MicrostockGroup Sponsors


Author Topic: Another Massive Best Match Shift  (Read 246892 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

« Reply #925 on: January 19, 2012, 05:36 »
0
"Another pint of Kool-Aid for my two friends here please"

It's going to be a real shame for these two when they sober up in a few months time __ because Istock's significance as a major player is now measured in months not years. Only the most die-hard, swivel-eyed apostles of Istock will still be exclusive come 2013.

If exclusives do desert in droves, a new factor will come into play. Reduced numbers of exclusives will make the exclusive best match boost more significant for those that remain. This may prolong the viability of exclusivity for some.


CarlssonInc

« Reply #926 on: January 19, 2012, 05:57 »
0
Same here, January sales are up!  but its a flash in the pan, the Feb, sales will be way down.

Why would Feb be down? My usual trend is strong/increase Jan-Jun until the summer lull sets in.

Hi Martin!

well by the look of things, we dont even know if this poor IS, will exist? ;) and all this with the TS business, I recon for us indies, the days are numbered.

So you had a pretty good 2011 there, bar December, a pretty good start in January and now it is doomsday?

« Reply #927 on: January 19, 2012, 05:59 »
0
If exclusives do desert in droves, a new factor will come into play. Reduced numbers of exclusives will make the exclusive best match boost more significant for those that remain. This may prolong the viability of exclusivity for some.

I suppose there may be a short-term gain for those that stick with exclusivity for as long as possible. Unfortunately those same contributors will then be at the very back of the queue if and when they eventually have to upload elsewhere. Tough as it is now to establish good sort-order position (and higher image levels at DT) at the various agencies it will undoubtedly be even harder, in say a year's time, with 5 or 10 million more images on SS, FT, DT and everywhere else.

Good luck if you are hanging your hat on that particular strategy to preserve your income.

« Reply #928 on: January 19, 2012, 08:11 »
0
Good luck if you are hanging your hat on that particular strategy to preserve your income.

Thanks. Not exactly hanging my hat on it; just an observation.

« Reply #929 on: January 19, 2012, 09:10 »
0
January sales are currently way above average - whatever settings are in play right now, I'm liking a lot!

Same here.

"Another pint of Kool-Aid for my two friends here please"

It's going to be a real shame for these two when they sober up in a few months time __ because Istock's significance as a major player is now measured in months not years. Only the most die-hard, swivel-eyed apostles of Istock will still be exclusive come 2013.

It's interesting for those who have been on the wrong side of predicting whether it's more monetarily beneficial to be exclusive with istock for the last 5 years to now being able to predict the next 14 months.  Truth is over the last 5 years indies have lost a ton of money with this bet.  Didn't Sean report 2011 as his best $$$$ money year ever.  How is that a decline?  Yuri said his sales were down everywhere in terms of $$$ in 2011 for the first time since 2005.  Which one is reporting a decline?   How do you ignore one report and ignore the other report and tout the end of a company?

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #930 on: January 19, 2012, 09:19 »
0
 Didn't Sean report 2011 as his best $$$$ money year ever.  How is that a decline?
IIRC he reported that his dls were well down. His $$ were up, but not keeping track with his portfolio growth; so, technically, a 'decline'.

Many high diamonds over there reported poor years, but I've not done any investigation as to their portfolio growth.
FWIW, my port growth +%, dls -% and $$ +% were almost the same as Sean's, though at infinitely lower 'actual' figures.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2012, 10:06 by ShadySue »

« Reply #931 on: January 19, 2012, 09:19 »
0
January sales are currently way above average - whatever settings are in play right now, I'm liking a lot!

Same here.

"Another pint of Kool-Aid for my two friends here please"

It's going to be a real shame for these two when they sober up in a few months time __ because Istock's significance as a major player is now measured in months not years. Only the most die-hard, swivel-eyed apostles of Istock will still be exclusive come 2013.

It's interesting for those who have been on the wrong side of predicting whether it's more monetarily beneficial to be exclusive with istock for the last 5 years to now being able to predict the next 14 months.  Truth is over the last 5 years indies have lost a ton of money with this bet.  Didn't Sean report 2011 as his best $$$$ money year ever.  How is that a decline?  Yuri said his sales were down everywhere in terms of $$$ in 2011 for the first time since 2005.  Which one is reporting a decline?   How do you ignore one report and ignore the other report and tout the end of a company?

As an indie, the only noticeable declines my portfolio and income have witnessed come from Getty-owned agencies...IS and StockXpert.  I'd say I made a pretty good bet.

« Reply #932 on: January 19, 2012, 09:54 »
0

As an indie, the only noticeable declines my portfolio and income have witnessed come from Getty-owned agencies...IS and StockXpert.  I'd say I made a pretty good bet.

The declines that indies are seeing could well result from changes in their best match position rather than underlying sales decay. I've seen no erosion yet, although like Sean my earnings increase has lagged behind portfolio growth.

Having said that, I'd prefer to be in your shoes right now.

