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Author Topic: Alamy sales  (Read 48404 times)

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« Reply #25 on: January 08, 2014, 01:42 »
+5
I've been with Alamy longer than I've been in microstock and it was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that for many files I can earn a lot more licensing them for peanuts hundreds of times on the micros than I can even with a few decent sales at Alamy. As prices at Alamy have come down from $150-250 which was what I'd gotten used to - to mostly <$100 per license (and some RM licenses this past year netting me as little as $13.50), I've started putting more images on the micros and have seen a nice jump in income. But for photos that are unusual or that I just really love, I'd still rather see them as RM at Alamy.

If I just uploaded all my work to the micros based on my RPI there I would definitely make more, but it isn't just about making money now, but also about the potential of some photos. Since I also license RM stock on my own directly, I definitely see the need to have two different portfolios. On sites like imagebrief where they'll offer hundreds and even thousands per photo licensed, you can't upload a photo that anyone can license for a few dollars, so there is more to it than simply the RPI.


« Reply #26 on: January 08, 2014, 03:03 »
0
If you are not in it for the money, than Alamy is good choice indeed.

Alamy was between DT and 123 in my earnings last year. It made a modest but significant contribution to my overall income.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #27 on: January 08, 2014, 15:40 »
+1
... and some RM licenses this past year netting me as little as $13.50),

If you think about this, a non-exclusive RM licence with a limited use should cost less than an RF licence where the image can be used multiple times in many media for one price.

The problem is really that on Alamy if you have a unique photo, there's no way you can 'protect' it from buyers with huge discounts.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #28 on: January 08, 2014, 21:52 »
0
(and some RM licenses this past year netting me as little as $13.50),
Ha! Today I got my first Alamy sale of the year, an RM netting me $3.24 (sic).
Still, I've had less than half of that from Getty (RF), so :-)

« Reply #29 on: January 09, 2014, 03:34 »
0
Bad start of something good, I hope! :(

My first DL in 2014 is (RM) $4.04 net...

« Reply #30 on: January 09, 2014, 22:10 »
+4
My first license of this year was only $32.78, netting me $16.39 - of a photo I licensed on my own last year for $150 (and I kept 100% of that).

On the surface, it seems like it's not much better than the micros, but because it's RM, there is actually a difference between the two. The license alamy sold is for a corporate website and so would only require a regular license - netting me as little as 33 cents on a subscription site to perhaps $7 on DT if not sold as a sub. The license I granted for $150 would require an extended license, netting me $14-28 on one of the micro sites. As the photo is not one that is likely to sell that often - it's a nice travel shot but not of a widely sought-after destination, I'm still way ahead having put it on alamy instead of on the micros.

While alamy's prices have come down drastically since I started there in 2008, at least they give us 50% of what they license photos for instead of 15%, so that's a plus. And there are buyers who specifically search for RM images, knowing they are not widely distributed.

Deciding whether or not to place images there really depends on what type of images you have and whether you do anything else with them.

Hobostocker

    This user is banned.
« Reply #31 on: January 12, 2014, 00:34 »
0
same here.
my last RM distributor sale was 6$ net.

the trend now is very bad, few sales and all for a pittance.
what's the point ?

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #32 on: January 30, 2014, 04:51 »
-2
same here.
my last RM distributor sale was 6$ net.

the trend now is very bad, few sales and all for a pittance.
what's the point ?

No point at all. It's the same with a lot of these stock sites. You first join, get some good sales and then it drops off a cliff. I have never had any rejections with Alamy but they rejected a whole batch on the basis of one images being "over processed". That tells me they don't even look at the others.

Ron

« Reply #33 on: January 30, 2014, 04:59 »
+2
same here.
my last RM distributor sale was 6$ net.

the trend now is very bad, few sales and all for a pittance.
what's the point ?

No point at all. It's the same with a lot of these stock sites. You first join, get some good sales and then it drops off a cliff. I have never had any rejections with Alamy but they rejected a whole batch on the basis of one images being "over processed". That tells me they don't even look at the others.
Yes, thats exactly how they work. That is their policy. They only check random images from a batch, and if one image fails, all your batches in the queue are failed. Its no secret.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #34 on: January 30, 2014, 08:17 »
0
same here.
my last RM distributor sale was 6$ net.

the trend now is very bad, few sales and all for a pittance.
what's the point ?

No point at all. It's the same with a lot of these stock sites. You first join, get some good sales and then it drops off a cliff. I have never had any rejections with Alamy but they rejected a whole batch on the basis of one images being "over processed". That tells me they don't even look at the others.
Yes, thats exactly how they work. That is their policy. They only check random images from a batch, and if one image fails, all your batches in the queue are failed. Its no secret.
Ron is right; this has been discussed both here and in Alamy's discussion boards often.

