Last Edit: April 02, 2011, 10:28 by Artemis »


 

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