Author Topic: New Subscription Plans (paying Custom rates while testing) (Read 16837 times)

tickstock · « **on:** October 01, 2015, 08:40 »

5 Images     $29/month
10 Images   $49/month
25 Images   $79/month

Do they pay sub royalties for these plans?

tickstock · « **Reply #1 on:** October 01, 2015, 16:10 »

So does anyone know if these are paid out as subs or as custom images or as on demand? At subs level that would be as little as a 4% royalty, they would be paying as little as $1.25 for the $29 plan.

noodle · « **Reply #2 on:** October 01, 2015, 16:15 »

I think those would fall under OnDemand and be paid accordingly

tickstock · « **Reply #3 on:** October 01, 2015, 16:18 »

Quote from: noodle on October 01, 2015, 16:15

I think those would fall under OnDemand and be paid accordingly

They are listed under the monthly subscriptions header that's one reason I'm guessing they are being paid as subs. They are also called Basic as opposed to Professional 750 image subscription plans.

Symbiostock Official · « **Reply #4 on:** October 01, 2015, 18:04 »

More proof that independents are going to have to price competitively - this makes on demand purchases $6 an image.

tickstock · « **Reply #5 on:** October 02, 2015, 08:47 »

Quote from: Robin@Symbiostock on October 01, 2015, 18:04

More proof that independents are going to have to price competitively - this makes on demand purchases $6 an image.

The plans Shutterstock introduced are "subs" although because of the pricing it probably will cut into OD sales.

Mantis · « **Reply #6 on:** October 02, 2015, 15:20 »

I would be extremely dissappointed if SS stole from the playbook of Deposit Photos, but not surprised. Now that SS is a publically traded company i more and more expect these kinds of tactics. Hope it isn't the case.

tickstock · « **Reply #7 on:** October 02, 2015, 15:23 »

Quote from: Mantis on October 02, 2015, 15:20

I would be extremely dissappointed if SS stole from the playbook of Deposit Photos, but not surprised. Now that SS is a publically traded company i more and more expect these kinds of tactics. Hope it isn't the case.

Hard to see how it is any other way, the earnings schedule doesn't seem to allow for another interpretation. Have they made any announcement or had any discussion on the forums about it?

noodle · « **Reply #8 on:** October 02, 2015, 16:16 »

I have an idea -
Go buy one of those packages, download a couple of images from me and Ill let tou know my com
That way we can all sleep better

stockastic · « **Reply #9 on:** October 02, 2015, 16:21 »

I've been telling myself that the next time SS announces any sort of royalty reduction, I'll close my account and be done with them. In a strange way, I've been looking forward to this. But I now see that the problem is actually knowing if and when they do that. Especially with the subcription model, we have no way of knowing what a buyer actually paid for anything, hence no way to know if our commission has been cut, either in absolute terms or as a percentage of an actual sale price. It's just the latest version of the old story about the frog being boiled in water, but very slowly so he never realizes it's time to jump out.

Cesar · « **Reply #10 on:** October 02, 2015, 16:52 »

we are not sure, can someone ask SS how much we are paid, because if we get 4%, we can close our jobs, this industry is working only because of 2.85$, if the drop 50% this is disaster for me.

stockastic · « **Reply #11 on:** October 02, 2015, 17:17 »

Quote from: Cesar on October 02, 2015, 16:52

we are not sure, can someone ask SS how much we are paid, because if we get 4%, we can close our jobs, this industry is working only because of 2.85$, if the drop 50% this is disaster for me.

SS would never answer that question in a direct, honest way. You would only get some vague, ambiguous corporate-speak that managed to avoid the hard numbers.

Mantis · « **Reply #12 on:** October 02, 2015, 17:49 »

Quote from: tickstock on October 02, 2015, 15:23

Quote from: Mantis on October 02, 2015, 15:20
I would be extremely dissappointed if SS stole from the playbook of Deposit Photos, but not surprised. Now that SS is a publically traded company i more and more expect these kinds of tactics. Hope it isn't the case.
Hard to see how it is any other way, the earnings schedule doesn't seem to allow for another interpretation. Have they made any announcement or had any discussion on the forums about it?

Based on how their page is set up I'd have to agree with you. Below that plan they have a similar OD pack but priced higher.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #13 on:** October 02, 2015, 23:01 »

Quote from: Cesar on October 02, 2015, 16:52

we are not sure, can someone ask SS how much we are paid, because if we get 4%, we can close our jobs, this industry is working only because of 2.85$, if the drop 50% this is disaster for me.

I wrote to support earlier today to ask just that question.

When I get an answer I'll post it here.

