Author Topic: Exclusive Preparations (Read 26337 times)

cthoman · « **on:** December 11, 2009, 14:37 »

After reading the recent news at iStock, I'm definitely considering becoming exclusive. I've got a while to think over the decision.

I was wondering if anyone had some advice on making the transition. I know Dreamstime is a 6 month wait and I think BigStock is 3 months. Were there any other pitfalls from other agencies that I need to be aware of?

I haven't made up my mind on the final decision, but I'd like to start the long term preparations now.

Dook · « **Reply #1 on:** December 11, 2009, 14:52 »

Veer 3 months, too.
Alamy 6 months if you were there.

lisafx · « **Reply #2 on:** December 11, 2009, 16:52 »

Not at all surprising.

I never in a million years thought I would reconsider going exclusive with Istock, but with royalties dropping at the other sites, the potential 40% increase in contributor revenues that exclusives stand to gain is mighty tempting. I posted my thoughts in the IS year end thread, but to summarize, exclusivity may make the most economic sense going forward.

The things I would watch before making a final decision are:

1. Is best match going to go haywire again?
2. Will many customers leave as a result of the price increase? and
3. What will the other sites do to counter the appeal of what IS is offering?

Certainly the lure of exclusivity has definitely grown a lot with this announcement, I will be putting a final decision on hold until I see how the above questions are resolved.

I don't have any advice for you since I am in a similar boat, but I will be watching the thread to see what others advise.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #3 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:07 »

You can read what I'd posted about this a while back. AFAIK nothing has changed since:
http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/going-exclusive-before-and-after/

cthoman · « **Reply #4 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:12 »

OK, here is my little research project for today. These are the agencies that I submit too. Feel free to add to the list.

Dreamstime

Contributors are required to keep at least seventy (70%) percent of their portfolio online with Dreamstime.com for a period of at least six (6) months. You may disable all files older than six months from the date of review at any time. You will be allowed to disable a total of thirty (30%) percent of your total images submitted within the past six (6) months. Images that were disabled and then enabled again will be counted as new submissions, no matter of their original upload date.

Shutterstock

You have the right to remove any of your Submitted Content from the Shutterstock website at any time for any reason whatsoever. However, you may not remove Red Carpet Images for a period of two (2) years from the date any Red Carpet Images are accepted by Shutterstock.

iStockphoto

I didn't see any wording on image removal, but they did talk about termination of account.

This Agreement is effective until terminated. You may terminate this Agreement at any time by giving thirty (30) days written notice to iStockphoto using [email protected] or such other means of written notice acceptable to iStockphoto which enables confirmation of your identity and your intention to terminate.

Fotolia

I didn't see any wording on image removal, but they did talk about termination of account.

You may at any time terminate this Agreement by logging into your Membership Account on the Website and then sending a termination request to Fotolia.

StockXpert

Both parties can terminate your membership account for any reason with a written notice and proof of identity. Upon termination Stockxpert removes all your Images from the Website.

Big Stock Photo

Once submitted to the Image Approval Queue, Member may not remove images from site until after they have been posted for 90 days, regardless of whether the Member chooses to terminate their account.

123RF

I didn't see any wording on termination or image removal.

Crestock

I didn't see any wording on termination or image removal.

Can Stock Photo

Within thirty (30) business days after receiving written notice from Supplier to remove any Data Files, Company shall use reasonable efforts to remove such Data Files from the Site, and shall use reasonable efforts to cause such Data Files to be removed from the web sites of any sub-distributors. Any withdrawal or removal of Data Files will not affect existing rights or licenses granted by Company or sub-distributors to end users.

Veer Marketplace

You may request the removal of Content from the Site at any time, however, Content may persist in a User’s shopping cart up to sixty (60) days, and if purchased by a User, will remain available for download and sublicensing by such User for a sixty (60) day period. Further, Content may appear for a longer period on affiliate and partner sites, however Veer Marketplace will use reasonable efforts to cause Content to be removed form the Sites of any affiliates and partners within sixty (60) days from the removal from the Site.

Vectorstock

This Agreement is effective until it is terminated. You can terminate this Agreement by removing the content from VectorStock.com. The Agreement also terminates without notice from VectorStock® if at any time you fail to comply with any of its terms.

ClipArtof

ClipArtOf.com has the right to remove any image from the site or not accept an image for any reason at any time. In such a case, you will be notified with a reason. Contributors also have the right to remove any of their images or terminate their account at any time for any reason.

Graphic Leftovers

I didn't see any wording on termination or image removal.

lisafx · « **Reply #5 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:15 »

OT: Nice work on the new avatar JoAnn! As soon as I noticed your mouth was covered again on Istock's forum I knew something big was up

FWIW I am sure they will work out some accommodation on the cannister issue.

cthoman · « **Reply #6 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:16 »

Quote from: jsnover on December 11, 2009, 17:07

You can read what I'd posted about this a while back. AFAIK nothing has changed since:
http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/going-exclusive-before-and-after/

Thanks I'll check that out.

cthoman · « **Reply #7 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:21 »

Quote from: lisafx on December 11, 2009, 16:52

Not at all surprising.

I never in a million years thought I would reconsider going exclusive with Istock, but with royalties dropping at the other sites, the potential 40% increase in contributor revenues that exclusives stand to gain is mighty tempting. I posted my thoughts in the IS year end thread, but to summarize, exclusivity may make the most economic sense going forward.

The things I would watch before making a final decision are:

1. Is best match going to go haywire again?
2. Will many customers leave as a result of the price increase? and
3. What will the other sites do to counter the appeal of what IS is offering?

Certainly the lure of exclusivity has definitely grown a lot with this announcement, I will be putting a final decision on hold until I see how the above questions are resolved.

I don't have any advice for you since I am in a similar boat, but I will be watching the thread to see what others advise.

Yeah, I never thought I would be talking about it either. It's not like I was sitting on the fence. I had looked at the the fence, decided not to climb it and walked away. I will definitely be watching how the changes go, but for now, I thought I'd stop uploading to any sites with restrictions [cough, Dreamstime, cough]. Speaking of Dreamstime, I think I read that wording half a dozen times and still don't understand it. It's the deleting 30% of your portfolio that is throwing me.

KB · « **Reply #8 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:28 »

Quote from: cthoman on December 11, 2009, 17:21

Speaking of Dreamstime, I think I read that wording half a dozen times and still don't understand it. It's the deleting 30% of your portfolio that is throwing me.

Sort your DT portfolio by date, and see how many have been approved within 6 months.

Let's say you have 100. You are allowed to deactivate any 30 of those 100. (You would chose the most recent 30, of course.)

That's all it means.

vonkara · « **Reply #9 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:40 »

I'm going exclusive around December 26th. I had no problem to cancel my account at Alamy, as long as you copy the part in the agreement about terminating an account. I just received my last check from them today.

Dreamstime is the only problem I have right now. But it's comming to an end on the 26th and I just reach payout yesterday. Note that you can keep your account with most agencies in case of step back.

All your Dreamstime images are only disabled and can be unabled anytime. I think it's the same for Shutterstock, because all you have to do is uncheck SS in the partner tabs, somewhere in your profile.

I will have more information when I'll disable/delete all my accounts

le_cyclope · « **Reply #10 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:47 »

Quote from: Vonkara on December 11, 2009, 17:40

Note that you can keep your account with most agencies in case of step back.

That should be the correct strategy, keep the acount but disable the photos. Is it ok with iStock? I mean keeping accounts with other sites? I guess so.

Let us know how it will go, Vonkara.

Claude

cthoman · « **Reply #11 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:51 »

Quote from: le_cyclope on December 11, 2009, 17:47

Quote from: Vonkara on December 11, 2009, 17:40
Note that you can keep your account with most agencies in case of step back.

That should be the correct strategy, keep the acount but disable the photos. Is it ok with iStock? I mean keeping accounts with other sites? I guess so.

Let us know how it will go, Vonkara.

Claude

I wondered about this too. I do decent with Shutterstock affiliates, so it would be nice to keep earning from that.

vonkara · « **Reply #12 on:** December 11, 2009, 17:54 »

Quote from: le_cyclope on December 11, 2009, 17:47

Quote from: Vonkara on December 11, 2009, 17:40
Note that you can keep your account with most agencies in case of step back.

That should be the correct strategy, keep the acount but disable the photos. Is it ok with iStock? I mean keeping accounts with other sites? I guess so.

Let us know how it will go, Vonkara.

Claude

Sure I will do. If we can't and get rejected for exclusivity you will hear about it

____________Edited_____________
Full artist Exclusivity means no images, video or audio files may be sold on other royalty-free sites or businesses with the exception of Getty Images.
They don't talk about other accounts, just don't sell images there.

