Author Topic: Friday's RC target announcement and iStock's strategy behind it (Read 63381 times)

Slovenian · « **Reply #25 on:** June 02, 2011, 03:59 »

Quote from: aeonf on June 02, 2011, 03:14

I have a question for all of you who think the new system is bad:
Lets say all of the RC targets where now slashed in half. so for example to hit the 40% mark you would need 60K credits instead of 120K, 5.25K for 30% etc' etc'
and for the sake of the arguement all non-exclusives had a fixed 20% income, or a ladder of 20%-25% instead of 15%-20%.
Would you STILL think the new system is not fair and/or bad ?

And JS: Great so you found 2 top dogs which are not old-timers, how does that make my statment not true ?!?
"Quite silly realy, most if not all of the top dogs are old timers! I don't"

Fine, so I take the "all" back. Still, the VAST majority of MS head-honchos are old-timers.

New system would be fair and better indeed, giving a Chance to indies to earn more, but in the worse case scenario, stay at the same level. I'd support it, of course. Stay where you are, of if you're ambitious, climb all the way up to 25%. It would be great, fair and motivational. However when it comes to splitting the targets in half for exclusives it could become a bit less sustainable, but NEVER, unsustainable, in the worst case scenario (for them) they'd still get 55%.

I think it'll be just the same in the future, the vast majority of people earning highest commissions will be top dawgz, just because best match favours old (also crappy or even mostly crappy according to the reports) files. So you'll have to wait at least 5 years or so to enjoy 40+% if this won't change;)

Phil · « **Reply #26 on:** June 02, 2011, 04:24 »

a 'fair' system would be that everyone earns the same amount, a fixed percentage

why should I earn more or less on image than anyone

Phil · « **Reply #27 on:** June 02, 2011, 04:28 »

Quote from: Slovenian on June 02, 2011, 03:59

I think it'll be just the same in the future, the vast majority of people earning highest commissions will be top dawgz, just because best match favours old (also crappy or even mostly crappy according to the reports) files. So you'll have to wait at least 5 years or so to enjoy 40+% if this won't change;)

so the images that sell well are the crap ones???

ShadySue · « **Reply #28 on:** June 02, 2011, 04:31 »

Quote from: Phil on June 02, 2011, 00:30

It seems though diamond and black diamond people have taken drops (or perhaps it is only a few us being vocal , while bronze etc are saying it's now great. Searches based around the stuff that I do seem to be bigger port people have their best sellers at the back, with low selling images at the front, while it is reverse for people with smaller ports / bronze etc. (like I said though I haven't gone into it heavily - just impressions)

It's always the case that for the most part, keen newbies will see a lot of BMEs at the beginning, as they can grow their ports so much faster (percentage-wise), and because for example, 20 dls in a month is statistically much better than 16 dls last month. A couple of the "BME!!!" cheerers have a total ul/dl ratio of c1:1, so it's all relative.

ShadySue · « **Reply #29 on:** June 02, 2011, 04:41 »

Quote from: Phil on June 02, 2011, 04:24

a 'fair' system would be that everyone earns the same amount. a fixed percentage.
why should I earn more or less on image than anyone

I'm sure you know the counter-arguments: to keep people motivated and uploading to try to get to a higher percentage.
Also, if they want exclusivity, they need to pay for it - I'm sure if their bean-counters decided that exclusivity wasn't sustainable, they'd dump the programme in a micro-moment. (This applies even if the shift was to exclusive images only, though that's less of a straightjacket).
Personally, I think there should be a %age bonus for best-selling files: they can already attach coloured flames to such images, it would be dead easy (for programmers who could easily slash commission rates right on time) to have commission increases attached to the flames.

aeonf · « **Reply #30 on:** June 02, 2011, 04:48 »

Quote from: Phil on June 02, 2011, 04:24

a 'fair' system would be that everyone earns the same amount. a fixed percentage.

why should I earn more or less on image than anyone

In communist cuba maybe. In my book a fair system means: The better you are and the harder you work, the more you make! (absolute and in percentage).

dhanford · « **Reply #31 on:** June 02, 2011, 07:40 »

Quote from: aeonf on June 02, 2011, 03:14

I have a question for all of you who think the new system is bad:
Lets say all of the RC targets where now slashed in half. so for example to hit the 40% mark you would need 60K credits instead of 120K, 5.25K for 30% etc' etc'
and for the sake of the arguement all non-exclusives had a fixed 20% income, or a ladder of 20%-25% instead of 15%-20%.
Would you STILL think the new system is not fair and/or bad ?

