...If they do it with an exclusive program then fine by me, I've seen it work very well over at iS...
I'm not sure I can ask this without it coming across as snarky, but... if it worked so well at iStock then why aren't you still exclusive there?
Did work well, past tense.
Exclusivity only really works when you have the majority on board, we all know how badly it was mismanaged, Royalty Credits, Google deal, etc, etc... they lost the majority.
I've been on both sides of the fence and when it worked income was high, way higher than SS and the top tier put together. I jumped because I could see where my income was heading, SS were obviously hurting iS so I hedged my bets.
Don't underestimate Getty, they are way bigger than SS and all the other micros put together. They're also bloating their collection to match the competition. I think its naive to think they'll sit back and not start undercutting SS with the indy collection they have. They can do it through iS by offering existing clients big discounts (which we'll not even notice) or through Thinkstock by just dropping the prices or start their own DPC.
Offset is an attempt at eating into Getty's market but they need way more content.
I know its hard for indies to believe but MidStock pricing was hugely popular before they out priced it, income was extremely good and motivation to produce top end work was high. Getty sales were also pretty good before they stopped E+ nominations. I think indies had a glimpse of what could happen to their income with the + files when they were allowed to nominate before they canned it and decided to go head to head with SS.
Like I say if SS are still a long way from pole position, I actually think they are vulnerable to a counter punch from iS/Getty or even Fotolia. I wish they would take a proper swing at Getty and show some evolution away from micro and start properly motivating their contributor base.