Author Topic: Exciting announcement (Read 34699 times)

Justanotherphotographer · « **on:** February 03, 2016, 15:33 »

You'd think agencies would know by now what a red flag starting an email with "exciting" is to contributors. Everyone got the exciting email from Canstock?

kuriouskat · « **Reply #1 on:** February 03, 2016, 15:44 »

I am excitedly looking for the opt out........

BD · « **Reply #2 on:** February 03, 2016, 15:48 »

I submit to CanStock, but did not get an email. What does it say?

kuriouskat · « **Reply #3 on:** February 03, 2016, 15:51 »

Email text:
We have some exciting announcements to share.

We're pleased to announce we have added 4K and 4K+ download sizes for our footage contributors. We already have over 35,000 clips in our library available for purchase at 4K resolution, with commissions 2x that of our standard HD sizes.

We are also updating our Payout Schedule and Membership Agreement and are including a new revenue stream for image contributors. We're partnering with FreeArt, Inc. a company that will be marketing your content for print and product sales. You will continue to receive 20% of paper print sales as you always have, and will now also make sales on other physical products (e.g. acrylic, metal, canvas, etc.). These are higher-priced retail items with a 10% royalty, which will result in higher commissions (up to $49.90) than most digital image sales.

Additionally, FreeArt will be launching an innovative industry-first "free print" level in which people can receive a smaller-sized art print (e.g. 8x10") for free. To enable this we have created a new minimum $0.25 print commission level to ensure you continue to be compensated for your work, even if it is part of a free print offer. We expect these free prints to generate more attention and sales for larger paid prints and products, ultimately generating more commissions for you.

The site is currently invitation-only, but our contributors have exclusive access. You can use this invitation code: "3hpgvr".

To see the updated Payout Schedule, please click here. To see the updated Membership Agreement, please click here.

Regards,

Can Stock Photo

Symbiostock Official · « **Reply #4 on:** February 03, 2016, 15:51 »

$0.25 commission on an 8x10 print

A marketing effort on the part of their new partner FreeArt to gain a customer base - offer free prints. However, offering contributors 25 cents per print is, in essence, forcing contributors to partake in their marketing efforts as partners, not a legitimate third party.

It's like offering free prints to customers and expecting the ink company to take a pay cut in an effort to assist your marketing effort - makes no sense. And 8x10 is huge. That isn't a postcard.

Edit: Then again, since contributors get paid 25 cents for full sized RF images from most other agencies anyways, I guess it doesn't really matter. The only difference here is we know it is being translated into a print.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #5 on:** February 03, 2016, 15:54 »

"These are higher-priced retail items with a 10% royalty, which will result in higher commissions (up to $49.90) than most digital image sales."

There's the golden part. "We charge more for these things, so we think we can get away paying you a lower percentage, because it still seems like a lot."

stockastic · « **Reply #6 on:** February 03, 2016, 16:22 »

25 cents for an 8x10 print is "compensation"? Maybe... on Bizarro Earth. On my planet, it's called other things.

I hadn't sold anything on FAA for a while. But today, I sold 3 sizeable prints and made about $130.

I'll add CanStock to the list of agencies I'll never have anything to do with.

Metsafile · « **Reply #7 on:** February 03, 2016, 16:40 »

With a name like "FreeArt, Inc" I don't think they'll be attracting too many paying customers.

noodle · « **Reply #8 on:** February 03, 2016, 16:43 »

The good news just keeps rolling in....

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #9 on:** February 03, 2016, 16:50 »

Quote from: Robin@Symbiostock on February 03, 2016, 15:51

...Edit: Then again, since contributors get paid 25 cents for full sized RF images from most other agencies anyways, I guess it doesn't really matter. The only difference here is we know it is being translated into a print.

This is just not the case. Starting contributors at SS get 25 cents, but "most" agencies do not pay that even for subscriptions. Subscriptions require a commitment to a certain volume per month which is how they get to the lower price per download.

So it does really matter, especially for a contributor who sells prints via another site who now has to compete with a freebie for which they make 25 cents.

CanStock itself pays 25 cents for subscription sales - and when I left them last year it was in part that those sales were an increasing percentage of their tiny volume of sales. All the higher-value sales from their parent company had vanished (what sales there were had been reduced to much lower royalty amounts).

This just amounts to another low-pay deal and doesn't sound to me as if it has any upside for contributors at all.

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #10 on:** February 03, 2016, 17:30 »

who writes these stupid announcements? 10 percent the crooks.

r2d2 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 03, 2016, 17:38 »

Quote from: Microstockphoto on February 03, 2016, 17:30

who writes these stupid announcements? 10 percent the crooks.

They (another example is ss) think we are idiots we are just cashcows for them.

Monty-m-gue · « **Reply #12 on:** February 03, 2016, 17:50 »

Where's the opt-out button? If there isn't one, I'm closing my account. There is simply no compelling case to stay.

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #13 on:** February 03, 2016, 18:00 »

Quote from: r2d2 on February 03, 2016, 17:38

Quote from: Microstockphoto on February 03, 2016, 17:30
who writes these stupid announcements? 10 percent the crooks.

They (another example is ss) think we are idiots we are just cashcows for them.

Well tens of thousands of people go along with this stuff so I guess they're useful idiots.

I'm having Deja Vu again. Where have I hard this before? "Let us give your stiff away for free and we promise it will bring in more buyers". Is there one person here who has more sales than they did a year ago? Two years ago? Five years ago? Even though you've increased your portfolios by 25%, 100% or 200%?

I have no problem getting $45 for an 8x10 print selling direct. I would need to sell 180 prints to match selling one regular print. That kind of volume will never happen. Especially for a low volume site like CanStock.