Well, it appears we are both "Silver" contributors but I'm an illustrator. Your RC target for 2010 was 12,500. Mine was 20,000. Illustrations have a set prices, mine are mostly 15 credits. Typically, I'm asking for a bigger sale and by doing this, I earn more for IStock. I guess you should be happy with the system, you're already living the dream.

disorderly · « **Reply #32 on:** June 02, 2011, 08:13 »

Yes, the new system is bad. First, it reduced royalty rates for every independent; what was once the baseline rate is now achievable only by a small handful (if anyone at all). That's a rate cut, in my own case 20% this year and, I suspect, another 5% next year to the lowest rate. And second, it's a zero sum game; for every supplier who does better, it means others do worse. iStock sets the RC numbers to have percentage quotas at each tier, so for one person to go up, another has to drop back. It puts us all into competition, and even worse, we're in competition to get paid at a rate that was standard not that long ago. It's a David Mamet play, if Mamet were to write about microstock.

Slovenian · « **Reply #33 on:** June 02, 2011, 08:15 »

Quote from: Phil on June 02, 2011, 04:28

Quote from: Slovenian on June 02, 2011, 03:59
I think it'll be just the same in the future, the vast majority of people earning highest commissions will be top dawgz, just because best match favours old (also crappy or even mostly crappy according to the reports) files. So you'll have to wait at least 5 years or so to enjoy 40+% if this won't change;)

so the images that sell well are the crap ones???

So I read on IS forums in the best match change thread or stats threads. That they're mostly selling old files, hardly any new ones (SjLocke among them in the May thread). They mentioned this often in the best match thread, that they're selling photos that didn't sell for years or even have never been sold and they never expected them to sell. So it looks like you can still sell the same ol' crap you could back in the days and have no chance of selling if you upload them now. They'd probably get rejected anyway in the first place.

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #34 on:** June 02, 2011, 08:46 »

Quote from: Slovenian on June 02, 2011, 08:15

Quote from: Phil on June 02, 2011, 04:28
Quote from: Slovenian on June 02, 2011, 03:59
I think it'll be just the same in the future, the vast majority of people earning highest commissions will be top dawgz, just because best match favours old (also crappy or even mostly crappy according to the reports) files. So you'll have to wait at least 5 years or so to enjoy 40+% if this won't change;)

so the images that sell well are the crap ones???

So I read on IS forums in the best match change thread or stats threads. That they're mostly selling old files, hardly any new ones (SjLocke among them in the May thread). They mentioned this often in the best match thread, that they're selling photos that didn't sell for years or even have never been sold and they never expected them to sell. So it looks like you can still sell the same ol' crap you could back in the days and have no chance of selling if you upload them now. They'd probably get rejected anyway in the first place.

That seems to be a bizarre side effect of the ridiculously skewed best match search. It's not that old files are selling well (at least, not in my case) it's that they are selling from time to time - presumably as people do their best to avoid V/A. In many cases they are perfectly good files that just got buried under the deluge.

SNP · « **Reply #35 on:** June 02, 2011, 09:22 »

^ I think you're right. my sales are older to old files the past week. barely any new sales and at 60% of my usual dl number. if this stays the new best match, I'm at a huge loss despite all the investments I've made in new equipment/travel etc., over the last year to shoot for iStock/Getty. so I'm really hoping this is not a static thing.

Slovenian · « **Reply #36 on:** June 02, 2011, 09:26 »

^^If that's the case, then there's no point in uploading if you're just a year or even less at IS...My DLs are constant during the last 3 months (they should be rising, since I'm new and upload tens of files every month).

SNP · « **Reply #37 on:** June 02, 2011, 16:06 »

Quote from: Slovenian on June 02, 2011, 09:26

^^If that's the case, then there's no point in uploading if you're just a year or even less at IS...My DLs are constant during the last 3 months (they should be rising, since I'm new and upload tens of files every month).

I don't think that's true. besides, it is just one week's worth of sales. as bad as it has been, it was a US holiday weekend, it's beginning of summer, there were apparently a couple of best match tweaks and ebb and flow....so I'm going to take the advice I often give friends and not worry over a few bad days--as hard as that is.

Slovenian · « **Reply #38 on:** June 02, 2011, 16:20 »

Quote from: SNP on June 02, 2011, 16:06

Quote from: Slovenian on June 02, 2011, 09:26
^^If that's the case, then there's no point in uploading if you're just a year or even less at IS...My DLs are constant during the last 3 months (they should be rising, since I'm new and upload tens of files every month).

