All they need to do now is change the name of FT so I could feel like maybe I could trust them again.  But so nice to wake up to some positive news for once!

I expect another positive spin.
Only 20% of my FT sales come from US.
Now, with the increased exposure through Adobe Cloud, the US sales will probably get a visible boost!
And since FT has already a slightly better average $/DL than SS, with this increase, it's good news for the contributors, even if FT eats up some of the SS US market share.

Quote from: ultimagaina on June 16, 2015, 09:36

I expect another positive spin.
Only 20% of my FT sales come from US.
Now, with the increased exposure through Adobe Cloud, the US sales will probably get a visible boost!
And since FT has already a slightly better average $/DL than SS, with this increase, it's good news for the contributors, even if FT eats up some of the SS US market share.

What do you think SS will do if they lose market share to FT?

You never know. I'm only guessing that it might be more convenient for a busy PS user to try and then buy a photo without leaving PS.
If FT can now grow in US, without affecting the SS sales, that's even better.

I just hope Adobe fix that page that
shows our Social Securuty numbers....and blur some numbers out just like all other companies do.
Because that is a huuuuuuuuuuuge flaw in their system.

Since Adobe stepped into fotolia things seems to improve a lot. Hope the sales are going the same way. Thanks for the good work.

I agree. But I hate the company for trying to turn us into software rental sharecroppers with the CC scheme, but I'm making much more per sale. Most of them have been non-subscription.

Quote from: tickstock on June 16, 2015, 09:57

I agree but SS will probably respond so they don't lose too much market share.  The most obvious way would be by lowering prices.

Anything is possible, but that solution seems to ignore the last 5 years in micro for SS.

How so?  Shutterstock has been taking market share for the last 5 years this seems like it could be a real challenge.

Quote from: tickstock on June 16, 2015, 09:50

Quote from: ultimagaina on June 16, 2015, 09:36

I expect another positive spin.
Only 20% of my FT sales come from US.
Now, with the increased exposure through Adobe Cloud, the US sales will probably get a visible boost!
And since FT has already a slightly better average $/DL than SS, with this increase, it's good news for the contributors, even if FT eats up some of the SS US market share.

What do you think SS will do if they lose market share to FT?

I don't think SS will lower prices, price isn't the attraction with CC/FT, it's the convenience of staying in program and using the image before you buy it. Difficult to see how SS or anyone else can compete with that. BIG USP for them and probably one of the most attractive in the marketplace. Buyers will pay a bit more for that to save their time.

You think of all the service businesses out there who only thrive because they provide services that people either haven't got the skills to do themselves, can't be bothered to do or do not have the time to do; cleaners, chaffeurs, gardeners, printers, photographers, etc, etc. People will pay for convenience and in a business like the creative market where the more time you have the more money you earn it, will be accepted wholesale.

So you think they'll just sit back and allow FT to take market share without doing anything?

Potentially, this is very bad news indeed for those of us who could not accept Fotolia's behaviour and quit the agency (and very bad news for the other agencies).  I wish they'd bought up DT or one of the others. I guess I'm just lucky that things have happened which mean my stock earnings are no longer a vital part of my finances.

Quote from: Me on June 16, 2015, 10:20

Quote from: tickstock on June 16, 2015, 09:50

Quote from: ultimagaina on June 16, 2015, 09:36

I expect another positive spin.
Only 20% of my FT sales come from US.
Now, with the increased exposure through Adobe Cloud, the US sales will probably get a visible boost!
And since FT has already a slightly better average $/DL than SS, with this increase, it's good news for the contributors, even if FT eats up some of the SS US market share.

What do you think SS will do if they lose market share to FT?

I don't think SS will lower prices, price isn't the attraction with CC/FT, it's the convenience of staying in program and using the image before you buy it. Difficult to see how SS or anyone else can compete with that. BIG USP for them and probably one of the most attractive in the marketplace. Buyers will pay a bit more for that to save their time.

You think of all the service businesses out there who only thrive because they provide services that people either haven't got the skills to do themselves, can't be bothered to do or do not have the time to do; cleaners, chaffeurs, gardeners, printers, photographers, etc, etc. People will pay for convenience and in a business like the creative market where the more time you have the more money you earn it, will be accepted wholesale.

So you think they'll just sit back and allow FT to take market share without doing anything?

Not at all, I think they will need to do something eventually, I just don't think it will be prices. Putting prices down will put pressure on their margins against a back drop of what we assume will be dropping market share, also assuming they would not reduce royalties any lower than they currently pay, that would mean a direct hit on their bottom line - reducing income and static costs - which would then have an immediate impact on share price and dividends. Something they cannot permit to happen.

They would be better off putting prices up to maintain margin and static royalties and try to come up with an innovative technological solution.

Quote from: cthoman on June 16, 2015, 10:11

Quote from: tickstock on June 16, 2015, 09:57

I agree but SS will probably respond so they don't lose too much market share.  The most obvious way would be by lowering prices.

Anything is possible, but that solution seems to ignore the last 5 years in micro for SS.

How so?  Shutterstock has been taking market share for the last 5 years this seems like it could be a real challenge.

In that SS has had most of its growth in the last years based on higher priced packages. It clearly seems like the trend they have been moving towards. Obviously, subs are a stable workhorse, but lowering prices on those is a double-edged sword. They will probably have to bear some of the brunt of any price lowering with losses in profit, since contributor claw backs have not typically gone well for companies. But if they want to ignore all that, then they can. It would seem weird to do that though.

That and as others have said, they'd be losing market share on services offered not price. So, what impact would it have to lower prices? Are cheaper subs going to lure you away from convenience? Probably not. Since there isn't much of an Adobe competitor they could work on their Facebook deal or something with another company like the Microsoft deal, but I'm not sure how well any of those have gone. I guess you could try to buy Adobe, but that seems insane.

Mat, any plans to give exclusive contributors a better deal on Adobe sales than nonexclusive contributors or files.? 

Shutterstock next to make a new piece of software to compete with Photoshop?