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Author Topic: Alamy Revised Contract, More "Good News"  (Read 20502 times)

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« Reply #50 on: May 18, 2021, 18:56 »
+2
The question is, do they still allow us to place the images as RM? If RM does not exist, then they should inform us.


ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #51 on: May 18, 2021, 20:20 »
+3
The question is, do they still allow us to place the images as RM? If RM does not exist, then they should inform us.
At the moment yes, but they have reserved the right to sell RM as RF, or not to licence 'for money' at all.
Read what they've written. They have introduced a lot of sneaky new clauses, knowing that most people will understandably focus on the pay cuts.
Just think about the weasel words:
"there is not and will not be during the term of this Contract, be any limitation or restriction on Alamys ability to license the Content;" (the second 'be' is superfluous. Their proof reading isn't great.)

Go and look at the very long discussion on their forum. Mostly focussed on the pay cut, but some concerns about the clauses.
https://discussion.alamy.com/topic/14386-contract-change-2021-official-thread
One might even speculate that they're going to cave in or compromise about the pay cut, which bizarrely they claim won't impact their bottom line (so why do it?), and people will be so happy the unacceptable clauses will fly through unchallenged.

I don't care if they say they won't do this, or they won't do that. The fact that their contract allows them to do something (just about anything in this case) means they're thinking about it. They have already reneged on PS's pledge that contributor commisions wouldn't change.

Also being discussed on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AlamyContent/status/1394223669690322947

And remember: "Scratch any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist." (George Carlin)





« Reply #52 on: May 19, 2021, 06:09 »
0
Given there is no point now in having exclusive images on Alamy, is there a way to globally change all of a portfolio to non-exclusive? I know you can make default settings for future uploads but can you make the change en masse for existing images? Alternatively, as 95% of my Alamy images currently are exclusive, any suggestions for another agency where it makes sense to have exclusive images (these were uploaded to Alamy on the premise that they were different to the bog-standard stock stuff for other sites)?

« Reply #53 on: May 20, 2021, 09:31 »
0
Even in the current setup Alamy's a little confusing in commission for most sales

30% is Alamy
40% is distributor commission

So you essentially end up with some 30% even now or am i missing something.

With the new format, the distributor will still continue to take their cut of 40% and Alamy will take 80% of the rest so you get an amazing 12% . Are they determined to make Shutterstock look like the good guys

 Alamy's been such a small earner that never really looked into it
« Last Edit: May 20, 2021, 09:40 by Rage »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #54 on: May 20, 2021, 09:42 »
0
Even in the current setup Alamy's a little confusing in commission for most sales

30% is Alamy
40% is distributor commission

So you essentially end up with some 30% even now or am i missing something. Alamy's been such a small earner that never really looked into it
Yes, it's 30% to us now for sales via distributors.


The new deal says:
For Content sales via our Distributors after deduction of Distributor fee or commission will be 60% Alamy, 40% to us. The chart should be much more transparent - the new chart doesn't even specify that the distributor commission will be 40%.

« Reply #55 on: May 20, 2021, 13:35 »
+3
I don't see anything good in the new terms. The $ percentages aren't that bad as getting 250$ net is pretty easy and getting $25000 is pretty impossible. I can't say the little details are good though. I don't even really see how they can say some of the things they do, but I am guessing either their lawyers said it was good or just figure they will try and if it gets struck down they lose nothing.

In other news I also got a few low low priced sales there (I get down to 8 cents) as well as a refund of the one good sale this month. It certainly is not very motivating.

« Reply #56 on: May 20, 2021, 14:06 »
0
Quote
For Content sales via our Distributors after deduction of Distributor fee or commission will be 60% Alamy, 40% to us. The chart should be much more transparent - the new chart doesn't even specify that the distributor commission will be 40%.


yes nice deal : and in return, vice versa from sales through alamy for content from the distributor
                the distributor-contributor gets a percentage after the Alamy fee



win win situation


take the effort to calculate your real percentage of the original customer selling price,
you will be shocked of a very small one-digit number

« Reply #57 on: May 20, 2021, 16:17 »
0
If I'm not wrong, considering the License Fee, the commissions for sales via Distributors will be :
- Gold and Platinum : 40% for Distributor, 36% for Alamy, 24% for contributor
- Silver : 40% for Distributor, 48% for Alamy, 12% for contributor

For now these commissions are :
- 40% for Distributor, 30% for Alamy, 30% for contributor

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #58 on: May 20, 2021, 17:13 »
0
If I'm not wrong, considering the License Fee, the commissions for sales via Distributors will be :
- Gold and Platinum : 40% for Distributor, 36% for Alamy, 24% for contributor
- Silver : 40% for Distributor, 48% for Alamy, 12% for contributor

For now these commissions are :
- 40% for Distributor, 30% for Alamy, 30% for contributor
Can you please tell me where you see what the distributor will get?
It's not on the "Has been replaced by the following table:" chart, which would be the most logical place to put it.