I don't think that's true. besides, it is just one week's worth of sales. as bad as it has been, it was a US holiday weekend, it's beginning of summer, there were apparently a couple of best match tweaks and ebb and flow....so I'm going to take the advice I often give friends and not worry over a few bad days--as hard as that is.

Yes, but I am on of those that started a year ago and should be having BMEs constantly. I contribute to SS as well (only to those 2 agencies) and I had 3 consecutive BMEs, the last month and the one before that was better then the last in every single aspects: subs, ODs and ELs. Of course the total was also a lot higher than the previous month.

Al those "excuses" that you wrote should be affecting SS sales as well. But guess what, it didn't;). That's just the reality of it. Like the reports from indies earning more and more on SS compared to IS, polls are showing the same trend;)

cthoman · « **Reply #39 on:** June 02, 2011, 16:22 »

Quote from: aeonf on June 02, 2011, 03:14

I have a question for all of you who think the new system is bad:
Lets say all of the RC targets where now slashed in half. so for example to hit the 40% mark you would need 60K credits instead of 120K, 5.25K for 30% etc' etc'
and for the sake of the arguement all non-exclusives had a fixed 20% income, or a ladder of 20%-25% instead of 15%-20%.
Would you STILL think the new system is not fair and/or bad ?

And JS: Great so you found 2 top dogs which are not old-timers, how does that make my statment not true ?!?
"Quite silly realy, most if not all of the top dogs are old timers! I don't"

Fine, so I take the "all" back. Still, the VAST majority of MS head-honchos are old-timers.

Interesting postulation. I would have been happy if they announced 20-25% to begin with. Now that the box of discontent is open though, 20-25% wouldn't be a great offer. I'd like to see a flat 30% for independents would be a good start (50% would be ideal). I don't really see how that isn't possible. If you want to attract the best talent, then you need to pay like it. A poor royalty rate with falling sales doesn't seem like a recipe for growth.

Slovenian · « **Reply #40 on:** June 02, 2011, 17:57 »

Quote from: aeonf on June 01, 2011, 14:39

The 3rd problem is motivation.

Yuri Arcurs
Monkeybusinessimages
Adresr
Lisafx
Need I go on?

(all black diamonds, that made it there on flat 20% royalties)

PeterChigmaroff · « **Reply #41 on:** June 02, 2011, 18:01 »

Quote from: aeonf on June 02, 2011, 03:14

I have a question for all of you who think the new system is bad:
Lets say all of the RC targets where now slashed in half. so for example to hit the 40% mark you would need 60K credits instead of 120K, 5.25K for 30% etc' etc'
and for the sake of the arguement all non-exclusives had a fixed 20% income, or a ladder of 20%-25% instead of 15%-20%.

The money is easily there to pay 40% to everyone and higher to others.

Slovenian · « **Reply #42 on:** June 02, 2011, 18:06 »

Quote from: Zeus on June 02, 2011, 18:01

Quote from: aeonf on June 02, 2011, 03:14
I have a question for all of you who think the new system is bad:
Lets say all of the RC targets where now slashed in half. so for example to hit the 40% mark you would need 60K credits instead of 120K, 5.25K for 30% etc' etc'
and for the sake of the arguement all non-exclusives had a fixed 20% income, or a ladder of 20%-25% instead of 15%-20%.

The money is easily there to pay 40% to everyone and higher to others.

Flat 50% to everyone, exclusives get to keep their perks (A/C,e+, higher UL limits, faster inspections, better search placement...). Or at least 40% to indies, 60% to exclusives for non A/C files (for those they could get the standard 40%)

Beach Bum · « **Reply #43 on:** June 02, 2011, 19:00 »

Quote from: aeonf on June 02, 2011, 03:14

I have a question for all of you who think the new system is bad:
Lets say all of the RC targets where now slashed in half. so for example to hit the 40% mark you would need 60K credits instead of 120K, 5.25K for 30% etc' etc'
and for the sake of the arguement all non-exclusives had a fixed 20% income, or a ladder of 20%-25% instead of 15%-20%.
Would you STILL think the new system is not fair and/or bad ?

And JS: Great so you found 2 top dogs which are not old-timers, how does that make my statment not true ?!?
"Quite silly realy, most if not all of the top dogs are old timers! I don't"

Fine, so I take the "all" back. Still, the VAST majority of MS head-honchos are old-timers.

I've never had a problem with the system itself. It's the unachievable targets that are the problem.

