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Author Topic: BigStock e-mail about subscriptions and an RC-like payment system  (Read 59168 times)

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« on: February 07, 2013, 14:14 »
0
As you know, we already offer Bigstock customers the flexibility of pre-paying with credits. Next week, well be offering our customers an increasingly popular way to buy images: subscriptions.

How will this affect me?

Subscriptions can generate higher download volumes, which can increase your total earnings from Bigstock. Heres how you will earn royalties from Bigstock subscriptions:

Every time one of your images is downloaded using a subscription, you will earn a royalty.
 
The more downloads youve acquired in the previous 12 months, the higher your royalty will be, up to $0.38USD per download.

Here are the details:

(see screenshot attached below)
 
Any Bigstock download will be counted to determine which royalty tier is applied, regardless of how our customers license the image.
Credit and partner royalties will remain unchanged.
Extended licenses cannot be purchased using a subscription, and will continue to generate a royalty of up to $29.70.
Are there any other updates?

Yes. We have put in place a 250,000 print run limitation on our Standard License. We believe this will increase demand for Extended Licenses, generating higher royalties for you from Bigstock.

We are also simplifying our Standard Image License terms to bring Bigstock more closely in line with industry standards for royalty-free licenses.

What if I have questions?

If you have any questions, just reply to this email. We're here to help.

Cheers,
Ben Pfeifer,
GM, Bigstock


The thing that gives me the shivvers is the 12-month totals for qualifying for subscription payment levels. If they do the RC-like system there, is it going to spread to the mother ship?
« Last Edit: February 07, 2013, 16:50 by jsnover »


« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2013, 14:15 »
+2
Did they get this frustrating "last 12 months" idea from 123?

« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2013, 14:20 »
+12
123rf got it from iStock, BigStock got it from 123rf, and up next?

It makes me think of doing so more portfolio pulling - I'm on a roll and thoroughly pissed off to see the cancer metastasizing

« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2013, 14:25 »
+2
It definitely has me thinking of pulling my port too. I'm not very interested in more sub sites (less subs sites would be nice).

« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2013, 14:28 »
+5
Horrible. I get 38 cents per sub-dl on Shutterstock. I didn't use the bridge to Bigstock, to get less money there.


EmberMike

« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2013, 14:29 »
0
Did I miss where it says what the starting royalty rate would be? Surely they're not basing this on 2012 total sales, since that would put pretty much everyone below $0.30.


sc

« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2013, 14:33 »
+1
Horrible. I get 38 cents per sub-dl on Shutterstock. I didn't use the bridge to Bigstock, to get less money there.

Exactly.

dbvirago

« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2013, 14:35 »
+4
So, everyone with over 50,000 downloads in the past 12 months gets the .38. That should pretty much be everybody, right?

« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2013, 14:38 »
0
It definitely has me thinking of pulling my port too. I'm not very interested in more sub sites (less subs sites would be nice).

Oops. This came out wrong. I meant to say Shutterstock is the best. They love us all.   ;D

« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2013, 14:41 »
0
Who cares about BS..... nobody really buys from them anyhow :) They are an easy place to leave at any time. I'm part of the bridge with 4000 vectors at BS. If I don't like the results in a month or so I'll leave with little lose of income. This new low rate was soooooooo..... very dumb from such a lower earner it's more funny then anything. Not a smooth move for BS. oh well :)

« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2013, 14:42 »
+2
.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2014, 22:38 by tickstock »

EmberMike

« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2013, 14:42 »
+4
Those milestones seem impossible to hit. 50k would be hard to do even at SS, and they're the volume leader in this business. At Bigstock? It's impossible.

If a stupid idea like this ever migrates over to SS, the milestones will be equally outrageous, probably just multiplied to compensate for the higher volume SS does. And if that happens, I'm probably out of business.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2013, 14:44 by EmberMike »

« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2013, 14:49 »
0
It makes me think of doing so more portfolio pulling - I'm on a roll and thoroughly pissed off to see the cancer metastasizing

My mood exactly.  I sure have been saving time checking on stats though.  Not to mention that BS has gotten progressively worse in my spreadsheet too, wouldn't affect me much if they turn into a 25cent subscription-only site because I would leave pretty quickly!

« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2013, 14:50 »
+2
Those milestones seem impossible to hit. 50k would be hard to do even at SS, and they're the volume leader in this business. At Bigstock? It's impossible.

If a stupid idea like this ever migrates over to SS, the milestones will be equally outrageous, probably just multiplied to compensate for the higher volume SS does. And if that happens, I'm probably out of business.

