MicrostockGroup

Hey Laurin...since we're friends, I thought I'd post my reply here from the blog as well.

Hey Laurin, thanks for the comments.

You're in good company- LuckyOliver also believes in our artists.  It's our goal to bridge the gap between Carnies and Olivers- and I hope this shows.  We're determined to create a great experience that will produce revenue for many people.  Some people are already benefiting from LuckyOliver.  It's my hope we can pull others into the mix.

We're not really focused on what other sites are doing...we're still not done with our development and have a lot more to roll out for our Olivers and Carnies.  Creating a scalable site requires a baseline functionality- we're still not there yet.

1. I mentioned ealier in this post that we're still trying to understand the metrics.  We'd prefer to be conservative.  As for interest on your money?  I'm guessing the t-shirt (given at 100 downloads) is more than the interest earned right now. We're also covering the the transaction fee which starts to add up over time. We'll look at our program in the middle of the year.

2. Carnies can convert royalties to tokens as soon as you reach ten dollars! Many Carnies need those tokens on LuckyOliver.

We feel good about the progress we've made on the site.  As we roll out new features I think you'll find that there is more and more for everyone.

Thanks for all your hard work!

You only payout 30%.  You have also accepted that you need to build a business and therefore it will cost you at the start.

It should be costing you, not us.  Give us an incentive to stay with you.

CJ (your post got in-between my last post)- so I'll give you guys the last word after this

I've posted this before:

Guys, I thought I would chime in to provide the right type of information.

LuckyOliver stills offers 60% commission to exclusive images. Extended License and Buyouts are both 50%. Our average royalty is 35%. We'll continue to offer variable percentages based on need (our last drive was 60% for noise images). We'll continue to look at our royalty payout as variable, not a fixed number- this is different than most sites. For comparison, Getty gives an average of 15%-17% for royalty free images.

In some ways the percentage doesn't make much sense. Sometimes to create a sale we spend a ton of money for that download. An example: If we do a drive in which we pay for a referral and marketing costs, your cut of a large image could be anywhere between $1.20 and $2.40. Our cut might be -$1.00. This might be balanced out by earning on another drive, but the equation doesn't always work out.

Another example: If you get a download from a subscription site, you get $.25, and if the customer only downloads one image, your cut is far less than 1%. Direct comparison with percentage isn't feasible. In reality a percentage comparison doesn't really make sense- average dollars earned per photo is a better metric- you can then weight it by either future potential earnings or immediate volume. It will give you a sense of earning potential.

We give substantial discounts to Olivers that buy tokens in bulk. So really the percentage given to Carnies is really not accurate (it's higher). For some Olivers the value of a token is much lower ($.83)...but we still consider our payout royalty on the assumption that your getting $1 for a token. This benefits artists. We might clarify this on our payout chart.

We're still growing. It's going to take some time guys, but we're actively working on creating opportunity everyday. Some people have already had some early success on our site, but the vast majority of Carnies are going to have to hang in there as our volume of traffic increases. You guys have been superstars so far and we appreciate all your efforts.

Feel free to email me if you ever have questions!

The $50 payout sends a message to contributors that the site is making concessions in lieu of site volume. If Bigstock, Canstock, StockXpert can do it then it almost seems that Lucky Oliver is pushing a losing argument, which will drive out contributor goodwill.

I saw a full page ad in Photoshop magazine yesterday...........it blew me away that it was Bigstock, no wonder I'm seeing good sales there. I have not seen a full page or double page ad for Lucky O...........just a trade show with ducks!!

Brian, you know you will have to do the $50 payout, doing it now gets you goodwill, do it in some months time will not.

Well I said my peace already regarding the $100 payout.
Permit me now to comment on the attitude I have towards LO with regards to that which I have for other sites I contribute to.

LO is a well organized site.
It's ascetically pleasing to look at.
The reviewers are cheerful and kind. They  express a human approach in their comments to contributors.

Volume is low.
They rank very low in search engines.
I subscribe to several trade magazines, and NEVER see them advertise.
They have no forums. Users have no way of communicating. We have to do it on 3rd party forums such as here.
Communications between management and contributors is done "Off Site" like bryan_luckyoliver is doing in this thread.
There lack in a sense of "cummunity". I feel as though I'm the only one in the whole world uploading to LO. Where is everyone?

Motivation! What is motivating users to upload more images?
I want LO to succeed. I think it has potential.
 

you can communicate with others on LO thru the blog postings and the LO staff (in my opinion) is certainly communicating much more than most of the other sites do thru the blog.