Exclusivity only covers your royalty-free stock files. iStock does not require Exclusivity for:

•Rights-managed files with other organizations
•Personal portfolio sites
•Work for hire/editorial work contracts
•Prints for sale
•Prints, t-shirts and the like produced on art-only sites such as cafepress.com
That mean you can still sell Editorial and RM at Alamy to me

crazychristina · « **Reply #13 on:** December 11, 2009, 18:08 »

I don't think Editorial work contracts covers selling editorial images as RF on a stock site.

vonkara · « **Reply #14 on:** December 11, 2009, 18:13 »

Yeah, that's where the fun start or is ending. I would really like to be able to do Editorial somewhere though

lisafx · « **Reply #15 on:** December 11, 2009, 18:21 »

Quote from: averil on December 11, 2009, 18:08

I don't think Editorial work contracts covers selling editorial images as RF on a stock site.

Alamy editorial is all RM (AFAIK).
Obviously any editorial selling RF on DT, SS, etc. will have to be removed along with the other images.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #16 on:** December 11, 2009, 18:25 »

Quote from: lisafx on December 11, 2009, 17:15

OT: Nice work on the new avatar JoAnn! As soon as I noticed your mouth was covered again on Istock's forum I knew something big was up

FWIW I am sure they will work out some accommodation on the cannister issue.

Let's hope.

Back on topic, the only new thing to watch for as far as closing accounts is getting things off partner sites. Partners of Fotolia (I think) caused a problem for one recent would-be exclusive. I don't think they even knew about the files, but iStock did and they were turned down.

I don't have any data on times required to clear the many partners, but back when Jupiter was starting up JIU/Photos.com+ at StockXpert they said up to 90 days, I think.

ap · « **Reply #17 on:** December 11, 2009, 19:13 »

Quote from: KB on December 11, 2009, 17:28

Quote from: cthoman on December 11, 2009, 17:21
Speaking of Dreamstime, I think I read that wording half a dozen times and still don't understand it. It's the deleting 30% of your portfolio that is throwing me.

Sort your DT portfolio by date, and see how many have been approved within 6 months.

Let's say you have 100. You are allowed to deactivate any 30 of those 100. (You would chose the most recent 30, of course.)

That's all it means.

thanks for digging this info out. i never knew there was a 30% allowance at dt. i think i'd been brainwashed by traveller116 about the whole 6 month tie up.

vonkara · « **Reply #18 on:** December 11, 2009, 19:25 »

Still 30% of your portfolio uploaded in the last 6 months change nothing, as there is 70% remaining. I know I only uploaded 3 at DT in the last 6 months and I can't deactivate any of them...

Quote from: jsnover on December 11, 2009, 18:25

Back on topic, the only new thing to watch for as far as closing accounts is getting things off partner sites. Partners of Fotolia (I think) caused a problem for one recent would-be exclusive. I don't think they even knew about the files, but iStock did and they were turned down.

I don't have any data on times required to clear the many partners, but back when Jupiter was starting up JIU/Photos.com+ at StockXpert they said up to 90 days, I think.

Thanks for the info. I just unchecked all the partnership options. But I can't figure where is this option at 123RF yet..?

KB · « **Reply #19 on:** December 11, 2009, 19:25 »

Quote from: ap on December 11, 2009, 19:13

Quote from: KB on December 11, 2009, 17:28
Quote from: cthoman on December 11, 2009, 17:21
Speaking of Dreamstime, I think I read that wording half a dozen times and still don't understand it. It's the deleting 30% of your portfolio that is throwing me.

Sort your DT portfolio by date, and see how many have been approved within 6 months.

Let's say you have 100. You are allowed to deactivate any 30 of those 100. (You would chose the most recent 30, of course.)

That's all it means.

thanks for digging this info out. i never knew there was a 30% allowance at dt. i think i'd been brainwashed by traveller116 about the whole 6 month tie up.

I should have mentioned, in case it isn't obvious, that images older than 6 months can be deactivated without restriction.

Now what I'd like to know is how long they remain deactivated? I've read that they will automatically be deleted after 4 months, but I've had 4 files deactivated in my account for much, much longer than that. Anyone have a definitive word about that?

KB · « **Reply #20 on:** December 11, 2009, 19:30 »

Quote from: Vonkara on December 11, 2009, 19:25

Still 30% of your portfolio uploaded in the last 6 months change nothing, as there is 70% remaining. I know I only uploaded 3 at DT in the last 6 months and I can't deactivate any of them...

Yeah, unfortunately in your case, you could deactivate only 0.9 of a file -- worthless.

But there are situations where it can be very helpful. Someone who uploaded 30 files in Sep and 10 files this month could deactivate all 10 of those files in Feb (before any of the 30 Sep files turned 6 months old) and then just wait a few days or weeks for those Sep files to turn 6 months old.

stockastic · « **Reply #21 on:** December 11, 2009, 19:48 »

If the search ranking for non-exclusives will now be as cr@ppy as some are saying, it could take a new contributor an extremely long time to get the 250 downloads neded to go exclusive.

Somehow, in the long run, I feel that IStock is shooting themselves in the foot with these ever-more-convoluted pricing and ranking games. I can't say exactly why, but eventually if your suppliers come to hate you, your competitors will benefit.

sc · « **Reply #22 on:** December 11, 2009, 19:56 »

if you opted into the YayMicro 3rd party program it is for 3 years - but you can opt out after 1 year.

5. TERMS AND TERMINATION
Consequently the photographer agrees that his/her images will be licensed non-exclusively through a third-party. YAY's contributor agreement will be valid also for third party licensing.
The deal is valid for three - 3 - years and will be renewed for one - 1 - year after this
initial period. It is possible for the photographer to opt-put of the deal after one - 1- year by contacting YAY.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #23 on:** December 11, 2009, 19:59 »

Quote from: KB on December 11, 2009, 19:25

Now what I'd like to know is how long they remain deactivated? I've read that they will automatically be deleted after 4 months, but I've had 4 files deactivated in my account for much, much longer than that. Anyone have a definitive word about that?

All my DT files are still there, deactivated, from August 2008. I have no idea if the enable button would work if I were to push it, but that's a very, very, dangerous button for anyone who is thinking of leaving DT

Someone stopped uploading but started disabling files a bit too soon. Upon realizing he was stuck for a few more weeks, he enabled a few of his best sellers to make some money while he was waiting.

Re-enabling a disabled file starts the 6 month clock all over again! Even if the file had been on the site for years prior to being disabled. He was royally ticked, but support said that those were the rules and he had to live with them...

dgilder · « **Reply #24 on:** December 11, 2009, 21:38 »

So, I've decided to start prepping for a potential switchover to exclusivity as well, just in case. I realized that my very productive June and July meant that I was able to disable almost everything I've uploaded since the start of August on Dreamstime. I have now done so, and I went ahead and removed all options from Shutterstock with the exception of the Shutterstock site itself. I already closed my miniscule Crestock account a few days ago.

So the earliest I could switch over is Feb 10th since it takes 60 days to clear Shutterstock's partner sites, right?

123RoyaltyFree, StockXpert, and Fotolia should all be instant removal, right? I saw someone mentioning some kind of partner site of Fotolia, was that something that you had to opt into? I don't recall ever doing anything like that.

crazychristina · « **Reply #25 on:** December 11, 2009, 22:02 »

Quote from: stockastic on December 11, 2009, 19:48

If the search ranking for non-exclusives will now be as cr@ppy as some are saying, it could take a new contributor an extremely long time to get the 250 downloads neded to go exclusive.

Somehow, in the long run, I feel that IStock is shooting themselves in the foot with these ever-more-convoluted pricing and ranking games. I can't say exactly why, but eventually if your suppliers come to hate you, your competitors will benefit.

I think 500 will be the figure required to go exclusive when bronze is achieved at 500.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #26 on:** December 11, 2009, 23:02 »

Here's the link to the thread about partner sites with images.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_permalink_popup.php?threadid=147191&messageid=2465201

I think it originally said Fotolia before it got sanitized, but I may be remembering wrong

Pheby · « **Reply #27 on:** December 12, 2009, 06:30 »

Does "disabling" files at DT actually mean what I think it does - ticking the box and typing in the reason for disabling for every single image?

Pheby · « **Reply #28 on:** December 12, 2009, 06:43 »

Quote from: dgilder on December 11, 2009, 21:38

123RoyaltyFree, StockXpert, and Fotolia should all be instant removal, right? I saw someone mentioning some kind of partner site of Fotolia, was that something that you had to opt into? I don't recall ever doing anything like that.

