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Author Topic: How many of you dropped your crown in 2011 and 2012?  (Read 14496 times)

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« Reply #25 on: May 15, 2012, 08:42 »
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I have been full time since 2007, and my revenue is 99% from istock alone. That is why I have gritted my teeth for this long.  But, there may come a time when I simply cannot do it any longer.

For me, it is not a loyalty but a financial affair. The truth must be told just by numbers. And getting away from this 99% you quote, I've opened roads to another prohotographic works. Not microstock, not RF, not even much RM. One day will arrive where the entire stock industry will feel the weight of overproduction, and its consquences won't be suffered at this or at this another one agency, but on the whole sector. If you just do RF, you have all your eggs in the same basket, no matter if your are just at one or at one hundred sites.  


« Reply #26 on: May 15, 2012, 09:16 »
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I have been full time since 2007, and my revenue is 99% from istock alone. That is why I have gritted my teeth for this long.  But, there may come a time when I simply cannot do it any longer.

For me, it is not a loyalty but a financial affair. The truth must be told just by numbers. And getting away from this 99% you quote, I've opened roads to another prohotographic works. Not microstock, not RF, not even much RM. One day will arrive where the entire stock industry will feel the weight of overproduction, and its consquences won't be suffered at this or at this another one agency, but on the whole sector. If you just do RF, you have all your eggs in the same basket, no matter if your are just at one or at one hundred sites.  

I think the emotional loyalty was gone for most of us when Bruce left, or shortly thereafter. It is most definitely a financial tie now.

But, now there is an issue of respect for those who produce the sellable product. There are many professions where people sacrifice respect for money, namely the oldest one. With each rule change, or administrative change at istock, I assess how much respect remains.

Self-esteem has taken a beating over the last 2 years. At this critical point, I see potential for respect to be completely diminished, or for a small turn around. But either way, I am on high alert, and will remove my crown if all respect for me and what I contribute is gone.

« Reply #27 on: May 15, 2012, 09:31 »
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I have been full time since 2007, and my revenue is 99% from istock alone. That is why I have gritted my teeth for this long.  But, there may come a time when I simply cannot do it any longer.

For me, it is not a loyalty but a financial affair. The truth must be told just by numbers. And getting away from this 99% you quote, I've opened roads to another prohotographic works. Not microstock, not RF, not even much RM. One day will arrive where the entire stock industry will feel the weight of overproduction, and its consquences won't be suffered at this or at this another one agency, but on the whole sector. If you just do RF, you have all your eggs in the same basket, no matter if your are just at one or at one hundred sites.  

I think the emotional loyalty was gone for most of us when Bruce left, or shortly thereafter. It is most definitely a financial tie now.

But, now there is an issue of respect for those who produce the sellable product. There are many professions where people sacrifice respect for money, namely the oldest one. With each rule change, or administrative change at istock, I assess how much respect remains.

Self-esteem has taken a beating over the last 2 years. At this critical point, I see potential for respect to be completely diminished, or for a small turn around. But either way, I am on high alert, and will remove my crown if all respect for me and what I contribute is gone.

I understand this. Trouble is that we had lots of respect in the begginings and we are quite spoiled and more sensitive to certain things.

lisafx

« Reply #28 on: May 15, 2012, 09:44 »
0

I think the emotional loyalty was gone for most of us when Bruce left, or shortly thereafter. It is most definitely a financial tie now.

But, now there is an issue of respect for those who produce the sellable product. There are many professions where people sacrifice respect for money, namely the oldest one. With each rule change, or administrative change at istock, I assess how much respect remains.

Self-esteem has taken a beating over the last 2 years. At this critical point, I see potential for respect to be completely diminished, or for a small turn around. But either way, I am on high alert, and will remove my crown if all respect for me and what I contribute is gone.

I can completely relate to what you're saying Jani.  Exclusive, or independent, I think it is the same in this aspect.  Several major sites seem to have lost respect for contributors.  We have all taken a beating in the self-esteem dept.  Yet we continue to contribute because we have grown accustomed to the money, and many of us rely on it to pay our bills.  

This loyalty thing, and loss of it, is not limited to Istock exclusives.  I used to love doing this.  Couldn't believe I actually got paid for doing something that was such fun!  Now, due to the the actions of a number of top agencies, it is no longer fun.  It's just a job.  Just work.  Such a shame....
« Last Edit: May 15, 2012, 10:10 by lisafx »

« Reply #29 on: May 15, 2012, 12:21 »
0
I have been full time since 2007, and my revenue is 99% from istock alone. That is why I have gritted my teeth for this long.  But, there may come a time when I simply cannot do it any longer.