« Reply #933 on: January 19, 2012, 10:15 »
0

As an indie, the only noticeable declines my portfolio and income have witnessed come from Getty-owned agencies...IS and StockXpert.  I'd say I made a pretty good bet.

The declines that indies are seeing could well result from changes in their best match position rather than underlying sales decay. I've seen no erosion yet, although like Sean my earnings increase has lagged behind portfolio growth.

Having said that, I'd prefer to be in your shoes right now.

With regards to StockXpert, the decline is due to the fact that they dismantled the StockXpert website, removed our images from two partner programs, and relegated all the images to Thinkstock with much lower earnings (dropped from 35 cents to 25 cents).  

And at least with my own portfolio, I can tell you the decline IS isn't just because of a change in best match.  Before I deactivated them, I had 20 images of alphabet letters created from my neon sign photos.  When I recently searched for "neon" and "alphabet," just over 100 images would show up, including mine.  However...sales on 17 of those 20 images came to a complete halt at IS in August 2010 and started selling in September 2010 at Thinkstock and Photos.com.  Up until August 2010, these images had regular sales at IS, and then switched to having regular sales at the partner sites.  Explain that one to me.  

It left me wondering if they actually disappeared for a time from IS and only recently reappeared, instead of merely being buried.  
« Last Edit: January 19, 2012, 10:17 by Karimala »

lagereek

« Reply #934 on: January 19, 2012, 10:24 »
0

As an indie, the only noticeable declines my portfolio and income have witnessed come from Getty-owned agencies...IS and StockXpert.  I'd say I made a pretty good bet.

The declines that indies are seeing could well result from changes in their best match position rather than underlying sales decay. I've seen no erosion yet, although like Sean my earnings increase has lagged behind portfolio growth.

Having said that, I'd prefer to be in your shoes right now.



With regards to StockXpert, the decline is due to the fact that they dismantled the StockXpert website, removed our images from two partner programs, and relegated all the images to Thinkstock with much lower earnings (dropped from 35 cents to 25 cents).  

And at least with my own portfolio, I can tell you the decline IS isn't just because of a change in best match.  Before I deactivated them, I had 20 images of alphabet letters created from my neon sign photos.  When I recently searched for "neon" and "alphabet," just over 100 images would show up, including mine.  However...sales on 17 of those 20 images came to a complete halt at IS in August 2010 and started selling in September 2010 at Thinkstock and Photos.com.  Up until August 2010, these images had regular sales at IS, and then switched to having regular sales at the partner sites.  Explain that one to me.  

It left me wondering if they actually disappeared for a time from IS and only recently reappeared, instead of merely being buried.  

I agree with you on this one. The best match, has got a lot to answer for though, like a friend and computer-wizard said, how can you construct an effective best match, and at the same time pushing images and collections, that they want to sell,  rather then what the buyer actually was looking for.
This mechanism was bound to fail and end in catastrophy from the very start.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2012, 10:26 by lagereek »

Noodles

« Reply #935 on: January 24, 2012, 05:42 »
0
Just had a BDE and that doesn't include a $53 EL. Sales are still way above average for January and have certainly made up for that weird 10 days around Xmas time. How is it for everyone else?

« Reply #936 on: January 24, 2012, 09:39 »
0
Bronze exclusive here. My sales are very low compared with previous months. Almost half now. Not good.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #937 on: January 24, 2012, 09:42 »
0
Bronze exclusive here. My sales are very low compared with previous months. Almost half now. Not good.
You also have to compare with previous Januarys, as January 'tends' on average to be a quieter month than Oct - Dec. (Of course, there will always be exceptions).
I seem to be about neck and neck with last Jan so far, but with over 1/3 more images than I had then.
My Jan 2010 was down 20%, almost to the cent, compared to Jan 2009.

wut

« Reply #938 on: January 24, 2012, 09:48 »
0
Bronze exclusive here. My sales are very low compared with previous months. Almost half now. Not good.
You also have to compare with previous Januarys, as January 'tends' on average to be a quieter month than Oct - Dec. (Of course, there will always be exceptions).
I seem to be about neck and neck with last Jan so far, but with over 1/3 more images than I had then.
My Jan 2010 was down 20%, almost to the cent, compared to Jan 2009.

Yeah, but perhaps you're focusing too much on editorial and missing the main collection sales (which sell better IMO, since there are no commercial use limitations)

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #939 on: January 24, 2012, 09:54 »
0
Bronze exclusive here. My sales are very low compared with previous months. Almost half now. Not good.
You also have to compare with previous Januarys, as January 'tends' on average to be a quieter month than Oct - Dec. (Of course, there will always be exceptions).
I seem to be about neck and neck with last Jan so far, but with over 1/3 more images than I had then.
My Jan 2010 was down 20%, almost to the cent, compared to Jan 2009.