That's why you experiment with it first in your laboratory at Bigstock before you move it to your cash cow.

« Reply #15 on: February 07, 2013, 14:53 »
+1
I never went to Shutterstock, because of the subscriptions! Instead, I went to Bigstock (in 2007).
Now, here we are. *sigh*

The same with my health insurance. Wanted to get away from my old company and went to another one. Guess, who - after some years - bought my new company.

I feel trapped, somehow.

« Reply #16 on: February 07, 2013, 14:55 »
0
another great joke, from 38 cents at SS to 25 at BigStock, not worried because BigStock is like my 98th best agency but Jon is becoming a very good friend of us, anyway will see the volume of subs...

« Reply #17 on: February 07, 2013, 15:04 »
+3
I'm sure this and the change to the SS referral program are the direct result of being publically traded and the need to improve the bottom line every quarter.  I'm sure every six months or so from now until SS is no longer worth it, there will be some new policy that cuts total income from contributors in some way.   

« Reply #18 on: February 07, 2013, 15:04 »
+3
I personally don't give a f*** about BS. never joined them. The thing that make my very worry is the fact that BS is owned by Shutterstock; and 60% of my total microstock earnings came from SS ( and I don't talking about a several hundred dollars here)  . I really hope this ''cancer that started with IS  extended to 123RF and now BS will not affect SS.

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #19 on: February 07, 2013, 15:10 »
0
I just checked my stats - with a 3800 image portfolio, I sold 353 images in 2012, so I qualify for the 27c royalty for subscriptions. Crazy...

Steve

« Reply #20 on: February 07, 2013, 15:13 »
+8
Those milestones seem impossible to hit. ...
If a stupid idea like this ever migrates over to SS...

Yes and yes.

The migration to the mother ship is the big worry. Perhaps Jon read the other thread suggesting we wanted a raise at SS and this is his way of getting that restive mood to go away :)

If you put a few heads on pikes outside the castle, the peasants revolt less...

« Reply #21 on: February 07, 2013, 15:14 »
0
Who cares about BS..... nobody really buys from them anyhow :) They are an easy place to leave at any time. I'm part of the bridge with 4000 vectors at BS. If I don't like the results in a month or so I'll leave with little lose of income. This new low rate was soooooooo..... very dumb from such a lower earner it's more funny then anything. Not a smooth move for BS. oh well :)
Isn't Bigstock owned by Shutterstock now?  Expect more changes from the "top tier".


Yeah, I don't get this. I thought they kept SS for the subs and bought BigStock to tap the PPD crowd. Now they are just duplicating companies. I suppose it is all about the bottom line. <sigh> Guess I will delete my port once I reach a payout. I don't make much there anyway, but things were improving since istockgetty has been biting the dust. I had high hopes, Guess not.

Microbius

« Reply #22 on: February 07, 2013, 15:17 »
+2
I personally don't give a f*** about BS. never joined them. The thing that make my very worry is the fact that BS is owned by Shutterstock; and 60% of my total microstock earnings came from SS ( and I don't talking about a several hundred dollars here)  . I really hope this ''cancer that started with IS  extended to 123RF and now BS will not affect SS.

Yup, a test for a future RC system at SS I'd bet.
Say what you will about 123 at least their targets are obtainable, unlike IS and now BS.
If SS go down this route they'd better have some reachable target levels if they want to keep contributors on side.

EmberMike

« Reply #23 on: February 07, 2013, 15:20 »
+4
The migration to the mother ship is the big worry. Perhaps Jon read the other thread suggesting we wanted a raise at SS and this is his way of getting that restive mood to go away :)

If you put a few heads on pikes outside the castle, the peasants revolt less...

You know, that sounds about right here. How do you get people to give up on the idea of a raise? You make their current rate seem like a gift.

Better yet, you make the current rate seem like a reward for those who can reach it.

The financial implications for us is one thing. The real kick in the teeth for me is that this reads like a page out of the istock playbook. It's an RC system with impossible-to-reach goals. Very few people retained their 20% at istock. Very few people will match the $0.38 they're getting from SS over at Bigstock. And if this ever does make it's way over to SS, you can bet that it will be more of the same. Another set of impossible goals, just dangling that $0.38 carrot out there while almost no one will be able to reach it.

« Reply #24 on: February 07, 2013, 15:22 »
+2
It can be a little unsettling when a company goes Public for those that rely on a paycheck. I've seen it too many times. It's a power play for the shareholders....oh, and btw, hows your Apple shares doing? Scarey huh?


 

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