LO has stated several times that features like forums are coming and they are a high priority.

and bryan has often stated in the blogs that they're going thru a different route to get customers to start - not doing the traditional advertising. Read the blogs for more info.

"What is good about LO is they are trying to do things differently."

A concern of mine is what? What THINGS are they doing differently? Second question I would like to attempt is: ...and is it working?
I only ask that second question because you stated the are "trying" as opposed to doing. I mean I'm very curious. After all I do have an investment with them.

You're right....I'll have to go through the blog now to catch up. Thanks for the suggestion.

Void, dude, .... harsh...      but I can dig where you're coming from.  With my meager 13 sales (& 12,400 plus views of a 200+ 'folio)... I won't be seeing a payout at this pace for a loooooooooooong time to come.
    However, I'm not going anywhere yet.  I'm not bailing, I'm sticking in there. I still think they've got the right idea and the potential for something different.  And different in a positive way. I know first-hand it is a major pain in the butt getting a new business off the ground. You usually lose your shirt... pants and just about everything else before you start racking up profits. It's going to take time.
      I would like to see a lower payout. I'd feel better about that. I don't mind a $100 point when I'm selling by the dozens like SS. 
      Are there places that ought to be bailed out of?  You bet, and I'm in the process with a couple (USPS is first).  Just ain't worth the aggravation.  But I don't think LO is one of them.
      On the other hand...I could be wrong... I remember telling my wife, I'm sticking with USPS, I think they'll take off.   LOL
      But I'm not ready to give up on Bryan and the folks at LO. No, I'm not on the payroll...  LOL,  however, I did ask for a job when he opens the east coast office.
   peace.....    -tom

p.s.  I would be interested in some of those LO beer coasters! They'd look good sitting under a frosty Heineken. Now, there's a cool item!!  Think I'll go get one now....  LOL
     

Sorry to hear of your loss dude.

I'm in the opposite boat. I'm as happy as a clam with LO - call me crazy.

I think one difference between you and me is that I've talked to bryan on the phone. His energy is motivating.

What other micro can you just call up and talk to the CEO? What other micro posts so frequently on the blog? And I don't believe that the blog is "under complete control" - the only time i've ever seen posts removed was when they were way out of bounds and anyone would have removed them. Oh, and LO's forums won't just be canned forums that you can just download and install on a website.

LO is not like every other stock photo site. It is very different and plans to stay that way.

Again, i'm sorry to hear that you're disappointed in LO and i encourage you to keep an open eye... but if not, i still wish you the best of success!

Mitch

What's all this crap about carnies and olivers, i don't get it, nor do I see why I would ever want tokens. It's gimicks like this that put me off new sites, plus I was burned by Totally Photos who folded and took 50 odd dollars of my cash and ran, that's why I will not piss around with startups they ain't going anywhere the market is already pretty saturated with good sites, i don't see why buyers need to try itty bitty sites when they lack content.

Personally, I'm sticking with LO.

They really are doing things differently. I'm sure Bryon knows he has an uphill battle and hence the guerrilla marketing tactics(suggestion to Bryan, I wouldn't try Cartoon Networks strategy though ). None of the other smaller sites are taking this approach and it's probably the way they have a chance of surviving. End the end though, they will eventually have to deliver the goods.

Also, a 50$ payout would also be nice, not that I'm close.

I've have been a proponent of LO since last July. I had just had my images and money stolen from totally photos and wasn't going to jump on board without some research. After doing that research, I decided Bryan was a smart guy and a good business person and I would back his play.

I have also said to Bryan in these forums since the beginning that the 'just wait and see' attitude was only going to keep people interested for so long. I think we are reaching the end of that rope. I still believe in the site and still upload there and will continue a while longer. But, we need to see something soon besides hype and promises. I have a bunch of tokens, but don't see the ability to use them for anything. I haven't had a download since Feb. 27 no matter how many great days LO has had.

To be honest, I would rather the $50 v $100 payout be a moot point.  If, like Canstock, I'm always harping about a lower payout, then it's time to bail. If the sales are happening, it shouldn't matter what the payout is. But right now, the sales aren't happening. When I see people like the Prof and Laurin asking for lower payouts, then I know I'm in the deep end of the pool.

Bryan, I'm sure your business plan has you losing money from some number of months, if not years. Mine doesn't. I've invested the same amount of time in LO as the other sites and right now my ROI from LO is dead last.

Show us something.  Anything