Fotolia has loads of partner sites, and they don't list them anywhere. You don't opt in to the partner sites, your images are offered on the partner sites anyway. You need to be careful about that - I often find images I've deleted from fotolia still on these partnersites. It might help just to google your fotolia username, you'll find sites like "snapparazzi", "bilderking", "pixmac", they are all fotolia partners. Also, I'd contact support about this and file away their answer, so that you can prove to istock that you did everything you could to get your images removed from all partner sites - just in case.

cathyslife · « **Reply #29 on:** December 12, 2009, 07:50 »

Quote

Does "disabling" files at DT actually mean what I think it does - ticking the box and typing in the reason for disabling for every single image?

Yes, that is how it worked that last time I disabled pics there.

Digital66 · « **Reply #30 on:** December 12, 2009, 08:29 »

Quote from: cclapper on December 12, 2009, 07:50

Quote
Does "disabling" files at DT actually mean what I think it does - ticking the box and typing in the reason for disabling for every single image?

Yes, that is how it worked that last time I disabled pics there.

Funny, easy, and quick! Isn't it?

Pheby · « **Reply #31 on:** December 12, 2009, 08:58 »

Quote from: Digital66 on December 12, 2009, 08:29

Quote from: cclapper on December 12, 2009, 07:50
Quote
Does "disabling" files at DT actually mean what I think it does - ticking the box and typing in the reason for disabling for every single image?

Yes, that is how it worked that last time I disabled pics there.

Funny, easy, and quick! Isn't it?

What a lovely weekend that will be!

fullvalue · « **Reply #32 on:** December 12, 2009, 09:44 »

Be wary of the fine print. If you ever allowed Fotolia to put something in the free section, you committed to leaving it there for 18 months when you checked that box. That's not a function of the contributor agreement. It's in the agreement you made when you donated it to them.

Opla · « **Reply #33 on:** December 12, 2009, 10:37 »

Quote from: fullvalue on December 12, 2009, 09:44

Be wary of the fine print. If you ever allowed Fotolia to put something in the free section, you committed to leaving it there for 18 months when you checked that box. That's not a function of the contributor agreement. It's in the agreement you made when you donated it to them.

You can just uncheck the box. 50c gets deducted from your account and all is fine.
Gave me a bit of a scare though as I realised this some weeks ago.

sharply_done · « **Reply #34 on:** December 12, 2009, 10:43 »

Quote from: stardust on December 12, 2009, 08:58

Quote from: Digital66 on December 12, 2009, 08:29
Quote from: cclapper on December 12, 2009, 07:50
Quote
Does "disabling" files at DT actually mean what I think it does - ticking the box and typing in the reason for disabling for every single image?

Yes, that is how it worked that last time I disabled pics there.

Funny, easy, and quick! Isn't it?

What a lovely weekend that will be!

Using a keyboard macro program to record a script for each site makes short work of the job - AutoHotKey is good candidate.

Opla · « **Reply #35 on:** December 12, 2009, 10:43 »

Quote from: stardust on December 12, 2009, 08:58

Quote from: Digital66 on December 12, 2009, 08:29
Quote from: cclapper on December 12, 2009, 07:50
Quote
Does "disabling" files at DT actually mean what I think it does - ticking the box and typing in the reason for disabling for every single image?

Yes, that is how it worked that last time I disabled pics there.

Funny, easy, and quick! Isn't it?

What a lovely weekend that will be!

Sharply gave this tip in another thread: http://www.autohotkey.com/
Works fine. Also good for 123 where you have to disable each image by hand. You can view all images you submitted per month and disable them with a script.

Opla · « **Reply #36 on:** December 12, 2009, 10:44 »

sharply_done · « **Reply #37 on:** December 12, 2009, 11:14 »

Quote from: Opla on December 12, 2009, 10:43

Sharply gave this tip in another thread ...

The most important thing I did before deleting images was to prepare for it well ahead of time - it's unrealistic for you to expect to press the button and have your images disappear overnight without a hitch. One of the first things I did was to opt out of partner programs. A few months before my "delete day", I tested each site to see how long it took from pressing the delete/disable button to having the image thumbnail disappear from searches. On some sites the change was almost immediate, on others it a surprisingly long time. On sites where I had to email customer support I informed them of my decision well in advance so that I had a contact name and email address together with a paper trail just in case things went awry. The only thing out of the ordinary was that I had to contact Pixmac.com ([email protected]), a Fotolia vendor, to remove my image thumbnails after I deleted the images on Fotolia.

One thing worth mentioning is that my efforts to always maintain a good working relationship with the agencies played out well - most places responded to my delete request with a nice "sorry to see you go" email, together with an offer to hold my images in limbo for a short while so I wouldn't have to re-upload them if things at iStock didn't work out.

RacePhoto · « **Reply #38 on:** December 12, 2009, 11:18 »

Quote from: Opla on December 12, 2009, 10:43

Quote from: stardust on December 12, 2009, 08:58
Quote from: Digital66 on December 12, 2009, 08:29
Quote from: cclapper on December 12, 2009, 07:50
Quote
Does "disabling" files at DT actually mean what I think it does - ticking the box and typing in the reason for disabling for every single image?

Yes, that is how it worked that last time I disabled pics there.

Funny, easy, and quick! Isn't it?

What a lovely weekend that will be!

Sharply gave this tip in another thread: http://www.autohotkey.com/
Works fine. Also good for 123 where you have to disable each image by hand. You can view all images you submitted per month and disable them with a script.

For anyone who hasn't gone through 123RF exit school. You have to find each photo by the Month Uploaded before you can delete it. It's an interesting process finding your own uploads, if you have been uploading here and there for a couple of years.

You can look at each file in PORTFOLIO and see the month uploaded on the right side. Which would mean looking at each and every file.

Go to HISTORY (on the top toolbar) and start with the first month and just begin clicking.

I haven't found any way to list all files and have them all display with month uploaded, but there may be some method for doing this.

I have disabled files months ago on DT and they are still showing in my disabled files, not deleted, but not everything works fast.

If you enable an old file it goes back to the same status as a new upload and you will be waiting 90 days before you can disable it again. But once disabled they do not show in searches any longer. DT must have their own reason for not deleting files that are disabled in a timely manner, which includes unsold images?

Thank You Rene: Answer Is!

You can see all your photos on 123RF with this link:

http://submit.123rf.com/submit/myuploaded.php?display=a

Opla · « **Reply #39 on:** December 12, 2009, 11:24 »

Quote from: jsnover on December 11, 2009, 23:02

Here's the link to the thread about partner sites with images.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_permalink_popup.php?threadid=147191&messageid=2465201

I think it originally said Fotolia before it got sanitized, but I may be remembering wrong

I asked him, it said DT and Pixmac.

sharply_done · « **Reply #40 on:** December 12, 2009, 11:26 »

Quote from: Opla on December 12, 2009, 11:24

Quote from: jsnover on December 11, 2009, 23:02
Here's the link to the thread about partner sites with images.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_permalink_popup.php?threadid=147191&messageid=2465201

I think it originally said Fotolia before it got sanitized, but I may be remembering wrong

I asked him, it said DT and Pixmac.

Nope, it's Fotolia and Pixmac - see my previous posting.

Opla · « **Reply #41 on:** December 12, 2009, 11:35 »

Quote from: sharply_done on December 12, 2009, 11:26

Quote from: Opla on December 12, 2009, 11:24
Quote from: jsnover on December 11, 2009, 23:02
Here's the link to the thread about partner sites with images.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_permalink_popup.php?threadid=147191&messageid=2465201

I think it originally said Fotolia before it got sanitized, but I may be remembering wrong

I asked him, it said DT and Pixmac.

Nope, it's Fotolia and Pixmac - see my previous posting.

Well, the user in the quoted post said DT, I didn't know this: http://microstockinsider.com/news/pixmac-now-reselling-dreamstime-images

Good tip about the test BTW, what was the longest time for your pics to disappear?

gostwyck · « **Reply #42 on:** December 12, 2009, 11:38 »

Quote from: sharply_done on December 12, 2009, 11:14

The most important thing I did before deleting images was to prepare for it well ahead of time - it's unrealistic for you to expect to press the button and have your images disappear overnight without a hitch. One of the first things I did was to opt out of partner programs. A few months before my "delete day", I tested each site to see how long it took from pressing the delete/disable button to having the image thumbnail disappear from searches. On some sites the change was almost immediate, on others it a surprisingly long time. On sites where I had to email customer support I informed them of my decision well in advance so that I had a contact name and email address together with a paper trail just in case things went awry. The only thing out of the ordinary was that I had to contact Pixmac.com ([email protected]), a Fotolia vendor, to remove my image thumbnails after I deleted the images on Fotolia.