I also suggested that they should put things like this (new products and clarifying contributor royalties on those products) into the contributor blog

tickstock · « **Reply #14 on:** October 02, 2015, 23:06 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 02, 2015, 23:01

Quote from: Cesar on October 02, 2015, 16:52
we are not sure, can someone ask SS how much we are paid, because if we get 4%, we can close our jobs, this industry is working only because of 2.85$, if the drop 50% this is disaster for me.

I wrote to support earlier today to ask just that question.

When I get an answer I'll post it here.

I also suggested that they should put things like this (new products and clarifying contributor royalties on those products) into the contributor blog

Hopefully they decide to pay more than the subs royalty. Thanks for asking.

Nikovsk · « **Reply #15 on:** October 03, 2015, 02:55 »

Since I'm getting some days with 50 subs and only 1 ODD, I don't doubt it...

Cesar · « **Reply #16 on:** October 03, 2015, 05:30 »

Thank you.

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 02, 2015, 23:01

I wrote to support earlier today to ask just that question.

When I get an answer I'll post it here.

I also suggested that they should put things like this (new products and clarifying contributor royalties on those products) into the contributor blog

Mantis · « **Reply #17 on:** October 03, 2015, 07:58 »

Quote from: Nikovsk on October 03, 2015, 02:55

Since I'm getting some days with 50 subs and only 1 ODD, I don't doubt it...

Right. My OD's have been severely low, some mid week days going without any.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 03, 2015, 08:30 »

My ODD's have been pretty normal, with some $1.24 ODD's mixed in—which would line up with the "5 Images $29/month" price—but who knows? Hopefully they'll get back to Jo Ann.

YadaYadaYada · « **Reply #19 on:** October 03, 2015, 21:24 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 02, 2015, 23:01

Quote from: Cesar on October 02, 2015, 16:52
we are not sure, can someone ask SS how much we are paid, because if we get 4%, we can close our jobs, this industry is working only because of 2.85$, if the drop 50% this is disaster for me.

I wrote to support earlier today to ask just that question.

When I get an answer I'll post it here.

I also suggested that they should put things like this (new products and clarifying contributor royalties on those products) into the contributor blog

True Jo Ann that's the responsible way to approach this, not guessing and accusing with no facts. I hope they do answer you and they start to explain the terms for us, along with when the new programs are introduced, not making us wonder. Good public relations keeps us in the know.

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #20 on:** October 05, 2015, 03:03 »

Dont get your hopes up, all communications have deteriorated over the past year. When asking for clarification on a rejection you now get a canned response. Shutter is doing everything to reduce any interaction with contribs. Prepare for the worst

Cesar · « **Reply #21 on:** October 05, 2015, 13:05 »

still no answer?

Cesar · « **Reply #22 on:** October 05, 2015, 13:58 »

is there a job in western civilization you dont have any information, how much you are paid, this is ridiculous, i spent every day four hours and my employee doesnt spend 30 seconds to tell me how much will i earn.

disaster, and this company is on NYSE, omg. i feel like a slave....

panicAttack · « **Reply #23 on:** October 05, 2015, 14:11 »

I'm from Europe and i can't see those new pricing

edit: on basic tab i can see regular on demand pricing:

5 images 49 $, 25 images 229 $

ShadySue · « **Reply #24 on:** October 05, 2015, 18:26 »

Quote from: panicAttack on October 05, 2015, 14:11

I'm from Europe and i can't see those new pricing
edit: on basic tab i can see regular on demand pricing:
5 images 49 $, 25 images 229 $

That's all I can see in the UK.
Seems like SS is doing its testing with the opposite set of buyers to iS's monthly 10-sub packages.

etudiante_rapide · « **Reply #25 on:** October 05, 2015, 18:58 »

i think the keyword here is "breath"... as in don't hold your breath.
as stockastic, microstockphot,etc mentioned, after going public... the only thing that is certain , other than death, is that the shareholders will want more money for themselves and less money for us..

and yes, the only viable solution, other than Oringer buying back all the shares and declaring ss non-public, is for us to go indie .
there is really no way we can trust anyone anymore... after istock and ss...
as the rest is just not worth backing.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #26 on:** October 05, 2015, 23:33 »

Quote from: Cesar on October 05, 2015, 13:05

still no answer?

No.

I thought I was getting an answer earlier today but it was from someone in their "Contributor Success" department asking me "at my earliest convenience" to tell them exactly where a particular image was taken (a customer wanted to know).

I was tempted to tell them that when it was convenient for them to answer my query from last week I'd be happy to answer, but no reason to ruin this woman's day for something another department did/didn't do

I will post when I get an answer, and if I haven't heard in a week, I'll contact them again.

tickstock · « **Reply #27 on:** October 06, 2015, 09:15 »

Has it been brought up in the SS forum and do they answer questions there?

weymouth · « **Reply #28 on:** October 06, 2015, 09:24 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 05, 2015, 23:33

Quote from: Cesar on October 05, 2015, 13:05
still no answer?