« Reply #35 on: January 31, 2014, 07:55 »
0
I wondered about that. Haven't had any rejections and Alamy has been getting my edgier rejects from other RM areas.

« Reply #36 on: February 04, 2014, 21:35 »
+1
In the macro world, Alamy is a perennial bottom feeder. You will get sales as your portfolio increases but RPI is very poor compared to most other agencies of any type - micro/macro/POD.

That's my experience and I have 6300 photos on Alamy.

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #37 on: February 14, 2014, 02:51 »
0
I just know when I go to summery of items sold it will say "zero" despite continuity uploading. And yet when I first started with a handful of images I got 2 sales within a short space of time lifting my expectations.

« Reply #38 on: February 14, 2014, 19:47 »
+1
I just know when I go to summery of items sold it will say "zero" despite continuity uploading. And yet when I first started with a handful of images I got 2 sales within a short space of time lifting my expectations.

It's been a real letdown. For me, it pretty much ended in the middle of 2013.   From what I read on this forum, they now focus on editorial and don't sell much stock.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #39 on: February 14, 2014, 19:53 »
0
I just know when I go to summery of items sold it will say "zero" despite continuity uploading. And yet when I first started with a handful of images I got 2 sales within a short space of time lifting my expectations.

It's been a real letdown. For me, it pretty much ended in the middle of 2013.   From what I read on this forum, they now focus on editorial and don't sell much stock.

What is their editorial if it isn't stock?

« Reply #40 on: February 14, 2014, 20:07 »
+1
Ok then let's say 'non-editorial' stock if my meaning wasn't totally clear.

My impression is that today, their marketing efforts are focused on editorial.  How's that?
« Last Edit: February 14, 2014, 20:10 by stockastic »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #41 on: February 14, 2014, 20:24 »
+1
Ok then let's say 'non-editorial' stock if my meaning wasn't totally clear.

My impression is that today, their marketing efforts are focused on editorial.  How's that?

It may be, I couldn't say. Last year they were specifically asking for 'creative' imagery, where 'creative' meant 'non-editorial'. (bizarre definition of 'creative', which iS also uses.)
However, the Alamy 'creative' search filter is a total mystery to me, as editorial images can appear in the 'creative' section.

« Reply #42 on: February 14, 2014, 20:43 »
0
I haven't submitted any photos, anywhere, in months.  But my (admittedly small) porfolio is actually selling more over time at SS and DT, whereas Alamy just... went away.  Of course I don't know what's going on there, maybe they still want to sell 'creative' stock but are losing that market to SS.   

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #43 on: February 14, 2014, 21:06 »
0
I haven't submitted any photos, anywhere, in months.  But my (admittedly small) porfolio is actually selling more over time at SS and DT, whereas Alamy just... went away.  Of course I don't know what's going on there, maybe they still want to sell 'creative' stock but are losing that market to SS.

They always said that what sells well in micro is unlikely to sell well on Alamy.
Although the prices at Alamy are sinking, and most buyers seem to get a deep discount, they're not as low as SS (subs).

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #44 on: March 05, 2014, 04:34 »
+1
Ah....... the morning wouldn't start normal if I didn't have my porridge, cup of tea and check into Alamy to see "summery of items sold=zero" happy days !

« Reply #45 on: March 05, 2014, 07:59 »
0
Herg, just out of curiosity - do you sell the same RF images in microstock? Just asking...

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #46 on: March 05, 2014, 08:21 »
0
Yes I do sell these images on microstock.

Hobostocker

    This user is banned.
« Reply #47 on: March 05, 2014, 09:19 »
0
the problem with Alamy is always the same : they're a good agency overall and their product can differentiate itself from the competition but at the end of the day they're struggling to find new buyers and their traditional customers are slashing their budgets and are forced to ask for discounts or to use microstock.

all in all they're doing fine considering many others went bankrupt but it's not enough to justify the cost involved in keywording uploading etc etc as their dirty little secret is that a big chunk of their sales is about UK images.




« Reply #48 on: March 05, 2014, 13:13 »
0
For my 250 images, the interval between payouts has gone from months to years - assuming I ever get another sale.  Sadly it seems like I should probably just close the account.     I cling to the possibility of that once-in-a-blue-moon $100 sale.


« Reply #49 on: March 05, 2014, 13:25 »
+4
My sales used to be consistently at around $500 to $750 per month gross. Today it's roughly $240 gross. Last month I got lucky and made a little over $500 gross. Holistically, though, I think microstock is slowly killing them on pricing. Alamy has chopped our commissions several times and they have seemed to lower their pricing because I rarely see anything over $75 gross now. Bottom line is that much of their collection is RF, and that competes largely with microstock RF.  The sub model by in large is killing agencies like alamy.


 

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