One thing worth mentioning is that my efforts to always maintain a good working relationship with the agencies played out well - most places responded to my delete request with a nice "sorry to see you go" email, together with an offer to hold my images in limbo for a short while so I wouldn't have to re-upload them if things at iStock didn't work out.

That's really good advice __ thanks.

sharply_done · « **Reply #43 on:** December 12, 2009, 11:56 »

Quote from: Opla on December 12, 2009, 11:35

...
Well, the user in the quoted post said DT, I didn't know this: http://microstockinsider.com/news/pixmac-now-reselling-dreamstime-images

Good tip about the test BTW, what was the longest time for your pics to disappear?

I stand corrected - I'm surprised the DT & Pixmac partnership didn't get any publicity.

Sorry, but I didn't keep the records of how long it took thumbnails to vanish. Given the rate of change in this industry, the data would probably be invalid anyway.

rene · « **Reply #44 on:** December 12, 2009, 12:40 »

Quote from: RacePhoto on December 12, 2009, 11:18

I haven't found any way to list all files and have them all display with month uploaded, but there may be some method for doing this.

You can see all files from your portfolio (not only one month) with this link:
http://www.123rf.com/submit/myuploaded.php?display=a
With this link I deleted my images very fast

WarrenPrice · « **Reply #45 on:** December 12, 2009, 14:24 »

This is a very interesting thread. It has peaked my curiosity about the seeming change in attitudes toward exclusivity. Is there a particular reason for the changing attitudes? Why was iStock chosen over other agencies? Is it because they are the larger business?

Hope I haven't strayed too far off the subject.

cathyslife · « **Reply #46 on:** December 12, 2009, 14:28 »

Quote

Is there a particular reason for the changing attitudes?

For most of us, it's all about the best return on our dollar.

Quote

Why was iStock chosen over other agencies? Is it because they are the larger business?

They were the first microstock, they are the largest.

vonkara · « **Reply #47 on:** December 12, 2009, 14:31 »

I think I made an exceptional performance by disabling my portfolio at Dreamstime. I know hotkey but I had time and wanted to do it the old way. It have been a good mental exercise/training. A marathon of focus. Here is my stats

On 256 images to disable
- Total time: 46:57sec / average of aproximatively 11 sec by images
- Total Mistakes: 13 = 4 times clicked on (wrong image) / 4 times clicked on (submit instead of disable) / 2 times (forgot to paste reason) / 3 times (forgot to check yes)

Note that the computer goes out of memory 3 times (other softwares working at same time)
- Tool used = Full throttle power drink, Armin Van Buuren trance music, Ipod touch

Dook · « **Reply #48 on:** December 12, 2009, 17:08 »

.
[/quote]

Now what I'd like to know is how long they remain deactivated? I've read that they will automatically be deleted after 4 months, but I've had 4 files deactivated in my account for much, much longer than that. Anyone have a definitive word about that?
[/quote]
http://www.dreamstime.com/thread_19732

Pheby · « **Reply #49 on:** December 12, 2009, 18:03 »

Thank you guys for the autohotkey tip!

leaf · « **Reply #50 on:** December 15, 2009, 10:24 »

Quote from: gostwyck on December 12, 2009, 11:38

Quote from: sharply_done on December 12, 2009, 11:14
The most important thing I did before deleting images was to prepare for it well ahead of time - it's unrealistic for you to expect to press the button and have your images disappear overnight without a hitch. One of the first things I did was to opt out of partner programs. A few months before my "delete day", I tested each site to see how long it took from pressing the delete/disable button to having the image thumbnail disappear from searches. On some sites the change was almost immediate, on others it a surprisingly long time. On sites where I had to email customer support I informed them of my decision well in advance so that I had a contact name and email address together with a paper trail just in case things went awry. The only thing out of the ordinary was that I had to contact Pixmac.com ([email protected]), a Fotolia vendor, to remove my image thumbnails after I deleted the images on Fotolia.

One thing worth mentioning is that my efforts to always maintain a good working relationship with the agencies played out well - most places responded to my delete request with a nice "sorry to see you go" email, together with an offer to hold my images in limbo for a short while so I wouldn't have to re-upload them if things at iStock didn't work out.

That's really good advice __ thanks.

yes, well put

Freedom · « **Reply #51 on:** December 29, 2009, 15:28 »

I have some questions about FT deletion. How long does it take for Pixmac images to disappear? Or do you have to email them? Do you have to delete FT account or just the images?

abimages · « **Reply #52 on:** December 29, 2009, 15:57 »

Quote from: Freedom on December 29, 2009, 15:28

I have some questions about FT deletion. How long does it take for Pixmac images to disappear? Or do you have to email them? Do you have to delete FT account or just the images?

I deleted all my images from FT, then emailed them to ask them to make sure they were deleted from all affiliate sites. Without announcement FT deleted my account. I then had to chase the money which was in my account..........got it eventually.

cathyslife · « **Reply #53 on:** December 29, 2009, 15:59 »

Good question, Freedom, as I noticed that I have some photos on Pixmac from DT, a partner also. I know I unchecked the partner program box, so hopefully that stopped any more photos going from DT to Pixmac, but will need to remove from Pixmac, should I make that exclusive decision.

autohotkey...bah! it's only for Windows. I disabled a few non-sellers over on DT today, forgot how tedious that was.

edit: wow, abimages, that was kind of stinky that they just deleted your account. guess they didn't take that too well.

Freedom · « **Reply #54 on:** December 29, 2009, 16:21 »

Cclapper, thanks for the reminder. I didn't know DT also sells through Pixmac. I see what you mean now, it's under Alliances.

Another question. Someone said it took Veer 3 months to delete the photos, but the agreement only says the photos may still be in the lightbox for 60 days. So where does this 3-month thing come from?

jsolie · « **Reply #55 on:** December 29, 2009, 23:10 »

Thanks, all for the info. It definitely helps with those of us on the fence about istock exclusivity.

CofkoCof · « **Reply #56 on:** April 14, 2010, 08:32 »

Just a thing I noticed. DT allows you to disable 30% of the files that were accepted in the last 6 months. If you plan on going exclusive it's best to disable those 30% of the newest ASAP (and I mean newest, don't delete the ones that are almost 6 months old). For example: I've submitted almost 200 files in the last 6 months, so that means I could disable 60 of the newest files (30% of 200) and could go ex. at the beginning of August. However if I wait for 3 months I can then only delete 30 of the 100 files that I uploaded in the last 6 months and would have to wait a month longer (because of those 30 undeleted newest files).

Hope that makes sense

gostwyck · « **Reply #57 on:** April 14, 2010, 08:47 »

Quote from: CofkoCof on April 14, 2010, 08:32

Just a thing I noticed. DT allows you to disable 30% of the files that were accepted in the last 6 months. If you plan on going exclusive it's best to disable those 30% of the newest ASAP (and I mean newest, don't delete the ones that are almost 6 months old). For example: I've submitted almost 200 files in the last 6 months, so that means I could disable 60 of the newest files (30% of 200) and could go ex. at the beginning of August. However if I wait for 3 months I can then only delete 30 of the 100 files that I uploaded in the last 6 months and would have to wait a month longer (because of those 30 undeleted newest files).

Hope that makes sense

I think I understand where you're heading with that. It might work, not sure of the exact rules, but it really is only any help to those who upload relatively few images per month and even then it will only save a short time. Basically, if you want to go exclusive elsewhere, just don't upload to DT for 6 months. Simples.

CofkoCof · « **Reply #58 on:** April 14, 2010, 08:52 »

It doesn't matter how many images you upload per month, as long as you consistently upload. 30% of your newest images accounts for the last ~2 months of your uploads, if you uploaded the exact same number each month.

cathyslife · « **Reply #59 on:** April 14, 2010, 09:04 »

Quote from: gostwyck on April 14, 2010, 08:47

Quote from: CofkoCof on April 14, 2010, 08:32
Just a thing I noticed. DT allows you to disable 30% of the files that were accepted in the last 6 months. If you plan on going exclusive it's best to disable those 30% of the newest ASAP (and I mean newest, don't delete the ones that are almost 6 months old). For example: I've submitted almost 200 files in the last 6 months, so that means I could disable 60 of the newest files (30% of 200) and could go ex. at the beginning of August. However if I wait for 3 months I can then only delete 30 of the 100 files that I uploaded in the last 6 months and would have to wait a month longer (because of those 30 undeleted newest files).

