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Author Topic: I got first sale on Alamy  (Read 58999 times)

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« Reply #50 on: September 12, 2009, 10:54 »
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Typical Pavlovian microstocker analysis.  Success = no. of downloads.  This is why 99% of you are failures in actually making a profit.  You have absolutely no idea of how to analyse a business situation and make the best choices.

Let's look how a successful stock photographer might look at things:

Total downloads on Istock = 6,700
Average paid out to Istock contributors per download = $0.30
Total paid out to Istock contributors = $2,010

Partial number of licenses sold on Alamy = 47
Average paid out to Alamy contributors per license = $70
Total paid out to Alamy contributors = $3,290

Ratio of contributors at Alamy vs. IStock = 1 (Alamy) : 2 (IStock)

So not only does Alamy pay 64% more to contributors than IStock, Alamy also has at least half as many contributors competing for those dollars.



Wow Dingo __ you really don't have a clue about the numbers do you? You have some homework to do my friend. Read and enjoy;

http://www.alamy.com/contributors/statements/default.asp

As can be seen Alamy's sales figures are steadily heading southwards but in the last year they generated about $27M (from 14M images) of which roughly $15M was paid out in commissions.

In the same year IS generated something like $150m of sales (from about 5M images) and paid out roughly $50m in commissions.

That works out at about $1 per image/year paid out by Alamy compared to about $10 per image/year paid out by Istock.

Istock sales are still growing strongly and are projected to be $250M+ by 2011 if I remember the statement correctly. If Alamy's graph continues in the same direction they'll probably be paying little more than 50c per image/year in about 12 months.

The writing is on the wall for you my little doggy friend. It will soon be 'Game over' for all but the very best and most unique macro contributors.


Dan

« Reply #51 on: September 12, 2009, 11:02 »
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Ive  tried  uploading  to  alamy.  I  need  to  resize  my  pics.  How  do  i  do that?

« Reply #52 on: September 12, 2009, 14:03 »
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Ive  tried  uploading  to  alamy.  I  need  to  resize  my  pics.  How  do  i  do that?

There is a thread about it in the Alamy area of MSG, Dan, take a look there.

« Reply #53 on: September 12, 2009, 14:07 »
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Either way, it appears to me that Alamy sales are FAR LOWER than the MicroStock sites we're all familiar with. Sure, I'll have a presence and a collection on Alamy, but I'm having much more success on the other sites - even though they sell for much less per download.

The nature of microstock is volume sales, with many buyers who would never afford macrostock prices (some could, but won't with a cheaper choice).  Macrostock doesn't mean you will make more money, but more money per sale.

« Reply #54 on: September 12, 2009, 14:27 »
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I wonder how many sales they make on Alamy - without doing a search?

Either way, it appears to me that Alamy sales are FAR LOWER than the MicroStock sites we're all familiar with. Sure, I'll have a presence and a collection on Alamy, but I'm having much more success on the other sites - even though they sell for much less per download.

Typical Pavlovian microstocker analysis.  Success = no. of downloads.  This is why 99% of you are failures in actually making a profit.  You have absolutely no idea of how to analyse a business situation and make the best choices.

Let's look how a successful stock photographer might look at things:

Total downloads on Istock = 6,700
Average paid out to Istock contributors per download = $0.30
Total paid out to Istock contributors = $2,010

Partial number of licenses sold on Alamy = 47
Average paid out to Alamy contributors per license = $70
Total paid out to Alamy contributors = $3,290

Ratio of contributors at Alamy vs. IStock = 1 (Alamy) : 2 (IStock)

So not only does Alamy pay 64% more to contributors than IStock, Alamy also has at least half as many contributors competing for those dollars.


Where did you get the idea that the average commission per licence at Istock is 30c?
Exactly, none of us make more than 10 cents a download do we ;)

wilddingo

    This user is banned.
« Reply #55 on: September 12, 2009, 14:38 »
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In the same timeframe where you made your first sale on Alamy, how many (if any) sales were made on other Micro sites?

Why are you asking him to compare sales he made in ONE non-micro site with the sales he made on ALL micro sites?

wilddingo

    This user is banned.
« Reply #56 on: September 12, 2009, 14:57 »
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That works out at about $1 per image/year paid out by Alamy compared to about $10 per image/year paid out by Istock.

The writing is on the wall for you my little doggy friend. It will soon be 'Game over' for all but the very best and most unique macro contributors.

Dude, discussing financial numbers and ratios with you microstockers is like discussing trigonometry with a 5 year-old.  It's useless.  You just don't get it.  It's why you bozos are in microstock in the first place.  It's why you think $50 for a custom cover license is great money, why $10K for a European stock "business trip" (wink wink) is a great investment, why projecting 9% month-to-month growth in microstock earnings is realistic and, in your case, why you think nothing of calculating and then comparing per image revenue from an UNEDITED portal like Alamy with an EDITED library like Istock.