No.

I thought I was getting an answer earlier today but it was from someone in their "Contributor Success" department asking me "at my earliest convenience" to tell them exactly where a particular image was taken (a customer wanted to know).

I was tempted to tell them that when it was convenient for them to answer my query from last week I'd be happy to answer, but no reason to ruin this woman's day for something another department did/didn't do

I will post when I get an answer, and if I haven't heard in a week, I'll contact them again.

" customer wants to know where an image was taken" ?? I have had four of these mails. What is it all about, is this some kind of " fishing for info" thingy. I'm getting suspicious, one of the images were taken in the middle of nowhere so why would it matter where it was shot?

tickstock · « **Reply #29 on:** October 06, 2015, 09:27 »

Quote from: weymouth on October 06, 2015, 09:24

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 05, 2015, 23:33
Quote from: Cesar on October 05, 2015, 13:05
still no answer?

No.

I thought I was getting an answer earlier today but it was from someone in their "Contributor Success" department asking me "at my earliest convenience" to tell them exactly where a particular image was taken (a customer wanted to know).

I was tempted to tell them that when it was convenient for them to answer my query from last week I'd be happy to answer, but no reason to ruin this woman's day for something another department did/didn't do

I will post when I get an answer, and if I haven't heard in a week, I'll contact them again.

" customer wants to know where an image was taken" ?? I have had four of these mails. What is it all about, is this some kind of " fishing for info" thingy. I'm getting suspicious, one of the images were taken in the middle of nowhere so why would it matter where it was shot?

Makes you wonder if the final response will even be about the correct subscription plan.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #30 on:** October 06, 2015, 10:36 »

Quote from: weymouth on October 06, 2015, 09:24

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 05, 2015, 23:33
Quote from: Cesar on October 05, 2015, 13:05
still no answer?

No.

I thought I was getting an answer earlier today but it was from someone in their "Contributor Success" department asking me "at my earliest convenience" to tell them exactly where a particular image was taken (a customer wanted to know).

I was tempted to tell them that when it was convenient for them to answer my query from last week I'd be happy to answer, but no reason to ruin this woman's day for something another department did/didn't do

I will post when I get an answer, and if I haven't heard in a week, I'll contact them again.

" customer wants to know where an image was taken" ?? I have had four of these mails. What is it all about, is this some kind of " fishing for info" thingy. I'm getting suspicious, one of the images were taken in the middle of nowhere so why would it matter where it was shot?

Maybe they're setting up their own shoot and want to know your secrets.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #31 on:** October 06, 2015, 10:39 »

Quote from: weymouth on October 06, 2015, 09:24

" customer wants to know where an image was taken" ?? I have had four of these mails. What is it all about, is this some kind of " fishing for info" thingy. I'm getting suspicious, one of the images were taken in the middle of nowhere so why would it matter where it was shot?

Even for wilderness shots, a company looking for images of a particular state, or part of a state, could want to avoid embarrassment by ensuring the location was where they described. Ages ago I found one of my shots in use - it was of Victoria (BC) inner harbor and was being used for Pine City park somewhere in Minnesota. Not exactly truth in advertising

The shot was of my house, so I did point out that it was private property and not available for someone to come and look around...

Shelma1 · « **Reply #32 on:** October 06, 2015, 10:59 »

When it comes to shoot locations, there's very little truth in advertising. We shoot a lot in Toronto, L.A. and Brooklyn, and those locations stand in for everywhere. For the "U.S." winter shot at the end of my Clementines commercial, we shot at a house on Mallorca owned by a Canadian family and used filters to make the atmosphere seem "cold," in contrast to the warm, sunny Spanish shots we took the day before in the same location. and they don't grow Clementines on Mallorca, but that's where the best production facility within our budget was located.

I understand why someone might want to avoid embarassment, but every tv show, movie and commercial is most likely shot nowhere near the area they're trying to portray.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #33 on:** October 06, 2015, 11:04 »

I received a reply from SS.

We receive the percentage as for custom images for these subscription plans. As it's a test they didn't notify contributors, but they said they do put it in the blog if it becomes a new product.

dirkr · « **Reply #34 on:** October 06, 2015, 11:10 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 06, 2015, 11:04

I received a reply from SS.

We receive the percentage as for custom images for these subscription plans. As it's a test they didn't notify contributors, but they said they do put it in the blog if it becomes a new product.

That sounds a lot better than subscription royalties.

Thanks Jo Ann for following up with them.

tickstock · « **Reply #35 on:** October 06, 2015, 11:11 »

That is good news. I wonder how that works though since they wouldn't know if a buyer uses up the full amount of subs until after they reported it to you. Maybe a delayed reporting? And hopefully it stays that way when they are done testing.

leaf · « **Reply #36 on:** October 06, 2015, 14:10 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 06, 2015, 11:04

I received a reply from SS.

