Microstock has reached a plateau...

donding

« Reply #100 on: August 10, 2010, 11:07 »

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As many get rich quick with microstock sites out there, this will always recruit new photographers. I know when I got into stock photography in 2006, I knew I wasn't going to be making a living at it. I don't fall for those get quick rich schemes. I do remember when I got the second rejection from Shutterstock I told myself it would be an insult to sell my shots for .25 and wondered why I was even bothering to try to get in there. I waited quite awhile and always saw the ads for Shutterstock and really wasn't planning to do it, but I tried one more time...got through...and glad I did because I make more money on there than any of the other Big 4.

Now for the newbies just now trying to get in I think the quality of the shots have been put at a very high level and a lot of those newbies give up. As for the ones who are already there, they are getting discouraged because of the slump in sales and have slacked off on there uploads. I know I have and many of you here have also. I think with the expected increase in quality, approvals have slowed down which may be why the increase in the iStock upload limit. So maybe once this is back to normal only the tough will stay and reap the benefits. We'll just have to wait and see.


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lisafx

Premium Member

« Reply #101 on: August 10, 2010, 12:27 »

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Quote from: ellenboughn on August 10, 2010, 09:06

Sorry to disappoint but if there was some new 'free' model being discussed behind closed doors and under an NDA in Dublin...the people involved didn't invite me! But since I'm a busy body, I probably would have heard about it and I didn't. So not to worry. Most of the talk was about how to raise prices, not free.

Very good to hear! Thanks for clearing that up, Ellen. With your industry knowledge, your word carries a lot of weight - even when they aren't really your words! Wink


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rubyroo

« Reply #102 on: August 10, 2010, 12:39 »

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Yes! Thanks Ellen - I've been worrying about that ever since I first read it. It was starting to feel as though all but a reserved elite were going to be shoved out of the picture. So glad to hear that's not the case.


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gbalex

« Reply #103 on: September 12, 2010, 19:20 »

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Quote from: FD-regular on July 12, 2010, 13:41

Quote from: PowerDroid on July 12, 2010, 06:32

For the forseeable future, until another business model emerges that makes sense to contributors (free? that's an argument for another thread) microstock will prosper, and will become much larger than it is today.

Bingo. Ellen Boughn had some slips of the tongue a while ago, and also Arcurs. There is something being cooked, and one of the most prominent artists here made a slip of the tongue too. All those people were in Dublin and they apparently conspired there about that new "free" business model. It seems to be covered by an NDA, but we will know soon enough, I've been told in private.

http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/yuri-admits-his-losing-money-!/msg138005/#msg138005

Quote from: ellenboughn on March 05, 2010, 12:27

I have one word for all those worried about competition, people writing books to encourage others to enter the business and other somewhat irrational fears that the marketplace will decide that microstock will cease to make money. If you really want to have something to worry about, consider the following. It isn't smart business people like Yuri or newbies or more amateurs or more pros entering microstock it's: Flickr

PS "Free" actually will have excellent financial rewards to market leaders in the future and it won't have anything to do with selling ancillary products or links. I predict that it will drive all models from RM to micro. I'm not prepared to reveal what that might be as it is in its infancy and not worth getting all riled up about. And NO I won't be making money because of it or promoting it or anything.


« Last Edit: September 12, 2010, 19:23 by gbalex »	Ignore \| Logged

RacePhoto

« Reply #104 on: September 13, 2010, 13:11 »

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I must have been a cat in a past life, because you have me completely confused now.

If there was a meeting in Dublin discussing "free" images, with a NDA but it really wasn't about "free" images, so don't worry. It was about raising prices.

So this whole scary thread about free images is about something that never existed? Cheesy