Hope that makes sense

I think I understand where you're heading with that. It might work, not sure of the exact rules, but it really is only any help to those who upload relatively few images per month and even then it will only save a short time. Basically, if you want to go exclusive elsewhere, just don't upload to DT for 6 months. Simples.

That is a good strategy, perfectly ok with DT, and is the best way to go. It cuts down your wait time, depending on your uploads. When I was pondering exclusivity, because of my upload pattern, it cut my wait time down about a month. And once you start deleting, they will tell you when you have taken your 30% because it will automatically not allow you to delete any more. So choose wisely!

Freedom · « **Reply #60 on:** April 14, 2010, 09:51 »

Another site you should be aware is PantherMedia. I requested deletion of all my photos and closure of account in Jan or Feb and even received PM's confirmation that my account was deleted. I can no longer log in. However I got a couple of email notifications that my photos were sold for some pennies, the lattest one was a couple of days ago. My subsequent emails to PM have not been answered.

Does anyone have similar experience?

gostwyck · « **Reply #61 on:** April 14, 2010, 09:55 »

Quote from: cclapper on April 14, 2010, 09:04

That is a good strategy, perfectly ok with DT, and is the best way to go. It cuts down your wait time, depending on your uploads. When I was pondering exclusivity, because of my upload pattern, it cut my wait time down about a month. And once you start deleting, they will tell you when you have taken your 30% because it will automatically not allow you to delete any more. So choose wisely!

Ok, fair enough. To be honest going exclusive, should I ever choose to do so, would be such a massive decision for me that the odd month here or there is totally irrelevant.

The way things are going now I'm really not even sure where would be best to go exclusive. From a purely economic perspective going exclusive at FT, with the huge increase in prices and commissions, is likely to pay just as much as at IS. Whilst it might seem riskier at FT, a glance at my graph tells that my sales/income has been almost doubling every year. Sales at IS have been largely static for years with income only increasing via price increases. Give it another year or two and FT might well be the market leader and highest earning agency for many independent contributors. In that context, when microstock is your main income, 'saving' a month or two by dabbling with your DT uploads is very small beer.

cathyslife · « **Reply #62 on:** April 14, 2010, 10:53 »

Quote from: gostwyck on April 14, 2010, 09:55

Ok, fair enough. To be honest going exclusive, should I ever choose to do so, would be such a massive decision for me that the odd month here or there is totally irrelevant.

The way things are going now I'm really not even sure where would be best to go exclusive. From a purely economic perspective going exclusive at FT, with the huge increase in prices and commissions, is likely to pay just as much as at IS. Whilst it might seem riskier at FT, a glance at my graph tells that my sales/income has been almost doubling every year. Sales at IS have been largely static for years with income only increasing via price increases. Give it another year or two and FT might well be the market leader and highest earning agency for many independent contributors. In that context, when microstock is your main income, 'saving' a month or two by dabbling with your DT uploads is very small beer.

I understand totally what you mean.

Freedom · « **Reply #63 on:** April 15, 2010, 13:36 »

Everyone should be very aware of the PantherMedia, this is what I just got:

"Your cancellation was made effective on Jan 6th, 2010. By this date your images did become invisible for new searches, but clients, who have entered the former image number, could buy this image. The cancellation became effective by end of the month January 2010. PantherMedia is allowed to sell your images for the further 3 months (February, March and April 2010).

"Our distribution partner do receive from us 4-monthly a removal list of such images and are allowed not sell (not to offer) for further three months (means until end of July 2010).

"Therefore it might happen that you still will receive sales reports until end of July 2010 from PantherMedia."

For the amount sales I had there, it was definitely not worth it.

WarrenPrice · « **Reply #64 on:** April 15, 2010, 14:08 »

Another one that hasn't really lied, but certainly avoided the truth, abusing the rights of contributors in their sales approach.

Freedom · « **Reply #65 on:** April 15, 2010, 15:23 »

Don't you find it absurd that PantherMedia's distribution partners will not receive notice until 4 months after PM deleted my images? Why didn't the distribution partners receive the deletion notice at the time when PM received it? I think the 4 months for the partners should tick as soon as PM received the notice

Basically, PantherMedia will hijack my images for 7 months after the notice was given. It should be the worst and longest holding period in the industry as far as I am aware of.

Quote from: WarrenPrice on April 15, 2010, 14:08

Another one that hasn't really lied, but certainly avoided the truth, abusing the rights of contributors in their sales approach.

jsolie · « **Reply #66 on:** April 15, 2010, 15:25 »

Quote from: Freedom on April 15, 2010, 15:23

Basically, PantherMedia will hijack my images for 7 months after the notice was given. It should be the worst and longest holding period in the industry as far as I am aware of.

Hearing this makes me soooo glad I never even opened an account with them...

Danieloncarevic · « **Reply #67 on:** October 12, 2010, 12:12 »

First hello to everyone, I just registered my account over here..

I wanted to avoid creating a new thread about the same topic so I will raise up this one even it's warning me that nobody posted here in the last 4 months...

I'm considering the idea to go Exclusive on iStockPhoto.

The major problem I have is that I'm already working for several agencies and one of them is Dreamstime who is causing me most of troubles because of their 6-months waiting period.

The last upload I did over there was about 2 months ago so basically I will have to wait another 4 months to be able to go exclusive on iStockPhoto.

The first question I have is:

What is the 'deal' with the other stock agencies like 'BigStockPhoto', 'Fotolia' and 'ShutterStock'? I know BigStockPhoto changed the Terms of Use and now you have to wait 90 days of the last upload in order to terminate the contract with them. What about Fotolia and ShitterStock? Can you terminate the contract with them at any time you want? I've read the Terms of Use and didn't find anything like the 90 days on BigStock or 6 months on DT but I'd still like to double-check here to be 100% sure.

The second question is:

Is there any way to terminate the contract with Dreamstime before the 6-months period? I know there are no nice ways like contacting them and telling them that I want to leave DT but is there any alternative like telling them to go to hell... spam with photos that have porno content or whatever... or anything like that?

I mean 4 months is quite a long period and I'd like to know if there is any other way to leave DT as soon as possible? Anyone tried some alternative when leaving DT and going exclusive with iStock?

Thanks in advance,

Daniel

luissantos84 · « **Reply #68 on:** October 12, 2010, 12:24 »

Quote from: Danieloncarevic on October 12, 2010, 12:12

First hello to everyone, I just registered my account over here..

I wanted to avoid creating a new thread about the same topic so I will raise up this one even it's warning me that nobody posted here in the last 4 months...

I'm considering the idea to go Exclusive on iStockPhoto.

The major problem I have is that I'm already working for several agencies and one of them is Dreamstime who is causing me most of troubles because of their 6-months waiting period.

The last upload I did over there was about 2 months ago so basically I will have to wait another 4 months to be able to go exclusive on iStockPhoto.

The first question I have is:

What is the 'deal' with the other stock agencies like 'BigStockPhoto', 'Fotolia' and 'ShutterStock'? I know BigStockPhoto changed the Terms of Use and now you have to wait 90 days of the last upload in order to terminate the contract with them. What about Fotolia and ShitterStock? Can you terminate the contract with them at any time you want? I've read the Terms of Use and didn't find anything like the 90 days on BigStock or 6 months on DT but I'd still like to double-check here to be 100% sure.

The second question is:

Is there any way to terminate the contract with Dreamstime before the 6-months period? I know there are no nice ways like contacting them and telling them that I want to leave DT but is there any alternative like telling them to go to hell... spam with photos that have porno content or whatever... or anything like that?

I mean 4 months is quite a long period and I'd like to know if there is any other way to leave DT as soon as possible? Anyone tried some alternative when leaving DT and going exclusive with iStock?

Thanks in advance,

Daniel

looking at your portfolio, sales, etc.. I don't see why you are wanting to be exclusive at IS, don't have enough time to the others?.. I am sure you know what you are doing sorry

gostwyck · « **Reply #69 on:** October 12, 2010, 12:28 »

Basically no. You've committed to DT's terms and conditions and therefore you should honour your contract without argument or attempting to cause trouble. Attempting to spam or whatever will not do you any good and can only harm your chances of being allowed to re-open your account at some point in the future.

Why would you want to go exclusive at this time when so many are regretting that they ever did? You're giving Istockphoto too much power which, as we know to our cost, they will abuse to further their insatiable greed.

cathyslife · « **Reply #70 on:** October 12, 2010, 15:07 »

I saw this and thought it was a joke. I can't believe anyone would be contemplating going exclusive with IS now, but hey, whatever.

I agree with gostwyck. You made a commitment to DT, you need to honor it. Regarding Shutterstock (or Shitterstock, as you typed it

) you can leave whenever, no commitment. Don't know about Fotolia, haven't been on that site for a long time.