One of these days all of this subscription sh*t is going to burn to a flaming halt. That includes Netflix, Pandora, and all the rest. This stuff can be sustained. It will collapse in on itself.

Isock's pitch sums it up. "Explore millions of royalty-free images, illustrations, videos, and music clips at ridiculously great prices". Why does everything need to be ridiculously low?

</rant>

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #14 on:** February 03, 2016, 18:02 »

Duplicate

dbvirago · « **Reply #15 on:** February 03, 2016, 18:13 »

"To enable this we have created a new minimum $0.25 print commission level to ensure you continue to be compensated for your work, even if it is part of a free print offer."

Even if it's part of a free print offer that we didn't authorize.

"We expect these free prints to generate more attention and sales for larger paid prints and products, ultimately generating more commissions for you."

Not sure where that expectation came from because it has never happened anywhere ever

etudiante_rapide · « **Reply #16 on:** February 03, 2016, 18:14 »

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on February 03, 2016, 18:02

Quote from: r2d2 on February 03, 2016, 17:38
Quote from: Microstockphoto on February 03, 2016, 17:30
who writes these stupid announcements? 10 percent the crooks.

They (another example is ss) think we are idiots we are just cashcows for them.

Well tens of thousands of people go along with this stuff so I guess they're useful idiots.

I'm having Deja Vu again. Where have I heard this before? "Let us give your stiff away for free
...snip
One of these days all of this subscription sh*t is going to burn to a flaming halt.
...snip
Isock's pitch sums it up. "Explore ~~millions of royalty-~~free images, illustrations, videos, and music clips at ridiculously ~~great prices"~~ no price.

is this no coincidence that both istock and canstock are based in canada???
is canada where there is a mentality "to give everything away for nothing"

Quote from: stockastic on February 03, 2016, 16:22

25 cents for an 8x10 print is "compensation"? Maybe... on Bizarro Earth. On my planet, it's called other things.

I hadn't sold anything on FAA for a while. But today, I sold 3 sizeable prints and made about $130.

i think 500px started the right way too $120 commission, but somewhere along the way , they decided to become a social media like fb with likes, and members just wannabee collecting thumbsup and pokes and a trillion friends with comments like " great port, come look at me portfolio and give me a nice wow " i am not in it for the money-brigade...

stockVid · « **Reply #17 on:** February 03, 2016, 18:39 »

They've also started selling 4K Video for $50 per clip.

That has to be one of the lowest fixed rates in the industry (after Videohive).

I will not upload to them.

sooner_foto · « **Reply #18 on:** February 03, 2016, 18:53 »

I haven't uploaded to them in at least a year. I'll have to go in and check to make sure I don't have anything worthwhile in my port.

You just know there will be people selling our 8x10s on Ebay, Etsy, on the streets of NYC.

....
I just deleted anything artsy that might actually have a chance attracting this freebie crowd. What's left is food and white background stuff.

My minimal print sale on FAA is $6.04 and that is on a card. 8x10 - profit is $15 - $20

These shoddy businesses can't seem to function without giveaways. I guess its easy when you give away other people's work.

sharpshot · « **Reply #19 on:** February 03, 2016, 19:05 »

So can we get the free 8x10 prints for ourselves and get paid for it? Has any microstock site had success selling prints? I used to quite like CanStockPhoto but they have fallen back in the last year, new images don't seem to sell, so there's no motivation to upload. This wont get me uploading again.

Noedelhap · « **Reply #20 on:** February 03, 2016, 19:35 »

What a horrible e-mail.

Are you reading this, CanStock? Please do. Here's some constructive advice:

- Never, ever start an email for contributors with the words: "exciting announcements". 9 out of 10 times it means "exciting for us, not for contributors". It's like receiving a funeral card in the mail.
- Partnering up with a site that gives away free prints of my artwork is in no way a good business model. It devalues our work and pays us next to nothing. "Innovative industry-first...", seriously? Do you really think we'd fall for that corporate speak? I want an opt-out for this.
- Why are the higher-priced retail items paying only 10%? That's an insultingly low royalty, one the lowest percentages in the industry!
- HD is priced at $50, so 4K is $100? Should be at least $150. In other words, I'm not uploading my 4K versions of my videos. Please consider increasing the prices for 4K.

All in all, another example of how not to talk to contributors.

Mantis · « **Reply #21 on:** February 03, 2016, 20:01 »

I have written to CanStockPhoto for opt out clarification. And told them that 10% on big print sales is unacceptable. I only make $20-$30 a month there so I will just close my account and they will lose 3500 images. I will post their response when I get it.

k_t_g · « **Reply #22 on:** February 03, 2016, 23:27 »

sigh....... Trying to get to the other side of the tunnel and I never get to the other side. Like on an hamster wheel.

But what are you going to do when all stock sites start to go down this road?
Its going to happen sooner or later.

trek · « **Reply #23 on:** February 04, 2016, 00:37 »

I also sent a requested to have my portfolio removed from the Free Art Inc deal.

byman · « **Reply #24 on:** February 04, 2016, 02:15 »

And I sent the request for removal portfolio from the FreeArt .

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Author Topic: Exciting announcement (Read 34699 times)

Justanotherphotographer

kuriouskat

BD

kuriouskat

Symbiostock Official

Sean Locke Photography

stockastic

Metsafile

noodle

Jo Ann Snover

Microstockphoto

r2d2

Monty-m-gue

PaulieWalnuts

PaulieWalnuts

dbvirago

etudiante_rapide

stockVid

sooner_foto

sharpshot

Noedelhap

Mantis

k_t_g

trek

byman

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