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Author Topic: Dollar Photo Club, Pros and Cons...  (Read 13816 times)

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lucato

  • [<o>] Brasil


« on: July 30, 2014, 06:12 »
+1
Hi folks, I'd like to hear from those that opted out why you did it and what are your CONS thoughts on the contributors side and from those that opted in Dollar Photo Club, what are the PROS on the contributors side and how are the sales doing, and etc.
Feel free to mention your Pros/Cons toughts also on the buyers side too.
Thanks
and have a nice day.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2014, 06:36 by lucato »


ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2014, 06:21 »
+1
I'm not over there but the only pro I can imagine is that it's affordable for non-business buyers, e.g. teachers. In desperation, I might have bought some $10 packages whereas no other model was affordable when I was teaching.
Cons are that existing buyers will surely switch, unless (and I don't know the system) the time involved in constantly buying $10 bundles is prohibitive, or a high proportion of the types of image they want are unavailable.

« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2014, 06:57 »
+16
The "con" would be falling earnings across most sites. I'm seeing that but, of course, I  can't be sure that DPC is responsible.

Justanotherphotographer

« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2014, 07:36 »
+21
The biggest problem is the  fundamental unsustainability built into the model, one dollar tomorrow is worth less than one dollar today. You are committed to a future of ever lowering commission even if they don't cut our rates, but of course they will have to cut our rates to increase their profits given they can't adjust their sales price. Any talk of growing the market to offset this we all know from long experience is just PR.

Add to this the underhanded way in which the deal was handled. Not informing us about the site shows they knew that it was a bad deal for contributors while trying to pass it off as a partner site rather than a Fotolia owned project goes to whole new level of deceitfulness. Selling it differently to customers and investors than to us is more laughable than anything else. Anyone with Google search can see the interviews saying they are directly targeting our sales on other sites.

The concept could have been good if Fotolia allowed opt in by image and upsold some premium content from a sister site at a standard much higher price. I can see a big volume of stuff that could be sold at rock bottom prices, but there's also a chunk of my portfolio which I would never be prepared to opt in. The fact that it is an all or nothing deal means there's no way I can do it, and I also think short sighted on  their part.

Shame really it could have been a win win. I wish they didn't feel they had to "get one over" on contributors to succeed.

« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2014, 07:41 »
+20
As Baldrick said, the con is cut throat earnings. Other sites will follow because it will become price wars across the board. DPC devalues your work, sends a message to the entire industry that contributors are okay with such low royalties, so why wouldn't other agencies follow? Fotolia has been deceitful for years, so I would also add that you don't yet know what's next when you are opted it, if they will even bother communicating unfavorable decisions (and they don't, for the record) in the hopes that contributors won't catch it. Just like DPC.  They automatically opted everyone in without their permission. Only when someone found out and Zhit hit the fan did they provide an opt out.  Once they provided an opt out they rushed in an extended license scheme to draw in more contributors. The bottom line for is is that once you opt in you are effectively telling the industry that this level of pricing is something for which you agree and others will follow.  If your work is on higher paying sites you risk losing that revenue stream (or lot of it) and receiving, in totality, less due to DPC.  It is a poison to micro stock and every contributor should consider the consequences of opting in.

Edit....I wanted to add that Fotolia is a vindictive agency. If you speak negatively about them and their policies and practices they will retaliate by closing your account. This happened to several people here on msg who exposed them, criticized them and encouraged others not to upload to DPC. That is a very poor character for an agency to possess and not one in which makes a contributor feel welcome, rather controlled not in just what you upload but what you say.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2014, 09:09 by Mantis »

« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2014, 07:49 »
+8
WRONG TOPIC TITLE !

It should be:

Dollar Photo Club, Cons...

stocked

« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2014, 07:57 »
+13
PRO: you can make Oleg and KKR even more richer (if that is what you desire)
CON: everything else!

MxR

« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2014, 08:01 »
+15
Pros: Your portfolio will have short-term more subscription download

Con:Medium - long term: who will want to spend more than a dollar in your images in other sites? 

then be time to mourn and complain ...




« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2014, 08:29 »
+14

Pro: It's another way to earn.

Con: It's another way to earn at the expense and risk of future earnings elsewhere. Every buyer who moves their purchasing over to DPC means a loss of that business elsewhere, and since pretty much everywhere else pays better, it's a loss of earnings for all of us. It is potentially a huge long-term loss for everyone, whether you're opted in or not. All DPC needs to achieve is even modest success to start to severely negatively impacting the entire market.

« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2014, 09:18 »
+16
Pro: Gain ability to earn pennies today.
Con: Lose ability to earn dollars tomorrow!

« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2014, 11:02 »
+7
Since I removed my port from DPC, I get sginficantly more L-XL, etc downloads, and my income from fotolia has risen nicely.... so I don't really see what the_helll the pros could be.

the forum is set up to remove 'what_the_hell'? really? how childish can you get? grow up!
« Last Edit: July 30, 2014, 11:05 by topol »

« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2014, 11:28 »
+5
I cant think of pros.  Cons are said already.  Only reasons I seen for being in DPC are 'micro is a dead end so get what you can and get out.'  That don't really count as a pro I think.

« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2014, 12:06 »
+18
For me it was all cons.  The only reason not to opt out immediately was that it also meant opting out of Fotolia.  Once they offered an opt out specifically for DPC, that argument evaporated.

As for the cons, it helps to consider why subscription sales are good for suppliers.  In essence, a customer is buying more than he or she needs.  Once they've downloaded what they require, either they use some or all of their remaining downloads or they lose them.  So customers download a lot more than they need, and suppliers get more sales as a result.  Yes, each sale is for a small amount.  But if we get enough of them, they add up nicely.

I can see this "might as well DL; I've paid for it" attitude in my own sales.  I upload many images from my people shoots, and I often see five, ten, or a lot more downloads at the same time.  I assume those are from individual customers who use their extra DL slots because they like my subjects.  They don't need them, but they can download them for free.  So they do.

Customers have two purchase models: subscriptions where they pay very little per download but need to download a lot to get the value; and individual purchases for a lot more per purchase.  (Credit packages are individual purchases with a volume discount; the customer gets a price break but still pays a lot more per image than a subscription offers.)  As suppliers, we get a combination of lots of small sales (subscription) and fewer large sales (one off/on demand/credit sales).

What DPC offers is per-image pricing that's close to subscriptions but without the benefit of lots of sales.  It's the worst of both worlds for suppliers.  And that's before we consider Fotolia's history of reducing supplier royalties.  Whatever pittance they pay us now will likely be reduced the next time their accountants decide they need more profit.  And if they succeed in closing down sales at other agencies with their low low prices and minimal commitment, why wouldn't they reduce royalties to the bone?  Fear for alienating their suppliers?  Not likely.

lucato

  • [<o>] Brasil


« Reply #13 on: July 31, 2014, 04:38 »
-7
I'm not defending DPC, but just as a doubt:

I see all folks complaining about it, on the other hand, I see a bunch of these contributors also sells their image at Shutterstock which also has a subscription plans that you make from $0.25 to $0.38 per image. I would say it is the same as a Dollar Photo Club income with other name: 25-A-Day subscription plan and DPC pays you $0.25 to $0.40.

So, in sum, isn't it the same? I am wrong?

 

« Reply #14 on: July 31, 2014, 05:00 »
+4
I'm not defending DPC, but just as a doubt:

I see all folks complaining about it, on the other hand, I see a bunch of these contributors also sells their image at Shutterstock which also has a subscription plans that you make from $0.25 to $0.38 per image. I would say it is the same as a Dollar Photo Club income with other name: 25-A-Day subscription plan and DPC pays you $0.25 to $0.40.

So, in sum, isn't it the same? I am wrong?

I'm sorry but I feel like you are asking the same question over and over again. I read most of the comments in this thread and other threads related to DPC, I thought this has been answered many times.

MxR

« Reply #15 on: July 31, 2014, 05:05 »
+1
You know nothing John Snow!

Justanotherphotographer

« Reply #16 on: July 31, 2014, 05:09 »
+3
I'm not defending DPC, but just as a doubt:

I see all folks complaining about it, on the other hand, I see a bunch of these contributors also sells their image at Shutterstock which also has a subscription plans that you make from $0.25 to $0.38 per image. I would say it is the same as a Dollar Photo Club income with other name: 25-A-Day subscription plan and DPC pays you $0.25 to $0.40.

So, in sum, isn't it the same? I am wrong?

I think the differences have been covered. To be brutally honest some work is only worth $1 a download. Some people's whole portfolios fall into this category. If you feel your work does and your sales will dry up when these super cheap sites proliferate go ahead and sell on there (not saying yours does, I haven't checked your links, just talking generally)

This is why I am so confused as to FLs stance on this. There is so clearly more than one level of content both in term of production cost and quality. This could be the future of low end micro, but there's a lot of stuff on FLs main site that can command a much higher price. Why make it all or nothing?
« Last Edit: July 31, 2014, 05:22 by Justanotherphotographer »


Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #17 on: July 31, 2014, 05:46 »
+6
I'm not defending DPC, but just as a doubt:

I see all folks complaining about it, on the other hand, I see a bunch of these contributors also sells their image at Shutterstock which also has a subscription plans that you make from $0.25 to $0.38 per image. I would say it is the same as a Dollar Photo Club income with other name: 25-A-Day subscription plan and DPC pays you $0.25 to $0.40.