The 4 more months you have to fulfill your commitment on DT might work to your advantage. By that time, the new and improved istock commission structure will be in full swing and you will be able to judge whether it would be a good move for you to go exclusive or a bad one.

crazychristina · « **Reply #71 on:** October 12, 2010, 15:13 »

It's a while since I was on DT but I believe you can deactivate a fraction of your images at any time. If you deactivate the most recent uploads then the waiting time may be reduced as it will be taken from images still online.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #72 on:** October 12, 2010, 15:22 »

Quote from: cclapper on October 12, 2010, 15:07

I saw this and thought it was a joke. I can't believe anyone would be contemplating going exclusive with IS now, but hey, whatever.

I agree with gostwyck. You made a commitment to DT, you need to honor it. Regarding Shutterstock (or Shitterstock, as you typed it ) you can leave whenever, no commitment. Don't know about Fotolia, haven't been on that site for a long time.

The 4 more months you have to fulfill your commitment on DT might work to your advantage. By that time, the new and improved istock commission structure will be in full swing and you will be able to judge whether it would be a good move for you to go exclusive or a bad one.

why have you left Fotolia? communication with them? thanks

bunhill · « **Reply #73 on:** October 12, 2010, 15:37 »

Quote from: Danieloncarevic on October 12, 2010, 12:12

Is there any way to terminate the contract with Dreamstime before the 6-months period? I know there are no nice ways like contacting them and telling them that I want to leave DT but is there any alternative like telling them to go to hell... spam with photos that have porno content or whatever... or anything like that?

What you are suggesting would be unprofessional and basically offensive. And it would not put you in a good light. You would likely end up regretting it.

I had a difficult conversation with Dreamstime when I de-activated my images from them a few years ago. I regret that now because it was childish of me. There is never any point in being anything other than quiet and cool about these things. Especially when you have signed an agreement. And six months is no time. Think of it as a cooling off period, a chance to think about whether you are sure. Be professional about it if you decide it is for the best.

Over the years I have begun to make more sense of why DT and some other agents require a time commitment. It makes much more sense to me now. They have invested time and resources in your images. Potential buyers may have bookmarked your images. They have taken you seriously and they are asking the same in return. It's a small commitment. (A lock in was the norm in the days before microstock btw).

More than all that and as someone who very much believes in diversity and competition, I am starting to think that requiring work to be online for an agreed period of time may help protect the industry in general (and therefore all of us contributors) against short-termism. It reduces the possibility of huge numbers of artists jumping ship on a whim.

cathyslife · « **Reply #74 on:** October 12, 2010, 15:44 »

Quote from: luissantos84 on October 12, 2010, 15:22

why have you left Fotolia? communication with them? thanks

I left a couple of years back during some uproar over something they did to contributors. To be frank, I can't even remember what the "crisis du jour" was, but basically I had had it and took my photos down. Something similar to the latest istock restructuring.

A lot of others here are still with them and doing well, but I think the drama still continues.

Danieloncarevic · « **Reply #75 on:** October 12, 2010, 17:03 »

Wow, wow

I never said that I will act as bad as I can in order to get kicked from DT. I was just wondering if there are any alternatives, that's all. I've read on some other thread (on this forum) that someone sent pornographic content or whatever - that's why I mentioned that.

Also, I didn't say that I'm going exclusive on iStock right now. I recently started there but I'm pretty sure that iStock is the best micro-stock agency that exist. Correct me if you think otherwise with constructive reasons. I'm mostly doing weddings photography... football matches and etc. Stock was always something secondary for me as a photographer so I'm well aware of my pretty poor portfolio(s). However, I'm finishing a photo-studio where I will be getting more serious into commercial photography.

Being exclusive on one agency will always be a looong discussion with a lot of constructive comments on both sides. I know a lot of people who are exclusive over there for a year or so now and they've never regret that move.

And yeah, you're right... I have to think about it and I have the time to do so but I think I already spent some time thinking about it and some of the conclusions are:

The GENERAL reason is because when exclusive you need less time when sending photos... putting keywords.. categories and whatever.. Less time tracking the revenues.. downloads and etc. Less time and effort in general.

But I also have mostly negative opinions about the agencies I already work for and those are the following:

DREAMSTIME: I don't like the 6-months period at all. Everyone should be able to terminate the contract whenever he/she wants and DT is the worst stock agency regarding that. Also, I had many problems with this agency. Once I was commenting on their delay with payments on a thread that someone else started. I haven't been rude at all, just said that I've been waiting a lot for the payment and I've been banned from forums for a long time until I had to speak to Achilles in order to remove the forum-ban I got. Also... the revenue in general is quite low. I'm not expecting a lot with the current porfolio but still... I'm getting much more on other agencies where I have less photos.

BIGSTOCKPHOTO: Well... this agency is not that good anyways. Everyone knows that. Nothing special against them - it's just that the revenue is much lower than on other agencies and I wouldn't regret leaving them. Especially after they added the 90-days period needed before terminating the contract.

SHUTTERSTOCK: A very particular agency actually. For SS you have to be ACTIVE and I mean really ACTIVE if you want to consider this agency worth your time. On SS if you're uploading images every day I can guarantee that you will have a pretty nice number of downloads every day. That's not bad at all - it keeps you active.. pushing you to work. But if you make a pause of only few days (a pause that everyone will take) you will notice a BIG difference in revenues. I've been on a trip and out of the internet-range for about 2 months and I noticed the significant drop of sales by more than 50-60%. And we shouldn't forget about their prices and the revenue you get - one of the lowest on micro-stock agencies I guess. At least the lowest of all the ones I've worked for.

FOTOLIA: The agency that is actually getting me most revenue so far. But there is something over there that bothers me A LOT. Lack of communication. Do you have a contact over there? Did you ever try to contact someone regarding your photos or something? You will probably notice 'Contact Support' but that's just a joke. I opened a message over there asking about some photos that were declined with some ridiculous reason and I got the following reply:

Code: [Select] [nofollow]

Hi,

Thank you for your e-mail. All of your images and videos have been reviewed by our selection team. Please note that the selection team is a separate department, so we have no influence on their decision. The main criteria for validation or rejection are: the quality of the image/video, the technical requirements, the similarity to existing Fotolia photographs and the image's/video's sale potential. We know that it can be difficult to have an image or video rejected but please bear with us. We encourage you to continue uploading your images and videos.

Kind regards,

Fotolia Team U.S.

I usually get pissed when I get a template from a person who just clicked on the reply without using 1% of his/her brain so I asked again the same question - this time asking for the e-mail or the place where I could contact the actual 'selection team' but I got the following message:

Code: [Select] [nofollow]

We apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately our selection team does not re-evaluate validations individually or provide a specific detail report of rejection, there for, we do not have an email address that we can provide you with as we don't provide this type of service.

After that I took my last chance - creating a thread in the forum. However, I waited more than a week to get a reply from some moderator who told me that he will forward the problem to the department but I never got any reply regarding that and when I bumped the thread asking if there is anything new my thread got locked. That's all about Fotolia's support. Once of the worst I've ever seen.

BOTTOM LINE: Some agencies are not bad but going exclusive reduces the time needed for sending photos... putting the keywords.. description... categories... Tracking the images online... the downloads... the revenues... The changing of 'Terms of Use' and any other 'rules' on the website. You can be totally focused on one agency only and do your best on that one.

I'm aware that (theoretically) if I'd go exclusive TODAY my revenue would be cut by 80% at least. I'm well aware of that. That's why I'm not even planning on going exclusive right now. I'm just considering that option and sharing it with my reasons with you to see your opinion about it.

Peace.

Daniel

nruboc · « **Reply #76 on:** October 12, 2010, 17:26 »

What's your acceptance rate at IStock? I see you have 700-800 at other sites but only 130 at IStock.

Danieloncarevic · « **Reply #77 on:** October 12, 2010, 17:32 »

Quote from: nruboc on October 12, 2010, 17:26

What's your acceptance rate at IStock? I see you have 700-800 at other sites but only 130 at IStock.

Yes, like I said I recently started uploading photos on iStock but I just love the way that agency is functioning. My acceptance rate is about 45% a this moment I think. And yes, I know I need to have at least 50% but that's not a problem at all. I'll most probably reach those 50% by the end of the month.

madelaide · « **Reply #78 on:** October 12, 2010, 17:36 »

Quote from: Danieloncarevic on October 12, 2010, 17:03

I never said that I will act as bad as I can in order to get kicked from DT. I was just wondering if there are any alternatives, that's all. I've read on some other thread (on this forum) that someone sent pornographic content or whatever - that's why I mentioned that.