You guys are losing money with every sale and you don't even realize it.  Like Dingo said, it's only a question of time before you run out of cash.

To paraphrase Norm Peterson (Cheers!), it's a dog eat dog world out there and you microstockers are wearing milkbone underwear.

« Reply #57 on: September 12, 2009, 14:59 »
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It is absurd to compare micros with Alamy, two totally different markets, different business models and different customer targets.  As I've said before, micros have their place in today's market, but to pretend that the whole market is (or has to be) micros is like covering your eyes and refusing to see that there is more in the world than micros.  If you go to Alamy forums you will find people that sell one or more images per day, do the math.  As always, you have to shoot what is in demand and what is underrepresented in the library.  A micro-like portfolio won't take you anywhere at Alamy.

wilddingo

    This user is banned.
« Reply #58 on: September 12, 2009, 15:04 »
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Ive  tried  uploading  to  alamy.  I  need  to  resize  my  pics.  How  do  i  do that?

If you have to ask this, have you considered that perhaps you should just enjoy photography as a hobby and not even bother getting involved with stock?

If you don't know how to upsize, then your photography skills are at a level where you simply cannot be efficient or successful regardless of micro or macro.

lisafx

« Reply #59 on: September 12, 2009, 15:10 »
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People I know always assume when they find an in-action of mine that I made a lot of money for the usage.  They are shocked to discover my average per sale is under a dollar.  Of course they then say that I should be selling somewhere that I can make more per sale for my images.  

I reply that if my image had not been available on microstock then I wouldn't have had the sale at all.  Because microstock is where that particular buyer was looking.  If my images aren't there, they will simply buy someone else's.

I have over 4k images on Alamy, and last month Alamy was 5% of my earnings.  This puts them in sixth place behind IS, SS, FT, DT, and StockXpert.  It is laughable to suggest giving up 95% of my income just to have a higher per sale average!  :o

« Reply #60 on: September 12, 2009, 16:15 »
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... why you think nothing of calculating and then comparing per image revenue from an UNEDITED portal like Alamy with an EDITED library like Istock.


By 'unedited' (or more probably accurately 'self-edited') it generally comes to pass that 90% of the library is either multiple similars and/or rubbish. Why would a customer want to plough through 90% crap and then have to pay a very hefty premium for the priviledge of doing so? Most of the upmarket agencies pride themselves on how tightly edited their collections are __ that's what their customers are supposed to be paying for. IMHO Alamy's business model is tragically flawed so many respects __ losing customers and revenue every quarter despite chasing image prices ever lower. I not entirely sure that they could compete even if they dropped their prices to microstock levels.

I know a couple of Alamy devotees who basically ended up there because they couldn't actually hack it in microstock; the technical standards were too high if they couldn't 'self-edit' and their stuff didn't sell much if it did actually get accepted. Judging by a few searches it would seem that plenty of Alamy photographers can't even achieve a basic isolation-on-white, they think it means having a grubby sheet as a background. That's self-editing for you __ nobody told them that their images are crap.

HERE Doggy, Doggy, Doggy! Come to microstock __ there's good boy!

You're on a rapidly sinking ship my friend so you'd better start practicing your doggy-paddle (geddit) if you want to survive. The future is stock __ not micro, not macro, just stock.

wilddingo

    This user is banned.
« Reply #61 on: September 12, 2009, 19:15 »
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I have over 4k images on Alamy, and last month Alamy was 5% of my earnings.  This puts them in sixth place behind IS, SS, FT, DT, and StockXpert.  It is laughable to suggest giving up 95% of my income just to have a higher per sale average!  :o

This may seem like a revolutionary idea, but have you ever considered, like, y'know, maybe trying, ohh I dunno, a non-microstock place OTHER than Alamy?

I know that them being called "Alamy" and starting with the letter "A" puts them automatically at the top of microstocker lists, but I've heard that -- and this is between just Dingo and you and you must promise not to tell OK? -- there are OTHER non-microstock avenues out there!

I know, I know, I was flabbergasted by this news too, but there you go!

wilddingo

    This user is banned.
« Reply #62 on: September 12, 2009, 19:36 »
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I know a couple of Alamy devotees who basically ended up there because they couldn't actually hack it in microstock; the technical standards were too high if they couldn't 'self-edit' and their stuff didn't sell much if it did actually get accepted. Judging by a few searches it would seem that plenty of Alamy photographers can't even achieve a basic isolation-on-white, they think it means having a grubby sheet as a background. That's self-editing for you __ nobody told them that their images are crap.

HERE Doggy, Doggy, Doggy! Come to microstock __ there's good boy!

