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Author Topic: Fotolia Launches Dollar Photo Club?  (Read 56810 times)

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« Reply #25 on: January 16, 2014, 13:33 »
+6
It's not an affiliate - it's Fotolia

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« Reply #26 on: January 16, 2014, 13:38 »
+26
Hi all,
 
I looked into Dollar Photo Club.  It is an affiliate site that is using the Fotolia api program.  The database on Fotolia is mirrored on this site as it is on many other partner sites.  The difference is that Dollar Photo Club isnt available to everyone.  It is an exclusive club (not exclusive content) that is going to be made available to heavy buyers. 
 
The sales from Dollar Photo Club take place through Fotolia (as do all api sales) so your commission remains the same.  It is essentially a giant subscription.  You will receive the same subscription commission you would if the image were purchased directly from a Fotolia member with a subscription. 
 
This is another way to drive traffic to your portfolios and should result in an increase in overall sales for each of us.

All the best,

Mat Hayward

Im sorry but this sounds like another crappy (I typed in the word BS but auto cuss corrected it) way to further devalue our work and I'd rather not receive a penny from this in exchange for killing the program. Stupid to think that these customers can't already afford the cheap rates Fotolia already has. Just deplorable.
« Last Edit: January 16, 2014, 13:41 by Mantis »

« Reply #27 on: January 16, 2014, 13:45 »
+17
Stupid to think that these customers can't already afford the cheap rates Fotolia already has. Just deplorable.

Those last two sentences get you a heart. I miss the money from quitting some of these agencies, but things like this always remind me of why I did it. I just hope enough people get the message eventually and we can make a positive change.

« Reply #28 on: January 16, 2014, 14:09 »
0
It is an exclusive club (not exclusive content)

"company promises exclusive content" - quote from the article. And this is essential point, beside the prices and photographs revenue.
« Last Edit: January 16, 2014, 14:13 by 4seasons »

« Reply #29 on: January 16, 2014, 15:07 »
+28
Hi all,
 
I looked into Dollar Photo Club.  It is an affiliate site that is using the Fotolia api program.  The database on Fotolia is mirrored on this site as it is on many other partner sites.  The difference is that Dollar Photo Club isnt available to everyone.  It is an exclusive club (not exclusive content) that is going to be made available to heavy buyers. 
 
The sales from Dollar Photo Club take place through Fotolia (as do all api sales) so your commission remains the same.  It is essentially a giant subscription.  You will receive the same subscription commission you would if the image were purchased directly from a Fotolia member with a subscription. 
 
This is another way to drive traffic to your portfolios and should result in an increase in overall sales for each of us.

All the best,

Mat Hayward

Sorry, but do you really believe what you write here?

So the "heavy buyers" that move over there are those who had a subscription before? And now want to pay 1$ per image instead of the advertised 0,16$ before?
Completely irrational.

Or the "heavy buyers" were credit buyers before, so now we get subscription royalties instead of the royalties for credit sales.
Great deal. Not.

Subscription programs (and the attached low royalties) only make sense with big volume - and thus the minimum investment for the buyer must be big enough to warrant that volume.
This scheme (along with Fotolia's current "subscription" schemes with monthly download volumes) are nothing but a way to shift the FT payout from the credit-based payouts to the subs payout.

marthamarks

« Reply #30 on: January 17, 2014, 10:08 »
+14
My entire FT port is on this new site too. Time to depart from Fotolia.

« Reply #31 on: January 17, 2014, 11:48 »
+11
This explains why I'm only getting subs nowadays and earnings are way behind normal.
I'll wait for payout and pull my port from FT.

lisafx

« Reply #32 on: January 17, 2014, 13:07 »
+25
I remember a few years ago when every new year brought some sort of raise in this industry.  Ah the good old days...

Now each new year brings new ways to devalue our work and cut into our earnings.  Every January like clockwork. 

I really look forward to when my daughter finishes graduate school and begins earning enough to support herself.  Then I will be quite happy to throw in the towel.  It stopped being fun somewhere around 2010-2011.

marthamarks

« Reply #33 on: January 17, 2014, 17:02 »
+1
I just received this message from FT. Anybody have further thoughts?