In fact, you did imply you would consider those solutions:

Quote from: Danieloncarevic on October 12, 2010, 12:12

I know there are no nice ways like contacting them and telling them that I want to leave DT but is there any alternative like telling them to go to hell... spam with photos that have porno content or whatever... or anything like that?

lisafx · « **Reply #79 on:** October 12, 2010, 17:49 »

Quote from: bunhill on October 12, 2010, 15:37

What you are suggesting would be unprofessional and basically offensive. And it would not put you in a good light. You would likely end up regretting it.

I had a difficult conversation with Dreamstime when I de-activated my images from them a few years ago. I regret that now because it was childish of me. There is never any point in being anything other than quiet and cool about these things. Especially when you have signed an agreement. And six months is no time. Think of it as a cooling off period, a chance to think about whether you are sure. Be professional about it if you decide it is for the best.

Over the years I have begun to make more sense of why DT and some other agents require a time commitment. It makes much more sense to me now. They have invested time and resources in your images. Potential buyers may have bookmarked your images. They have taken you seriously and they are asking the same in return. It's a small commitment. (A lock in was the norm in the days before microstock btw).

More than all that and as someone who very much believes in diversity and competition, I am starting to think that requiring work to be online for an agreed period of time may help protect the industry in general (and therefore all of us contributors) against short-termism. It reduces the possibility of huge numbers of artists jumping ship on a whim.

Really insightful comments Bunhill. Not too many people are as honest with themselves or as introspective as you have been. I think your post should be required reading for anyone who wants to burn their bridges at any of the agencies.

Just speaking from my own experience, I am really extremely grateful for the DT 6 month hold. It has been a very useful cooling off period when I was convinced I wanted to be exclusive at Istock.

Just this year I was almost one of the many people snared in Istock's push to get independents to go exclusive so they could "preserve their canister level". Fortunately for me Istock made some very worrying moves in that six month period of time and I decided to stay independent. I am so glad I did. Seeing how many people were taken in by that deal and are now losing income because of it is very, very sobering.

donding · « **Reply #80 on:** October 12, 2010, 17:58 »

Have you read this thread?
http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/istock-changing-royalty-structure/msg166499/?topicseen#new
You really need to read it before you decide to go exclusive

OM · « **Reply #81 on:** October 12, 2010, 18:06 »

Quote from: cclapper on October 12, 2010, 15:44

Quote from: luissantos84 on October 12, 2010, 15:22
why have you left Fotolia? communication with them? thanks

I left a couple of years back during some uproar over something they did to contributors. To be frank, I can't even remember what the "crisis du jour" was, but basically I had had it and took my photos down. Something similar to the latest istock restructuring.

A lot of others here are still with them and doing well, but I think the drama still continues.

No truly earth-moving changes there in the past 10 months. Files without a single sale within 12 months have been demoted to a basis single credit status instead of 2,3,4 or whatever the starting price. Sold to contributors on the basis that a lower price will encourage buyers to purchase. Whereas in reality they're all on page 500+ of the search and will never be seen again, except perhaps by visiting aliens.

lisafx · « **Reply #82 on:** October 12, 2010, 18:08 »

Okay, well since you admit you haven't spent a lot of time with stock, I will fill you in on some of the details of the various agencies that you may not know. Feel free to take what you find useful and leave the rest

Quote from: Danieloncarevic on October 12, 2010, 17:03

DREAMSTIME: I don't like the 6-months period at all. Everyone should be able to terminate the contract whenever he/she wants and DT is the worst stock agency regarding that. Also, I had many problems with this agency. Once I was commenting on their delay with payments on a thread that someone else started. I haven't been rude at all, just said that I've been waiting a lot for the payment and I've been banned from forums for a long time until I had to speak to Achilles in order to remove the forum-ban I got. Also... the revenue in general is quite low. I'm not expecting a lot with the current porfolio but still... I'm getting much more on other agencies where I have less photos.

Sorry you had this bad experience getting banned on the forums. OTOH, how many agencies do you think you can write to the owner with something like that and be helped by him personally? Serban is one of the most involved owners in the industry. It's not surprising, then, that any time there has been a poll of what agency contributors like best, Dreamstime always comes out in first place.

BIGSTOCKPHOTO: Well... this agency is not that good anyways. Everyone knows that. Nothing special against them - it's just that the revenue is much lower than on other agencies and I wouldn't regret leaving them. Especially after they added the 90-days period needed before terminating the contract.

BigStock is has not historically been one of the top selling agencies, but they sold to Shutterstock a few months back and I have seen growth in sales since then. Also, the 90 day hold there has been in their contract since I joined Big Stock in March 2005, so I am not sure where you got the idea it was something new.

SHUTTERSTOCK: A very particular agency actually. For SS you have to be ACTIVE and I mean really ACTIVE if you want to consider this agency worth your time. On SS if you're uploading images every day I can guarantee that you will have a pretty nice number of downloads every day. That's not bad at all - it keeps you active.. pushing you to work. But if you make a pause of only few days (a pause that everyone will take) you will notice a BIG difference in revenues. I've been on a trip and out of the internet-range for about 2 months and I noticed the significant drop of sales by more than 50-60%. And we shouldn't forget about their prices and the revenue you get - one of the lowest on micro-stock agencies I guess. At least the lowest of all the ones I've worked for.

This bit about not being able to take time off from SS is just not true for everyone. Maybe if you have a very small portfolio you will notice the difference, but once you have a couple of thousand images online you don't need to "feed the beast" nearly as often. And it has never been the case that you can't take a "pause of only a few days" without seeing a "BIG difference in revenues". For several years now I have only been uploading once or twice a week and there is no drop in revenue at all. In fact revenues have improved so much I had 2nd BME there last month, despite taking a couple of weeks off in September. If you take two months off, and you have a small portfolio, well then that's a whole other story.

FOTOLIA: The agency that is actually getting me most revenue so far. But there is something over there that bothers me A LOT. Lack of communication. Do you have a contact over there? Did you ever try to contact someone regarding your photos or something? You will probably notice 'Contact Support' but that's just a joke. I opened a message over there asking about some photos that were declined with some ridiculous reason and I got the following reply:

I can see how the response from Fotolia customer service was frustrating. But to be honest, other than Istock's Scout system, there really isn't much of a rejection appeals process on any of the sites. That isn't unique to Fotolia.

And a year ago I would have agreed with you about Fotolia having a lack of customer service in general, but over the past year I have seen a big improvement in their customer service department. The last several times I have had to contact them they have been courteous and prompt in addressing my issues.

Bottom line is you want to go exclusive at Istock. That's your choice and I am not trying to dissuade you. It's a personal choice, and quite possibly the right one for you.

But it really isn't necessary to trash all the other sites just to justify your decision. And as Bunhill pointed out, you may want to rejoin them at some time in the future. Best not to have burned the bridges to the ground...

bunhill · « **Reply #83 on:** October 13, 2010, 01:17 »

Quote from: lisafx on October 12, 2010, 18:08

it really isn't necessary to trash all the other sites just to justify your decision.

Exactly right. And more than that:

It remains a diverse and evolving industry. Most of us are probably hoping to build on what ever we have achieved so far as the industry evolves. The people we deal with professionally at one company might be working at another a few years later. If we are well behaved and act professionally - well that goes with us to some extent as our reputation. In a competitive environment all of the companies are interesting. But it is really important to remember that we are ultimately also working with individuals.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #84 on:** October 13, 2010, 01:38 »

Quote from: cclapper on October 12, 2010, 15:44

Quote from: luissantos84 on October 12, 2010, 15:22
why have you left Fotolia? communication with them? thanks

I left a couple of years back during some uproar over something they did to contributors. To be frank, I can't even remember what the "crisis du jour" was, but basically I had had it and took my photos down. Something similar to the latest istock restructuring.

A lot of others here are still with them and doing well, but I think the drama still continues.

Yep I see.. I was very pissed at the beginning and made a lot of things but nothing come from that.. I am from Europe (Portugal) and I have entered/registered with a US link so I am receiving in $.. which is a complete fraud.. around 30% loss

qwerty · « **Reply #85 on:** October 13, 2010, 02:20 »

if you want to go exclusive at Istock I wouldn't bank on more than 20-25% royalities in my calculations. That will be the future for all except the most talented and hard working exclusives there.

designalldone · « **Reply #86 on:** October 13, 2010, 03:39 »

Quote from: lisafx on October 12, 2010, 17:49

Snip...
Just this year I was almost one of the many people snared in Istock's push to get independents to go exclusive so they could "preserve their canister level". Fortunately for me Istock made some very worrying moves in that six month period of time and I decided to stay independent. I am so glad I did. Seeing how many people were taken in by that deal and are now losing income because of it is very, very sobering.