You're on a rapidly sinking ship my friend so you'd better start practicing your doggy-paddle (geddit) if you want to survive. The future is stock __ not micro, not macro, just stock.

Dude, listen, I'm here for you anytime you need, OK?  If it makes you feel better to go on some sort of psychotic rant against Alamy just to get it out of your system, I'm fine with that.

But Einstein, are you seriously implying that if Alamy ever fails (and Dingo couldn't care less if they did), that the only other option is microstock?

You haven't been bit by a rabbid dog recently, have you?

« Reply #63 on: September 12, 2009, 19:56 »
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Dude, listen, I'm here for you anytime you need, OK?  If it makes you feel better to go on some sort of psychotic rant against Alamy just to get it out of your system, I'm fine with that.

But Einstein, are you seriously implying that if Alamy ever fails (and Dingo couldn't care less if they did), that the only other option is microstock?

Just joshing with you old buddy! Unfortunately the malaise that will eventually do for Alamy will also do for most of the others too. Even with your brain befuddled through lack of food though you must appreciate this surely? Funny how you were singing Alamy's praises just a few posts ago __ mind you, loss of short-term memory is always one of the first signs of malnutrition. Dingo's traditionally feed on scraps but in this climate it must be tough for you.

When you need a bit of help to pass the technical standards for microstock (as you will) then you just have to ask. How are you getting on with the doggy-paddle practise?

« Reply #64 on: September 12, 2009, 20:58 »
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I know a couple of Alamy devotees who basically ended up there because they couldn't actually hack it in microstock; the technical standards were too high if they couldn't 'self-edit' and their stuff didn't sell much if it did actually get accepted. Judging by a few searches it would seem that plenty of Alamy photographers can't even achieve a basic isolation-on-white, they think it means having a grubby sheet as a background. That's self-editing for you __ nobody told them that their images are crap.

HERE Doggy, Doggy, Doggy! Come to microstock __ there's good boy!

You're on a rapidly sinking ship my friend so you'd better start practicing your doggy-paddle (geddit) if you want to survive. The future is stock __ not micro, not macro, just stock.

Dude, listen, I'm here for you anytime you need, OK?  If it makes you feel better to go on some sort of psychotic rant against Alamy just to get it out of your system, I'm fine with that.

But Einstein, are you seriously implying that if Alamy ever fails (and Dingo couldn't care less if they did), that the only other option is microstock?

You haven't been bit by a rabbid dog recently, have you?

Dingo, how about introducing yourself?
« Last Edit: September 12, 2009, 21:46 by cybernesco »

wilddingo

    This user is banned.
« Reply #65 on: September 13, 2009, 06:35 »
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Funny how you were singing Alamy's praises just a few posts ago __ mind you, loss of short-term memory is always one of the first signs of malnutrition. Dingo's traditionally feed on scraps but in this climate it must be tough for you.

I know this may appear as an alien concept around die-hard microstockers like you, but correcting blatant misinformation given by others by presenting truth and facts are not necessarily an indication that someone is "singing the praises".

wilddingo

    This user is banned.
« Reply #66 on: September 13, 2009, 06:51 »
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Dingo, how about introducing yourself?

Sir Denis!  I missed you!  Have you quit your security guard job yet and embarked on a high-flying and challenging microstock career shooting various objects on perfectly white backgrounds?

Since you want to know more about Dingo... Dingo likes poetry and long walks on the beach and I absolutely love it when someone tosses me a frisbee in the water!

My strong traits are being able to sniff lies and inaccuracies from a mile away and my weakness is having the urge to pee on someone's leg from time to time.

I have a full-time job being man's best friend sniffing suitcases and crotches at the airport.

I'm also a part-time microstock tormentor.  It started as a hobby, but I'm hoping to go pro sometime in the next 30 years.  I have a lot of free time on account of my bitch, Mrs. Dingo, being in heat only once a year, and eHarmony.com not quite working for me if you know what I mean.

Yeah, I'm losing money on this tormenting thing for now, but I'm hoping to make it up in volume.  I'm already up to 56 posts in just one month.  At this rate of month-to-month growth, in three short years I'll have close to, ohh I dunno, maybe 3 million posts give or take a million, full of microstock facts and wisdom exquisitely crafted and easily searchable to remind microstockers of their imbecility.

I'm currently working on an exciting web project called iSyndicator where I write my tormenting posts just once, then syndicate them to various microstock forums.  It's the 21st-Century way of flingin' the crap.  It's like taking crap and spreading it as far and wide as possible hoping that it will hit someone somewhere.  The great thing is that it allows me to keep stats on how many microstockers are being tormented by my posts which gives me great satisfaction.  I already have a wall-full of tearsheets made up of tormented microstocker replies.  It's a great marketing tool for a tormenting newbie like me who wants to become established.