We receive the percentage as for custom images for these subscription plans. As it's a test they didn't notify contributors, but they said they do put it in the blog if it becomes a new product.

Thanks for checking it out Jo Ann

marthamarks · « **Reply #37 on:** October 06, 2015, 14:29 »

Quote from: leaf on October 06, 2015, 14:10

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 06, 2015, 11:04
I received a reply from SS.

We receive the percentage as for custom images for these subscription plans. As it's a test they didn't notify contributors, but they said they do put it in the blog if it becomes a new product.

Thanks for checking it out Jo Ann

Ditto here.

wordplanet · « **Reply #38 on:** October 06, 2015, 15:39 »

Thanks Jo Ann

stockastic · « **Reply #39 on:** October 06, 2015, 16:49 »

Sorry, but I'm not following. What does "custom" mean?

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #40 on:** October 06, 2015, 17:07 »

Quote from: stockastic on October 06, 2015, 16:49

Sorry, but I'm not following. What does "custom" mean?

The column in the royalty chart with that label:

http://submit.shutterstock.com/payouts

All the "Single & Other" downloads are paid at that rate, for example

Shelma1 · « **Reply #41 on:** October 06, 2015, 17:35 »

So, if I understand correctly, the new similarly-priced subs at iStock will pay me 7% or less, while those new subs on Shutterstock will pay me 30%?

ShadySue · « **Reply #42 on:** October 06, 2015, 17:44 »

Quote from: Shelma1 on October 06, 2015, 17:35

So, if I understand correctly, the new similarly-priced subs at iStock will pay me 7% or less, while those new subs on Shutterstock will pay me 30%?

Yup, more or less.

60D · « **Reply #43 on:** October 06, 2015, 18:08 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 06, 2015, 11:04

I received a reply from SS.

We receive the percentage as for custom images for these subscription plans. As it's a test they didn't notify contributors, but they said they do put it in the blog if it becomes a new product.

Probably that's why I got many $0.66 SODs. But it's not enough.

YadaYadaYada · « **Reply #44 on:** October 06, 2015, 19:12 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 06, 2015, 11:04

I received a reply from SS.

We receive the percentage as for custom images for these subscription plans. As it's a test they didn't notify contributors, but they said they do put it in the blog if it becomes a new product.

Another swing for the fence and a strike out. Can't be any other way the earnings schedule doesn't allow for it.

Quote from: tickstock on October 02, 2015, 15:23

Hard to see how it is any other way, the earnings schedule doesn't seem to allow for another interpretation. Have they made any announcement or had any discussion on the forums about it?

Thanks for getting accurate information Jo Ann.

noodle · « **Reply #45 on:** October 07, 2015, 06:10 »

+1 thanks JoAnn for clarifying that for us all

Now we can stop seeing this being brought up ad nauseum on every single thread mentioning SS

ShadySue · « **Reply #46 on:** October 07, 2015, 06:17 »

Quote from: noodle on October 07, 2015, 06:10

+1 thanks JoAnn for clarifying that for us all

Now we can stop seeing this being brought up ad nauseum on every single thread mentioning SS

And perhaps the OP could rail against the iS one month scheme, which is indisputable. 'As low as' 3%.

wordplanet · « **Reply #47 on:** October 07, 2015, 09:07 »

Even with my small port (~300 images) I'm seeing an uptick in ODDs the last couple of days - so fingers crossed it's working.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #48 on:** October 07, 2015, 09:44 »

I'm seeing more smaller ODD's as well. Fingers crossed for SS, a big GRRRRR for iS.

marthamarks · « **Reply #49 on:** October 07, 2015, 10:07 »

Quote from: Shelma1 on October 07, 2015, 09:44

I'm seeing more smaller ODD's as well.

Yep. Same here. Happy to know it's widespread. Hope it continues for all!

stockastic · « **Reply #50 on:** October 07, 2015, 13:01 »

It's 2015. People still doing microstock are comparing royalties in the single digits, and arguing about what is "fair".

It stopped making sense s-o-o-o-o long ago.

PixelBytes · « **Reply #51 on:** October 07, 2015, 13:52 »

Quote from: ShadySue on October 07, 2015, 06:17

Quote from: noodle on October 07, 2015, 06:10
+1 thanks JoAnn for clarifying that for us all

Now we can stop seeing this being brought up ad nauseum on every single thread mentioning SS

And perhaps the OP could rail against the iS one month scheme, which is indisputable. 'As low as' 3%.

That would be nice, but doubt it will ever happen.

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Author Topic: New Subscription Plans (paying Custom rates while testing) (Read 16837 times)

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