Yeah, but perhaps you're focusing too much on editorial and missing the main collection sales (which sell better IMO, since there are no commercial use limitations)
Yeah, well that's what I'll be focussing on from now on.
I don't like to see companies using my pictures to lie, e.g. having my kitchen photo in a gallery of their installed kitchens. I've found too many of these.
Also, I was only comparing my sales with my own previous sales, not with the superstars. I don't have models or a studio, so I don't expect to sell as much as those who do.

« Reply #940 on: January 24, 2012, 10:40 »
0
My sales are up comparing to last January.

michealo

« Reply #941 on: January 24, 2012, 11:21 »
0
Bronze exclusive here. My sales are very low compared with previous months. Almost half now. Not good.
You also have to compare with previous Januarys, as January 'tends' on average to be a quieter month than Oct - Dec. (Of course, there will always be exceptions).
I seem to be about neck and neck with last Jan so far, but with over 1/3 more images than I had then.
My Jan 2010 was down 20%, almost to the cent, compared to Jan 2009.

well the contributor base across the whole stock world has been improving the quality and increasing the volume
what does that tell you?

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #942 on: January 24, 2012, 11:30 »
0
Bronze exclusive here. My sales are very low compared with previous months. Almost half now. Not good.
You also have to compare with previous Januarys, as January 'tends' on average to be a quieter month than Oct - Dec. (Of course, there will always be exceptions).
I seem to be about neck and neck with last Jan so far, but with over 1/3 more images than I had then.
My Jan 2010 was down 20%, almost to the cent, compared to Jan 2009.

well the contributor base across the whole stock world has been improving the quality and increasing the volume
what does that tell you?
Nothing much. My December $$$ were well up on Dec 2010, even before the GI boost, so maybe it's just ebb and flow.
Plus I had two ELs in early Jan last year, so my non-EL $$$ are up, though dls are proceeding at a similar level.
Have you tried asking the high flyers whose dls are dropping by over 20%?
« Last Edit: January 24, 2012, 18:03 by ShadySue »

wut

« Reply #943 on: January 25, 2012, 06:01 »
0
Just had a 200 cr EL purchase (125+75), I wanted to ask you folks how it's even possible to get so much from a single EL, but then I rechecked to see it was a double. Still very happy, especially the way sales are going lately.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #944 on: January 25, 2012, 06:08 »
0
Just had a 200 cr EL purchase (125+75), I wanted to ask you folks how it's even possible to get so much from a single EL, but then I rechecked to see it was a double. Still very happy, especially the way sales are going lately.
Congratulations.
Nice when it happens.  :D

michealo

« Reply #945 on: January 25, 2012, 06:08 »
0
Have you tried asking the high flyers whose dls are dropping by over 20%?

I only associate with high fliers who can maintain their dls ...

wut

« Reply #946 on: January 25, 2012, 06:15 »
0
Just had a 200 cr EL purchase (125+75), I wanted to ask you folks how it's even possible to get so much from a single EL, but then I rechecked to see it was a double. Still very happy, especially the way sales are going lately.
Congratulations.
Nice when it happens.  :D

Yeah and on IS :o .It almost feels like gettin a lap dance from Beyonce ;D

On the serious note, it's still less than a CEL at 123RF. But that's how it's supposed to be, it's my fault for being an indie (from their perspective)

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #947 on: January 25, 2012, 06:21 »
0
Just had a 200 cr EL purchase (125+75), I wanted to ask you folks how it's even possible to get so much from a single EL, but then I rechecked to see it was a double. Still very happy, especially the way sales are going lately.
Congratulations.
Nice when it happens.  :D

Yeah and on IS :o .It almost feels like gettin a lap dance from Beyonce ;D
I can't decide whether that would be good or bad.  ;)

wut

« Reply #948 on: January 25, 2012, 06:25 »
0
Just had a 200 cr EL purchase (125+75), I wanted to ask you folks how it's even possible to get so much from a single EL, but then I rechecked to see it was a double. Still very happy, especially the way sales are going lately.
Congratulations.
Nice when it happens.  :D

Yeah and on IS :o .It almost feels like gettin a lap dance from Beyonce ;D
I can't decide whether that would be good or bad.  ;)


How could that be bad? I mean for me (or any other man)? Yeah I know how, coming too close to something you could never get ;D

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #949 on: January 25, 2012, 06:32 »
0
Have you tried asking the high flyers whose dls are dropping by over 20%?

I only associate with high fliers who can maintain their dls ...

Oh good. If my dls go down, you can get off my back.
There's always an upside.


 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
25 Replies
20997 Views
Last post February 26, 2011, 04:42
by ShadySue
120 Replies
39273 Views
Last post May 11, 2011, 16:22
by Jo Ann Snover
240 Replies
58310 Views
Last post September 24, 2011, 10:24
by nataq
69 Replies
28515 Views
Last post November 15, 2011, 08:17
by ShadySue
Best Match shift 27 Jan 12

Started by michealo « 1 2  All » iStockPhoto.com

48 Replies
32128 Views
Last post February 02, 2012, 16:03
by StanRohrer

Sponsors

Mega Bundle of 5,900+ Professional Lightroom Presets

Microstock Poll Results

Sponsors