For me, it is not a loyalty but a financial affair. The truth must be told just by numbers. And getting away from this 99% you quote, I've opened roads to another prohotographic works. Not microstock, not RF, not even much RM. One day will arrive where the entire stock industry will feel the weight of overproduction, and its consquences won't be suffered at this or at this another one agency, but on the whole sector. If you just do RF, you have all your eggs in the same basket, no matter if your are just at one or at one hundred sites.  

I think the emotional loyalty was gone for most of us when Bruce left, or shortly thereafter. It is most definitely a financial tie now.

But, now there is an issue of respect for those who produce the sellable product. There are many professions where people sacrifice respect for money, namely the oldest one. With each rule change, or administrative change at istock, I assess how much respect remains.

Self-esteem has taken a beating over the last 2 years. At this critical point, I see potential for respect to be completely diminished, or for a small turn around. But either way, I am on high alert, and will remove my crown if all respect for me and what I contribute is gone.

totally agree.  this is one of the biggest reasons why I dropped the crown. the other reason being the financial one where my commission was dramatically slashed with the redeemed credit program.

« Reply #30 on: May 15, 2012, 15:40 »
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...  We have all taken a beating in the self-esteem dept.  Yet we continue to contribute because we have grown accustomed to the money, and many of us rely on it to pay our bills.  

This loyalty thing, and loss of it, is not limited to Istock exclusives.  I used to love doing this.  Couldn't believe I actually got paid for doing something that was such fun!  Now, due to the the actions of a number of top agencies, it is no longer fun.  It's just a job.  Just work.  Such a shame....

Yes, I definitely rely on my royalties to pay my bills. And any dramatic change will create real difficulty. But feeling helpless to change a psuedo-abusive relationship is a real issue -- one I cannot tolerate forever. I've got to get my mind around it, and make some positive changes, whatever they may be.

« Reply #31 on: May 17, 2012, 08:16 »
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I dropped  almost two ohms ago. Financial disaster for now. I am seeing if I can pickup with DP, SS and FT. If it doesn't really work I can always go back to exclusive after 3 months, after removing all the images from other sites. Three months is a good amount of time to evaluate other opportunities. I just hope that if I decide to go back to exclusive, my sales will go back to what they used to be.

« Reply #32 on: May 17, 2012, 12:59 »
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... Three months is a good amount of time to evaluate other opportunities. ...

I don't agree. I think you need to give it 1 year - 6 months at the barest minimum. In the case of DT, your files need to climb the levels to make you more money. In the case of SS, you need to move up from the minimum payout (I had a bit of a boost there in that I was an indie from 2004 - 2008 and kept my old account at SS).

« Reply #33 on: May 17, 2012, 13:45 »
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I don't know how long it is a fair amount of time to assess, but Jsnover, the earning power of IS is a lot better than it was when you dropped your crown. Some people shared their experience in this thread (almost at the bottom of the page) recently:

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=65435&page=3458

lisafx

« Reply #34 on: May 17, 2012, 15:10 »
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I don't know how long it is a fair amount of time to assess, but Jsnover, the earning power of IS is a lot better than it was when you dropped your crown. Some people shared their experience in this thread (almost at the bottom of the page) recently:

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=65435&page=3458


And then some of the same people complaining on the next page that they are having no downloads at all, or very few "like a Sunday".  Regardless of what prices have been pushed to, if they aren't selling, you aren't making money.  Zero sales on an E+ makes you exactly the same as zero sales on a subscription...

« Reply #35 on: May 17, 2012, 15:35 »
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And then some of the same people complaining on the next page that they are having no downloads at all, or very few "like a Sunday".  Regardless of what prices have been pushed to, if they aren't selling, you aren't making money.  Zero sales on an E+ makes you exactly the same as zero sales on a subscription...

Hmmm. Didn't see too many Diamond+ contributors whooping for joy on the 'April Stats' thread. Quite the reverse.

What's most significant for me is the trend. On my data Shutterstock has literally adhered to a straight-line graph of growth for the last 7 years with no sign of slowing. IS, on the other hand, peaked in March 2010 and has been in decline, seasonally adjusted, ever since.