Slovenian · « **Reply #44 on:** June 03, 2011, 02:35 »

Quote from: Slovenian on June 01, 2011, 10:04

Probably everybody who's reading this now knows everything about the 2 delays, so I'll just focus on my observations, thoughts and conclusions as to why they chose this date:

1. They introduced P+ in May, so they could make indies happy, boosting their earnings and have a reason to set the bar even higher and make independents believe that P+ will help then reach their goals. I doubt P+ sales from the first weeks will continue indefinitely, so this is a great maneuver by IS. They're going to face less resistance by blinding some of the in dependants, manipulating them with this strategy.

2. The 27.5. best match change. They stopped favouring contributors with heavy AC/V ports. They prepared most of us for the announcement bringing bad news with a bit of good news in the last week. People tend to forget some of the bad things from the past if they get good news, especially multiple good news.

3. They waited for contributors to start the May stats thread, which they knew that it's going to be relatively more positive (at least a lot more than the April thread), because of the measures they took and were mentioned above.

What do you think? They're not that bad at psychology, right? Yes, they angered a lot of people last September, but it was well worth it for them and also calculated to still bring (big) profits at least in short term.

I forgot about this, the most obvious one:
4. Sale that's been on for the last 10 days and will be until the 7th.

Tic, tac, anybody anxious yet? It's almost 10 o' clock in Slovenia, so it's already Friday Calgary time as well. Just a matter of hours now, although I bet they're gonna wait 'till the last minute

ShadySue · « **Reply #45 on:** June 03, 2011, 05:19 »

One interesting/concerning figure I've noticed is that when I do my daily DeepMeta statistics 'fetch', I seem to be getting only about 1/3 of files 'viewed' in the past couple of weeks as I was getting for a couple of years previously. It's difficult to interpret that, of course, as there's no way of knowing how many times each file was viewed, and of course there's no way of knowing how many of the 'viewers' were potential buyers.

franckreporter · « **Reply #46 on:** June 03, 2011, 07:30 »

I hope that with this morning in Canada will be publicate the new rc target....i'm at the end of my patience...maybe because today (europe morning) seem like a saturday or sunday for my sales !

very very sad...

ShadySue · « **Reply #47 on:** June 03, 2011, 07:45 »

Quote from: franckreporter on June 03, 2011, 07:30

I hope that with this morning in Canada will be publicate the new rc target....i'm at the end of my patience...maybe because today (europe morning) seem like a saturday or sunday for my sales !

very very sad...

what is going on. I only had 2 sales yesterday and none for the past 30+ hours. Is today a holiday in the rest of Europe?

Black Sheep · « **Reply #48 on:** June 03, 2011, 07:52 »

Quote from: aeonf on June 02, 2011, 03:14

I have a question for all of you who think the new system is bad:
Lets say all of the RC targets where now slashed in half. so for example to hit the 40% mark you would need 60K credits instead of 120K, 5.25K for 30% etc' etc'
and for the sake of the arguement all non-exclusives had a fixed 20% income, or a ladder of 20%-25% instead of 15%-20%.
Would you STILL think the new system is not fair and/or bad ?

And JS: Great so you found 2 top dogs which are not old-timers, how does that make my statment not true ?!?
"Quite silly realy, most if not all of the top dogs are old timers! I don't"

Fine, so I take the "all" back. Still, the VAST majority of MS head-honchos are old-timers.

people will keep complaining but getty is holding them by the balls and in one way or another they will have to accept
the new pricing scheme and even the next ones iStock has in store, or do you think they aren't already studying new evil
ways to further screw their contributors ?

it's a business, and their executive are paid to make profits grow, not stagnate.
they already raised the prices, launched new midstock collections, and made sure they pay
the lowest royalties in the industry, so what's next ? i'm scared.

franckreporter · « **Reply #49 on:** June 03, 2011, 07:55 »

Yesterday was a national holiday in Italy .... but in the rest of Europe is not is a holiday today ....

I think many in States have long holiday weekend these days ... but we'll see ... however last year wasn't a so bad start of month !

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Author Topic: Friday's RC target announcement and iStock's strategy behind it (Read 63381 times)

Slovenian

Phil

Phil

ShadySue

ShadySue

aeonf

dhanford

disorderly

Slovenian

BaldricksTrousers

SNP

Slovenian

SNP

Slovenian

cthoman

Slovenian

PeterChigmaroff

Slovenian

Beach Bum

Slovenian

ShadySue

franckreporter

ShadySue

Black Sheep

franckreporter

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