Hi Martha,

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we cannot remove your files from Dollar Photo Club unless we completely delete them from Fotolia first.

Please note that Dollar Photo Club is an affiliate site that is using the Fotolia api program. The database on Fotolia is mirrored on this site as it is on many other partner sites. The difference is that Dollar Photo Club isnt available to everyone. It is an exclusive club (not exclusive content) that is going to be made available to heavy buyers.

The sales from Dollar Photo Club take place through Fotolia (as do all api sales) so your commission remains the same. It is essentially a giant subscription. You will receive the same subscription commission you would if the image were purchased directly from a Fotolia member with a subscription.

This is another way to drive traffic to your portfolios and should result in an increase in overall sales for each of us.

Sincerely,

Ron

« Reply #34 on: January 17, 2014, 17:48 »
+13
I just received this message from FT. Anybody have further thoughts?


Hi Martha,

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we cannot remove your files from Dollar Photo Club unless we completely delete them from Fotolia first.

Please note that Dollar Photo Club is an affiliate site that is using the Fotolia api program. The database on Fotolia is mirrored on this site as it is on many other partner sites. The difference is that Dollar Photo Club isnt available to everyone. It is an exclusive club (not exclusive content) that is going to be made available to heavy buyers.

The sales from Dollar Photo Club take place through Fotolia (as do all api sales) so your commission remains the same. It is essentially a giant subscription. You will receive the same subscription commission you would if the image were purchased directly from a Fotolia member with a subscription.

This is another way to drive traffic to your portfolios and should result in an increase in overall sales for each of us.

Sincerely,

Thats the exact same message Hayward posted on page 1. LMAO. Canned responses all around. Only difference is that that message starts with, I looked into the photo dollar club and.... I think FT just handed out a template.

Sorry, but its just too funny. I dont believe anyone paid by an agency any more. How can they ever be impartial?

They tell you its an exclusive club, but the site says its exclusive content. They cant even get their messages straight. I am sure they borrowed Istock's incompetence.

Ron

« Reply #35 on: January 17, 2014, 17:52 »
+2
This explains why I'm only getting subs nowadays and earnings are way behind normal.
I'll wait for payout and pull my port from FT.
I tend to agree. I was wondering why I only see subs these days, I used to get a lot more credit sales.

I am just wondering, how would a sub sale make more money for FT than a credit sale? Should they be pushing the option that makes everyone the most money?

Anyhoo, I stopped uploading to FT months ago when my sales start to drop. If this dollar club is causing another drop in sales I might just quit them as well.

« Reply #36 on: January 17, 2014, 18:08 »
+3
I dont believe anyone paid by an agency any more. How can they ever be impartial?

It's kind of sad that you/we have to be convinced at all. Like Lisa said, I remember when we used to get raises all the time and there was exciting news in January. I'd love for somebody to shock me with some amazingly good news.

Ron

« Reply #37 on: January 17, 2014, 18:13 »
+10
I have been thinking about this. I am hoping somewhere somehow a contributor or journalist or whoever got a job high up at an agency and will come out as whistleblower. The Snowden of Stock. That would be awesome. Maybe there is someone out there. How can it be that no one knows what goes on inside an agency.

lisafx

« Reply #38 on: January 17, 2014, 18:33 »
0
I have been thinking about this. I am hoping somewhere somehow a contributor or journalist or whoever got a job high up at an agency and will come out as whistleblower. The Snowden of Stock. That would be awesome. Maybe there is someone out there. How can it be that no one knows what goes on inside an agency.

There are quite a few former Istock admins who probably have some good stories to tell.  Probably Rob Sylvan would be chief among them, but I am fairly certain they must have signed non-disclosure agreements, because we haven't heard anything. 

Ron

« Reply #39 on: January 17, 2014, 18:40 »
+1
I have been thinking about this. I am hoping somewhere somehow a contributor or journalist or whoever got a job high up at an agency and will come out as whistleblower. The Snowden of Stock. That would be awesome. Maybe there is someone out there. How can it be that no one knows what goes on inside an agency.