I do however think that IS has still got plenty of mileage for exclusives, especially with the numerous price rises, so no need for most to jump ship any time soon. If the situation there does deteriorate significantly then the management will surely be forced to change their strategy. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the 'RC target' fiasco this year and when they dare do it.

traveler1116

« Reply #36 on: May 17, 2012, 15:38 »
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Regardless of what prices have been pushed to, if they aren't selling, you aren't making money.  Zero sales on an E+ makes you exactly the same as zero sales on a subscription...
But then again one sale in E+ is equal 120 sub sales...

lisafx

« Reply #37 on: May 17, 2012, 18:05 »
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Regardless of what prices have been pushed to, if they aren't selling, you aren't making money.  Zero sales on an E+ makes you exactly the same as zero sales on a subscription...
But then again one sale in E+ is equal 120 sub sales...

Fair point.  Still the downward trend in downloads would concern me.  If I were exclusive, I probably wouldn't be pulling the plug over it yet, assuming my overall earnings weren't badly affected.  But I would be watching it closely. 

« Reply #38 on: May 17, 2012, 18:22 »
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There are people working around the issue of exclusivity. Some photographers produce images under different names and companies, so they are exclusive in one place, but they also have other images under a different company or name, and exclusive. In fact I don't think anything would stop a contributor from selling content to some other contributors. At this point I think it makes more sense to offer exclusivity to a single image, instead of contributors.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #39 on: May 17, 2012, 19:32 »
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There are people working around the issue of exclusivity. Some photographers produce images under different names and companies, so they are exclusive in one place, but they also have other images under a different company or name, and exclusive. In fact I don't think anything would stop a contributor from selling content to some other contributors. At this point I think it makes more sense to offer exclusivity to a single image, instead of contributors.
It would, but it would lead to all sorts of problems with what constitutes similar or sister images.

« Reply #40 on: May 17, 2012, 23:44 »
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I don't know how long it is a fair amount of time to assess, but Jsnover, the earning power of IS is a lot better than it was when you dropped your crown. Some people shared their experience in this thread (almost at the bottom of the page) recently:

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=65435&page=3458


And then some of the same people complaining on the next page that they are having no downloads at all, or very few "like a Sunday".  Regardless of what prices have been pushed to, if they aren't selling, you aren't making money.  Zero sales on an E+ makes you exactly the same as zero sales on a subscription...


I am sure anyone will drop the crown if the lack of downloads hurts the bottom line. Here we see some people dropped the crown for a short period and then pick it up again.

« Reply #41 on: May 17, 2012, 23:45 »
0
There are people working around the issue of exclusivity. Some photographers produce images under different names and companies, so they are exclusive in one place, but they also have other images under a different company or name, and exclusive. In fact I don't think anything would stop a contributor from selling content to some other contributors. At this point I think it makes more sense to offer exclusivity to a single image, instead of contributors.

Well, that is cheating. If they are caught, I am sure there are consequences.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #42 on: May 18, 2012, 05:09 »
0
I don't know how long it is a fair amount of time to assess, but Jsnover, the earning power of IS is a lot better than it was when you dropped your crown. Some people shared their experience in this thread (almost at the bottom of the page) recently:

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=65435&page=3458


And then some of the same people complaining on the next page that they are having no downloads at all, or very few "like a Sunday".  Regardless of what prices have been pushed to, if they aren't selling, you aren't making money.  Zero sales on an E+ makes you exactly the same as zero sales on a subscription...


I am sure anyone will drop the crown if the lack of downloads hurts the bottom line. Here we see some people dropped the crown for a short period and then pick it up again.


It could be argued that they didn't give it long enough. You would't expect to achieve stellar sales on iStock in 3 or 6 months unless you were 'fast tracked' to exclusivity like that 'puppies in the laundry' artist. There is a difference in that you can apparently put as many pics as you like onto most other agencies all at once, whereas no matter how good you are, you're stuck with a weekly upload limit at iStock. Still, three months isn't enough.

« Reply #43 on: May 18, 2012, 17:50 »
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I loved IS exclusivity until they made their big September 2011 changes. I made almost as much exclusively with IS as I did independently with several sites. It was a small decrease in revenue, but a huge decrease in uploading time. I never would have left exclusivity had they not insulted us repeatedly. But it was a good lesson. You are lending too much trust to one entity when you are exclusive.


 

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