Just to clarify - are you referring to people that may lose income in Jan '11 due to the recent announcements, or do you know for certain that some people have lost income since going exclusive at the beginning of 2010 when iStock did their 'canister preserve' push?

I would be genuinely interested to hear if anyone has lost income so far this year due to becoming exclusive. On the contrary, exclusivity has been very good for me through 2010 and I will end up making more than I did as an independent in either 2008 or 2009.

gostwyck · « **Reply #87 on:** October 13, 2010, 10:54 »

Quote from: Danieloncarevic on October 12, 2010, 17:03

SHUTTERSTOCK: A very particular agency actually. For SS you have to be ACTIVE and I mean really ACTIVE if you want to consider this agency worth your time. On SS if you're uploading images every day I can guarantee that you will have a pretty nice number of downloads every day. That's not bad at all - it keeps you active.. pushing you to work. But if you make a pause of only few days (a pause that everyone will take) you will notice a BIG difference in revenues. I've been on a trip and out of the internet-range for about 2 months and I noticed the significant drop of sales by more than 50-60%. And we shouldn't forget about their prices and the revenue you get - one of the lowest on micro-stock agencies I guess. At least the lowest of all the ones I've worked for.

I think you may be seriously miscalculating the current and future trends in microstock __ most especially the potential of Shutterstock and the also ability of Istockphoto to maintain it's historical dominance.

My own port is over 4K images and it makes relatively little difference if I upload my usual 50 or so new images in any given month at SS. Most income is generated from the quality images that have earned high placement in the sort-order and have been generating steady sales over years, not days or weeks. PPD sales at SS are now accounting for over 30% of my income and this month my earnings per sale is 67c. I'm well on target for a second consecutive BME at SS and am projected to be +35% above Oct 2009.

In contrast my sales at IS have been sliding backwards since March and are projected to be the lowest since Dec 2008 and 34% down from Oct 2009.

From my data Istockphoto's dominance has never looked more uncertain.

lisafx · « **Reply #88 on:** October 13, 2010, 11:22 »

Quote from: designalldone on October 13, 2010, 03:39

Just to clarify - are you referring to people that may lose income in Jan '11 due to the recent announcements, or do you know for certain that some people have lost income since going exclusive at the beginning of 2010 when iStock did their 'canister preserve' push?

Very good point. AFAIK nobody has lost income yet.

However, at this point, halfway through October, with only about 6-8 good earning weeks left in the year, it should be pretty easy to calculate whether you will lose income, or not, starting in January.

And I can assure you that if I had gone exclusive by the August deadline, in accordance with the push and the promises by Istock, I would have been counting on a lot more than just the last quarter of the year to make the promised royalty rate corresponding to my canister level.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #89 on:** October 13, 2010, 11:34 »

It's been a little over 2 years since I went exclusive at IS after nearly 4 as an independent.

The bottom line is that there's something to like and the put-up-with-it stuff at all the agencies - specifics vary from one to another. Which agencies can deliver, consistently, monthly return on your portfolio is what drives people's decisions for the most part.

I must say that I think it's an odd time to be considering IS exclusivity even though I will likely continue mine come January assuming that they don't move the redeemed credit targets from what they announced in September (and I consider it entirely possible that they will raise them if too many people make their targets as they want to get an overall payout of 20% and will do what they need to to make that happen).

If you think you can create a consistent stream of Vetta and Agency Content (and you have to be exclusive to do that) you might find that exclusivity at IS is a good strategy for you. Otherwise I'm not sure it makes sense. To do well you'll need to be a high volume producer and keep doing that year after year - and if that's the case you'd do just as well or better being independent. Being independent would also reduce the risk of getting further hosed by Getty who will undoubtedly continue to squeeze contributor income whenever and wherever they can.

Exclusivity at IS means much less all the time - first it was some exclusive content on Thinkstock; then Vetta and Agency content on IS and Getty; the upcoming Japan iStockalypse content is going on all the Getty places, not just iStock (requirement of all uploads). Once Getty manages to reduce even high producing exclusives to a 20% royalty rate (which I'm near certain they will do over the next year or two) it's not clear why you'd stick with exclusivity unless you have bucket loads of Vetta/Agency stuff.

helix7 · « **Reply #90 on:** October 13, 2010, 12:28 »

Quote from: Danieloncarevic on October 12, 2010, 17:03

...Being exclusive on one agency will always be a looong discussion with a lot of constructive comments on both sides. I know a lot of people who are exclusive over there for a year or so now and they've never regret that move...

...The GENERAL reason is because when exclusive you need less time when sending photos... putting keywords.. categories and whatever.. Less time tracking the revenues.. downloads and etc. Less time and effort in general...

I don't think it's that long of a discussion these days. A lot has changed in the last month or so. Working with istock just ain't what it used to be. It's a much riskier proposition now.

If you're just looking to save some time, cut upload time, etc., and given that you're looking at microstock basically as a hobby (my assumption, given your small amount of upload activity), you're not likely to be too badly hurt by going exclusive with istock. If you're not worried about paying a mortgage or putting food on the table with your microstock earnings, and you're not concerned with any detrimental effects of of the new royalty rates, it's not as risky a move. If you're planning on making a career out of this or at least making microstock a greater part of your income, I would suggest you reconsider exclusivity. You're currently working with just 4 agencies. Most independents, especially those who regard microstock as any significant part of their livelihood, work with 2 or 3 times that number of agencies.

If I were you, and I was looking to grow my microstock business, I'd expand to other agencies instead of consolidating down to one. But if all you're looking to do is cut your time commitment to microstock, maybe exclusivity isn't such a bad idea.

FD · « **Reply #91 on:** October 13, 2010, 12:36 »

There was a time I would (it never happened) yell at a person standing on the edge of a roof of a high building: please don't! Now I would just yell: jump, jump!
With just 200 sales on "that" site and 1500 on DT, me thinks things should be obvious.

Freedom · « **Reply #92 on:** October 13, 2010, 12:50 »

I became exclusive a few months ago.

For people with large portfolios such as Lisafx, it does not make sense to go exclusive at all.

I totally understand your reasoning. You are not wrong.

Since I became exclusive, I haven't seen a huge jump of my earnings, plus the unilateral changes recently, I am disappointed.

However, I don't regret my decision. Even though many exclusives threatened to cancel their exclusivity, few people actually have done it. Why? Because comparing to other agencies, iStock still enjoys a lot of advantages. Since you are a contributor, I don't have to repeat what you have said.

Danieloncarevic · « **Reply #93 on:** October 14, 2010, 05:58 »

Thank you all for the comments.. Most of them are very constructive... I have time to think about it so we will see what will happen in the future, most probably in February/March 2011.

Quote from: FD-regular on October 13, 2010, 12:36

There was a time I would (it never happened) yell at a person standing on the edge of a roof of a high building: please don't! Now I would just yell: jump, jump!
With just 200 sales on "that" site and 1500 on DT, me thinks things should be obvious.

Well... that could be a matter of review as well if you ask me.. On DT I started uploading in June, 2005. Now I have 755 photos and most of them (500-600) are there for few years already. That being said I have 'only' 1,692 sales that brought me $1,526.51. ($0,90 per sale)

On the other side, on IS I started uploading in the end of 2007. Now I have 130 photos but most of them are there for about a year or even less. That being said I have 285 sales that brought me $320.68. ($1,13 per sale)

Dreamstime was my first agency I worked for and the place where I got my first $0.50 after the first sale which is difficult to describe but maybe it's 'time to say goodbye'. Maybe not but it's a possibility that I will be considering in the beginning of 2011.

ichiro17 · « **Reply #94 on:** October 14, 2010, 07:48 »

Quote from: designalldone on October 13, 2010, 03:39

Quote from: lisafx on October 12, 2010, 17:49
Snip...
Just this year I was almost one of the many people snared in Istock's push to get independents to go exclusive so they could "preserve their canister level". Fortunately for me Istock made some very worrying moves in that six month period of time and I decided to stay independent. I am so glad I did. Seeing how many people were taken in by that deal and are now losing income because of it is very, very sobering.

Just to clarify - are you referring to people that may lose income in Jan '11 due to the recent announcements, or do you know for certain that some people have lost income since going exclusive at the beginning of 2010 when iStock did their 'canister preserve' push?

I would be genuinely interested to hear if anyone has lost income so far this year due to becoming exclusive. On the contrary, exclusivity has been very good for me through 2010 and I will end up making more than I did as an independent in either 2008 or 2009.

Income up 100% from 2009, where i was exclusive from June to December. Good year for me

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