« Reply #59 on: May 21, 2021, 02:47 »
0
If I'm not wrong, considering the License Fee, the commissions for sales via Distributors will be :
- Gold and Platinum : 40% for Distributor, 36% for Alamy, 24% for contributor
- Silver : 40% for Distributor, 48% for Alamy, 12% for contributor

For now these commissions are :
- 40% for Distributor, 30% for Alamy, 30% for contributor
Can you please tell me where you see what the distributor will get?
It's not on the "Has been replaced by the following table:" chart, which would be the most logical place to put it.
I did not find this information either, I just used the current distributor's share (40%) to make the comparison.

« Reply #60 on: May 21, 2021, 04:51 »
+1
They are slashing our royalties AND are ready to license our images any way they want, even grant them free.

This must be the most exciting news ever.

What are contributors doing to resist this? Is there a plan of action?

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #61 on: May 21, 2021, 05:11 »
+1
They are slashing our royalties AND are ready to license our images any way they want, even grant them free.

This must be the most exciting news ever.

What are contributors doing to resist this? Is there a plan of action?

Have you read the forum over there?

Has a plan of action ever worked before?

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #62 on: May 21, 2021, 05:13 »
0
If I'm not wrong, considering the License Fee, the commissions for sales via Distributors will be :
- Gold and Platinum : 40% for Distributor, 36% for Alamy, 24% for contributor
- Silver : 40% for Distributor, 48% for Alamy, 12% for contributor

For now these commissions are :
- 40% for Distributor, 30% for Alamy, 30% for contributor
Can you please tell me where you see what the distributor will get?
It's not on the "Has been replaced by the following table:" chart, which would be the most logical place to put it.
I did not find this information either, I just used the current distributor's share (40%) to make the comparison.

OK, fair enough as an example comparison only

NOT showing what the distributer share will be is just one example of the lack of transparency in the new contract which worries me even more than the commission cut.

Uncle Pete

  • Great Place by a Great Lake - My Home Port
« Reply #63 on: May 21, 2021, 10:33 »
+1
The question is, do they still allow us to place the images as RM? If RM does not exist, then they should inform us.

And why did we get the notice about having them investigate use for exclusive images, if there aren't going to be exclusive images?

"If you're in that income group, congratulations, but by far the majority of suppliers do not have that value of sales from Alamy, so will get "Gold"/40% and the lower earners, under $250pa, will drop further, to 20%."

Really, so the incentive for people to upload more will be, we're paying you 20% less for your work? More like a punishment or desire to weed out low earners?

Every image that I haven't bothered to upload to Wirestock and click Alamy will now be included there, instead of my uploads to Alamy for myself. That way I'll get the higher commission and give WS 15% of that. Simple math, I'll make more!

« Reply #64 on: May 21, 2021, 12:22 »
0
Exactly!

wirestock gets the 40% (they told me they have defenitly more tha 250 per year), then they cut the 15%, which makes for us contributors: instead of getting 40%, we get 34%, BUT NOT THE crap 20%

I closed my account on Alamy. In 45 days I can just click on the images in wirestock for submit to alamy.
Because I also nearly closing my account on Adobe, it is the same way. Deposit: I also delete there and click on deposit in wirestock later for deposit.
What I will leave on Adobe, Deposit: What wirestock did not accept because of similary, but Adobe and Deposit later on accepted. So, might be I will get my payout on Adobe and Deposit not before I die, but it might be just nice to see: Hey, you got a sale! LOL
But the real money I make via wirestock. I sold anyway more there than on the personal accounts.

And before dreamstime comes around with their new exciting announcement:
I will move all images from there also to wirestock. Even I would get more money for each sale on dreamstime, but I do not want to dream, when i get paid from dreamstime with its contributor unfriendly 100 $ limit! No! Then I am okay with the cut of 15% from wirestock and I will get faster money from my images.