So as you can see we lead, ironically, symbiotic lives. 

Microstockers enjoy being failures, and I enjoy reminding them!

« Reply #67 on: September 13, 2009, 07:59 »
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Funny guy  ;D ;D ;D ;D

« Reply #68 on: September 13, 2009, 14:54 »
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MSG PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

For the sake of improving the air quality around here, use of the "Ignore" button is highly recommended in cases like this one.

Thanks, Leaf, for adding that nice little touch to the site.  Much appreciated.

Xalanx

« Reply #69 on: September 13, 2009, 15:54 »
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Even though every once in a while Dingo emits absolute rubbish, many times he's also right and his (IT'S ??) style is one of the few things for which I still come around here.  ;D

« Reply #70 on: September 13, 2009, 18:18 »
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Question about Alamy is TRAFFIC. Are they getting any traffic, which leads to sales?

My quick look at their actual sales lead me to think differently.

I did a quick comparison of the top downloaded images on iStock and Alamy in the last month, and iStock's top 15 images for the month have been downloaded more than 6700 times. In comparison, you can sort by sales on Alamy and their top 20 images have sold 47.

Its great to have a collection of images available for higher prices, but I just don't think they're getting the traffic and sales that we see on MicroStock sites. You can have a great site, with a huge inventory 16M + but if there are no shoppers ...


I'm sure I read somewhere a while back alamy measures and alamy stats for 'all of alamy' (not for individuals) is only subset or reduced representation of all user activity (basically it doesn't mean jack  ;))

to me the real value is images such as ARRPBN which is a picture of thunderbolts grave (and yep most people now say who?) captain thunderbolt was an Australian Bushranger, relatively well known in Northern NSW, but not really elsewhere. The story of thunderbolt (and grave etc) is the local tourist thing for the town of Uralla which has a population of a few thousand people.  Demand for image of the town / grave / statue / cave hidout etc is pretty low as you could image. Put on the micros I'd get 'lack of commercial potential' or if accepted maybe a sale or two a year. On alamy it has had 2 sales with my cut just over $250 overall. Nothing amazing but better than i could do on micro.  i'm not bagging micro as I do well there but imo micro is about whole portfolio of high demand imagery, alamy and macro is about specialist and low demand stuff.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2009, 06:06 by Phil »

lisafx

« Reply #71 on: September 14, 2009, 09:58 »
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This may seem like a revolutionary idea, but have you ever considered, like, y'know, maybe trying, ohh I dunno, a non-microstock place OTHER than Alamy?


Absolutely.  I used to be on Acclaim where I didn't get a single sale in 6 months.  Also, I originally tried and was rejected by Corbis and Getty.  I might be able to get in now, five years later, but I am so busy producing microstock images that I don't have time or inclination to bother producing a separate portfolio for trad sites.  

Besides, watching the way the stock industry is trending it seems like more of the trad photographers are moving into the microstock arena than the other way around.  And more of the customers are going that way too.  

I have no real desire to try and hop on the back of the traditional stock dinosaur when I am content with my sales and income from the micros.

But hey, feel free to continue flinging the insults.  I've had my rabies shot :)
« Last Edit: September 14, 2009, 10:00 by lisafx »

« Reply #72 on: September 14, 2009, 10:46 »
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I was rejected by a traditional site years ago and never bothered applying again.  I am with alamy now, thanks to the money I earned from microstock paying for a camera that is good enough to produce the large size images they require.  It is taking a long time to build a separate RM portfolio but I do think it is worth it.  I think there will always be buyers that want to pay more than microstock prices, if the traditional sites were going to completely fail, wouldn't it of happened by now?

Getty let istock exclusives contribute to one of their collections, I had hoped that would be open to all contributors but it doesn't look like that will happen.  Perhaps Corbis will do it?  I will get around to applying to them as I am sure it is worth it.

« Reply #73 on: September 14, 2009, 11:29 »
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Why do people keep comparing Alamy which is over 80% Editorial and over 80% Rights Managed, with a microsite that only has Royalty Free and No Editorial Images, as already said they supply to different markets and do not compete in any big way with each other.

So do your research and upload different images to both models and you then have different RF and RM portfolios on different websites, instead of the same portfolio competing against your own images at different price points on only microstock websites.

David  ::)

lisafx

« Reply #74 on: September 14, 2009, 16:14 »
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Why do people keep comparing Alamy which is over 80% Editorial and over 80% Rights Managed, with a microsite that only has Royalty Free and No Editorial Images, as already said they supply to different markets and do not compete in any big way with each other.


Uhm...  Probably because this is a thread about Alamy sales and it is on a microstock forum.   Sort of invites the comparison, doesn't it ???


 

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