So, in sum, isn't it the same? I am wrong?

Disorderly explained the difference quite clearly in the post directly above yours. Did you read it?

« Reply #18 on: July 31, 2014, 08:41 »
+12
...Shutterstock which also has a subscription plans that you make from $0.25 to $0.38 per image. I would say it is the same as a Dollar Photo Club income with other name: 25-A-Day subscription plan and DPC pays you $0.25 to $0.40.

So, in sum, isn't it the same? I am wrong?

Yes, you are wrong.

You can't get a Shutterstock subscription for $10.


« Reply #19 on: July 31, 2014, 08:44 »
+3
...Shutterstock which also has a subscription plans that you make from $0.25 to $0.38 per image. I would say it is the same as a Dollar Photo Club income with other name: 25-A-Day subscription plan and DPC pays you $0.25 to $0.40.

So, in sum, isn't it the same? I am wrong?

Yes, you are wrong.

You can't get a Shutterstock subscription for $10.

Right and that is what disorderly pointed out in more detail.

« Reply #20 on: July 31, 2014, 09:08 »
+10
So, in sum, isn't it the same? I am wrong?

No, it's not remotely the same.  SS gives a subscription customer 25 download slots each day; whatever they don't use, they lose, which encourages them to download lots of extra images.  That means lots of extra sales for us.

DPC on the other hand sells image packs that they call a subscription.  The packs are small and cheap.  Unlike a subscription, the rights to download don't expire.  So use one or two, and the rest are waiting for whenever they're needed.  That means a customer can download just one or two images (much cheaper than an equivalent image pack at Shutterstock) and save the others for another time.  Nothing to encourage extra downloads; no "use it or lose it".  So the customer gets low prices per download and no incentive to download more.

« Reply #21 on: July 31, 2014, 18:31 »
0
You know nothing John Snow!

 ;D   ;D

« Reply #22 on: July 31, 2014, 19:33 »
-4
All I can say is that once they put in DPC and the raises, my Fotolia earnings went up between 50 and 60 percent per month. My OD sales on Shutterstock have improved, too. I didn't have a single day in July without an OD sale. Sometimes, I don't get an OD on a Saturday or Sunday in there somewhere.

That's only my personal experience. Others may have a different experience, but that's what I'm going on.

« Reply #23 on: July 31, 2014, 20:54 »
+8
Feel free to mention your Pros/Cons toughts also on the buyers side too.

I don't sell through Fotolia any more so I can't speak as a contributor, but I was pretty active in spreading the word about what a complete disaster this program is for contributors. Volume discounts with no volume commitments.

Those who have been persuaded to stay with the program have probably been given a boost in the Fotolia search results as a reward, and thanks to the large chunk of opted out content, they're lucky that they haven't seen a hit to their income elsewhere.

It's burying your head in the sand to think this is how things would continue if everyone offered their content to such destructive (for contributors) schemes. Buyers don't turn on a dime - they have credits or subscriptions that they need to use up first. Seeing no immediate tanking of sales should not be mistaken for a sign of the longer term future.

From a buyer's point of view, if you could get all the greatest content at those flea market prices without having to do more than commit $10 a month it's great - why wouldn't you take that?

It's up to contributors to starve the sleazy deals of content - or at least of the latest or best content. I agree that if Fotolia had tried to offer a bargain bin site and had let contributors decide what to offer at the lower prices it would have been a great idea. But that wouldn't have given them the big splash headlines (which I expect are all about pleasing their private equity investors who are looking for some money to pay themselves a nice big dividend.

I find it both amazing and exceedingly dispiriting that so many of the bigger contributors stayed with this. Sort of like the proverbial turkeys voting for thanksgiving...

Uncle Pete

« Reply #24 on: July 31, 2014, 21:34 »
+1
Real simple, if I was GETTING a dollar per download, I'd be begging to be a contributor to FT. Instead, I left and they paid me, and everyone is happy. Myself because I'm not working for them and FT because, I'm not working for them. See how simple it can be?  :)

You want really simple. Someone could start a CrapStock agency and pay $1 a DL and not pull stunts, threaten or cheat contributors (with back door deals selling LEs at sub rates) and have the fastest collection of the best images, in a blink.

Why hasn't this happened?


 

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