AND: Everything getting much easier: uploading, (well, keywording not really, if we really care on our images and sales, then better we keyword ourselve.)

csm

« Reply #65 on: May 21, 2021, 17:20 »
0
Exactly!

wirestock gets the 40% (they told me they have defenitly more tha 250 per year), then they cut the 15%, which makes for us contributors: instead of getting 40%, we get 34%, BUT NOT THE crap 20%

I closed my account on Alamy. In 45 days I can just click on the images in wirestock for submit to alamy.
Because I also nearly closing my account on Adobe, it is the same way. Deposit: I also delete there and click on deposit in wirestock later for deposit.
What I will leave on Adobe, Deposit: What wirestock did not accept because of similary, but Adobe and Deposit later on accepted. So, might be I will get my payout on Adobe and Deposit not before I die, but it might be just nice to see: Hey, you got a sale! LOL
But the real money I make via wirestock. I sold anyway more there than on the personal accounts.

And before dreamstime comes around with their new exciting announcement:
I will move all images from there also to wirestock. Even I would get more money for each sale on dreamstime, but I do not want to dream, when i get paid from dreamstime with its contributor unfriendly 100 $ limit! No! Then I am okay with the cut of 15% from wirestock and I will get faster money from my images.

AND: Everything getting much easier: uploading, (well, keywording not really, if we really care on our images and sales, then better we keyword ourselve.)

What happens if Wirestock decide to change their terms and conditions for a higher fee or goes under in 5 years time?

« Reply #66 on: May 22, 2021, 03:19 »
0
Then it is even not worth it to upload anywhere, well, in real it is not worth it anymore NOW already.
Even for me, who is not doing it for profit -  more for a hobby. but seeing what these agencies doing with us - respectless like it is - so even for me the motivation gets lost.


« Reply #67 on: May 22, 2021, 10:34 »
+2
They are slashing our royalties AND are ready to license our images any way they want, even grant them free.

This must be the most exciting news ever.

What are contributors doing to resist this? Is there a plan of action?

Have you read the forum over there?

Has a plan of action ever worked before?
Well, the last time Alamy did introduce the 50/50 deal, when contributors complained about new contract and the payment cut. That is when action was actually helpful.

Their official response was just full of explanations and excuses.

Where is the Stock Coalition now?

« Reply #68 on: May 22, 2021, 10:57 »
0
The question is, do they still allow us to place the images as RM? If RM does not exist, then they should inform us.

And why did we get the notice about having them investigate use for exclusive images, if there aren't going to be exclusive images?

"If you're in that income group, congratulations, but by far the majority of suppliers do not have that value of sales from Alamy, so will get "Gold"/40% and the lower earners, under $250pa, will drop further, to 20%."

Really, so the incentive for people to upload more will be, we're paying you 20% less for your work? More like a punishment or desire to weed out low earners?

Every image that I haven't bothered to upload to Wirestock and click Alamy will now be included there, instead of my uploads to Alamy for myself. That way I'll get the higher commission and give WS 15% of that. Simple math, I'll make more!

That's a good point.

At least for now, it is not difficult for me to generate $250 sales in a year. If the income declines more, I will not be there either.

I hope Alamy will not make it more and more irrelevant.

« Reply #69 on: June 09, 2021, 11:45 »
+1
In case some hadn't seen this, Alamy has revised the contract (slightly) and reset the 45 day clock to accept - it's now July 24th.

They posted about the changes in the contributor forum - here's a link to that post (the thread is massive) made earlier today

https://discussion.alamy.com/topic/14386-contract-change-2021-official-thread/?do=findComment&comment=290586



Uncle Pete

  • Great Place by a Great Lake - My Home Port
« Reply #70 on: November 09, 2021, 11:13 »
+1
In case some hadn't seen this, Alamy has revised the contract (slightly) and reset the 45 day clock to accept - it's now July 24th.

They posted about the changes in the contributor forum - here's a link to that post (the thread is massive) made earlier today

https://discussion.alamy.com/topic/14386-contract-change-2021-official-thread/?do=findComment&comment=290586

Since I was thinking of this and whether I was going to be Silver 20% or make the cut for 40% Gold, "This Year" or what to do for the future, I wrote and asked Alamy, what was a year, 12 months, calendar year or what?

The financial year runs from July to July. In July 2022 your revenue will be reviewed based on what you have earnt between July 2021 and July 2022.



GROSS income, not net. As soon as anyone reaches $250 they are gold the rest of that year.