There are quite a few former Istock admins who probably have some good stories to tell.  Probably Rob Sylvan would be chief among them, but I am fairly certain they must have signed non-disclosure agreements, because we haven't heard anything.
I guess a normal employee will never tell, but A whistleblower doesnt care about a non disclosure. I am sure Snowden wasnt supposed to say anything either.  :)

« Reply #40 on: January 17, 2014, 19:00 »
+33
If you look at the numbers on this new deal - and on the monthly limit subscriptions, FT will make out like bandits if they can get customers to go for this.

Fotolia's cut of the total customer payment is waaay higher on a monthly limit subscription or on the "dollar club". I don't keep track of their prices and royalties any more but I just went to take  a look.

A one month subscription costs $249 and although they theoretically could have 750 images for that price, experience suggests no one does.

A monthly limit subscription for full size images costs $80 for 50 images. Or you could have 100 images if you only need medium size or smaller.

If you're accepted into the dollar fraternity you'd pay $50 ($10 monthly fee and $1 each for the other 40 images).

For the sake of an example, let's take a royalty rate of 30 cents (the range is from .25 credit for white to .40 credit for diamond)

For the daily download limit ($249) subscription, if a buyer uses 650 of their 750, FT pays out $195 or 78% of the gross. If the buyer only takes 500 images, FT pays out 60%

For the monthly limit of 50, FT pays out $15 for the full size images - or 18% of the gross. If they go for medium sizes, then FT pays out $30 or 37.5%. Both are clearly a huge win for them over the contributor.

For the dollar bin club, they'd be paying out $15 or 30% of the gross.

So they get to cut the contributor's share while increasing their own. Very nice...not

« Reply #41 on: January 17, 2014, 19:09 »
+2
I have been thinking about this. I am hoping somewhere somehow a contributor or journalist or whoever got a job high up at an agency and will come out as whistleblower. The Snowden of Stock. That would be awesome. Maybe there is someone out there. How can it be that no one knows what goes on inside an agency.

What would they really expose that we don't already know?

lisafx

« Reply #42 on: January 17, 2014, 19:10 »
+3
So they get to cut the contributor's share while increasing their own. Very nice...not

Well then I can see why they jumped all over it.   >:(

OM

« Reply #43 on: January 17, 2014, 20:08 »
+3
I assume that the 10 FREE images the 'exclusive club' member receives as part of the package are, in fact, paid to the contributor at the prevailing subs rate? Or are the 10 Free images from the truly FREE section of FT (all the rejected stuff that the contributor foolishly gave away free by ticking  the wrong box).

« Reply #44 on: January 17, 2014, 23:18 »
+6
Joanne's explanation makes me even angrier. She gets a plus for that analysis.

« Reply #45 on: January 18, 2014, 01:56 »
+4
I was going to close my account when I got a payout a few months back - I've never had more than about 50 photos at Fotolia and deleted many of them ages ago, leaving a few up to keep the account open, so I could reach the payout - sales there have been so dismal and though I haven't allowed ELs on most of my images there in ages, I hate that I get around $4 for what other sites at least charge as an EL - my best seller there shows up right in the top row on the new dollar club when I do a search for that location - time to close it down. The payout fee will probably be equivalent to what I've earned since the last payout. No loss there. This new concept will only help the ship sink faster. Pimping my images for a $1 for a $50 payout really sickens me the more I think about it.  Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2014, 02:08 by wordplanet »

« Reply #46 on: January 18, 2014, 02:05 »
+14
I didn't want to delay and just sent them a message requesting that they close my account. No financial consequences really since I was making so little there, but I feel good that I did it.

I want out of their "exclusive" club!  8)

marthamarks

« Reply #47 on: January 18, 2014, 02:13 »
+11
I didn't want to delay and just sent them a message requesting that they close my account.

I did exactly the same thing tonight. I want nothing more to do with FT and their "Dollar Club."

« Reply #48 on: January 19, 2014, 09:23 »
0
I wonder if these sales will be reported in such a way that we know where the sales came from: FT or FT-Dollar Club, or if they are simply going to hide it all under one mysterious umbrella. 

« Reply #49 on: January 19, 2014, 10:50 »
0
I wonder if these sales will be reported in such a way that we know where the sales came from: FT or FT-Dollar Club, or if they are simply going to hide it all under one mysterious umbrella.

There won't be any way to identify sales from DPC, I asked.


 

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