11.5. If you agree for your Content to be made available via the Distribution Scheme, you agree
for your Content to be used free of charge in Promotional/Marketing Material by any Distributor
based in your selected territory to promote the sales of the Content and/or to enhance
awareness of the Alamy name/brand or that of the individual Contributor or Distributor.

(my underline) Promotions and in order to display your images. Not free use for customers.

"Promotional/Marketing Material" 
means promotional and marketing material that will include, but not be limited to PR pieces (for
example, articles in magazines or newspapers, magazine competition/subscription offers, magazine
cover mounts, front, inside and back cover Content), events (for example, inclusion of work in panels
or other materials for Alamy events and third party events with which Alamy is involved, trade stands),
direct mail (for example, inclusion of Content in printed mailing or promotional piece, postcards),
advertisements (for example, guides to stock, magazine advertisements, magazine inserts, banner
advertisements, ambient media, e.g. projection onto a wall, Content on a promotional coffee cup),
email newsletters and text/Content based e- promos (for example, Alamy marketing emails, Alamy e-
newsletters, viral newsletters and competitions ), search engine listing and promotion and Alamy
ratified social media sites and apps, use in information graphics, supply of Content to third parties for
use in Content galleries (Content unaccompanied by copy) and editorial pieces (Content accompanied
by copy), websites and blogs in return for publicity, specific ad-hoc marketing campaigns, supply of
Content to third parties for use in conferences/presentations/keynote speeches in exchange for
publicity, and other uses by third parties in return for publicity.

https://www.alamy.com/terms/contributor.aspx



« Reply #71 on: November 10, 2021, 16:37 »
0
As I saw yet another 21 cent (gross) sale yesterday, I thought I'd take a look at my Alamy earnings by their July 1 - June 30 fiscal year over time to see if this gnat-sized sales might make meeting the $250 gross threshold an issue for me.

I went back as far as July 1 2012 - June 30 2013 because I had previously only had RM sales at Alamy (a legacy of having been an iStock exclusive for a while).

Total value of sales have been trending downwards  over time (not a surprise), but I looked at the average value (gross) per sale for each of these fiscal years - ranged from a high of $113.20 in 2015/16 to a low of $6.58 this year!

So we're not even half way through this fiscal year yet, so it may be that the average will go up between now and next June 30th, but the current situation looks pretty dire.

Looking back, it has taken from 2.5 to 5 (roughly) sales to make the $250 gross threshold to keep my current 40% royalty. If the year to date pattern were to hold, I'd have to make 38 sales to get to $250.

That's quite a change, and I'm not seeing any wonderful increase in volume at Alamy.

I have some time to think, but I can't see accepting my royalties being cut in half as a result of Alamy's decline as an agency.

SVH

« Reply #72 on: November 10, 2021, 17:14 »
0
If the year to date pattern were to hold, I'd have to make 38 sales to get to $250.

Why even bother with an agency that wouldn't at minimum make one sale a week for you? It seems like a total waste of time.

All these times you look at your sales and most of the time things haven't changed. And then the effort of submitting, keywording and hoping someday they sell one of your pictures. It's almost masochistic.

I just stick with companies that do make sales. At least, they give you a smile, even if it is only once a day. I'm ditching all companies then don't offer this minimal reward.

For Real

« Reply #73 on: November 10, 2021, 18:56 »
+1
"I just stick with companies that do make sales. At least, they give you a smile, even if it is only once a day. I'm ditching all companies then don't offer this minimal reward"

Thus you will only be submitting to 3 companies out of 35 that show on the Microstock Poll Results  8)


ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #74 on: November 10, 2021, 20:46 »
0
Very surprised you're doing so badly, Jo Ann. Your portfolio there is so much nicer than mine. I have, admittedly, c2x the portfolio size, but I made $250 gross by early Sept. That can only mean that as is often said on their forum, UK editorial is their bread and butter1: unless, of course, you have the same pics elsewhere. As I'm still iS exclusive for RF, I have a different RM port on Alamy. 
1Though a lot of these are sold to newspapers or websites at a heavily discounted rate.

My ten year graph is here, as of yesterday. One little sale today makes the sales volume equal to last year.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f1kiacq90i19b92/Alamy.jpg?dl=0

Of course, although the gross revenue is up slightly on last year, the net will be considerably lower due to their grabbing of an extra 20%.

As I've often said, my net income from Alamy is considerably lower than I earn from iStock (with fewer pics on iS), even nowadays, though as the pics are different, it's not a direct comparison.
« Last Edit: November 11, 2021, 10:19 by ShadySue »


 

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