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Author Topic: Pond5 "Good News"!  (Read 28461 times)

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« Reply #25 on: March 15, 2019, 12:06 »
+1
Wouldn't this exclusivity be a good thing though?
If other agencies see users deleting or stalling new uploads in favor of Pond5?
They should have to give good, or better alternatives to keep contributors?

For me, if P5 encourage exclusivity it will be definitely a very good thing to me because I have many exclusive clips there


« Reply #26 on: March 15, 2019, 12:19 »
+6
I think exclusive content is key to any business surviving now days! As long as it is implemented well and not artist exclusive that is fine with me.

« Reply #27 on: March 15, 2019, 12:30 »
+2
Exclusive content would be a good thing, I agree.

But it could easily be used for 50% only for the exclusive content, 30% for the rest etc...

As long as the choice is ours and we can still set our own prices....

« Reply #28 on: March 15, 2019, 13:33 »
+4
Remember Videoblocks announcement after their commission cuts. 'Look forward to more sales' they said. Instead sales have gone completely AWOL for most contributors. I wonder how their financial books are looking. Or can they just survive off their second rate membership library?

« Reply #29 on: March 16, 2019, 02:24 »
0
Remember Videoblocks announcement after their commission cuts. 'Look forward to more sales' they said. Instead sales have gone completely AWOL for most contributors. I wonder how their financial books are looking. Or can they just survive off their second rate membership library?
It's a win win for them. They wasn't getting anything from contributors and now they get 50% of the few sales they have now, they can use this money to buy more clips from contributors and add those to their library, this way they get more and more subscribers.

« Reply #30 on: March 17, 2019, 20:55 »
0
Oh dear. It sure seems like a BOHICA announcement coming up. I sure hope I am wrong.

« Reply #31 on: March 19, 2019, 07:37 »
+3
I'm not sure what exactly what they'll do, but I'm almost certain it won't be "good news" for contributors.

Didn't an Alamy exec or someone have a video explaining all the new "changes" which were, of course, bad for contributors?

Feels like damage control in advance, having them personally stream the news to the community instead of sending generic e-mails.

Pond5 - if you're listening - we the contributors don't care how you deliver the news - as long as they're good. If they're bad, there's no good way of delivering them - not though a genetic newsletter, a "town hall", or a personalized youtube video. And just trying to deliver them as softly as possible is manipulative. So I hope for the best, but I do expect the worst. :)

georgep7

« Reply #32 on: March 19, 2019, 11:42 »
0
I think it is called a "self fulfilled prophecy" if we think it is bad, then it will be bad news.

I have read enough here to understand that usually "good" news are not good, but, no news are worse.

Here is a question: Are we submitting? Or are we investing our files to the higher bidding agency?
As in every other aspect of life, some will have benefit and some losses.
Think of people like me, fresh, small ports, new, with no metrics of years past earnings.
As in every freelancing job in the world. Do new cameramen or editors starve?
Yes they do not get payed as previous years but if the amount of money is enough, guess, it is a job.
No fun or hobby factors applying, it is a job. period. (sorry...)

If I may, totally subjective comment, I like the idea to have a file "exclusively" in Pond5 and set a higher price if I think it as unique, or rare, or at least first in an query that less to no clips appear, or (honestly?) I just want to have my chances with it. AS & SS set to whatever I upload a fixed price. Either a clip that I just raised my hand and filmed it, either a "studio" prepared shot, either a clip with releases attached and persons appearing that I think the most difficult as a newbie to get.

Perhaps I don't see the bigger picture here?

If something in their policy change again later and see that it is not in my profit, there is always the delete button / function...

(ok... skip this "people like me, fresh, new.." 46+ years and counting.... :D :P )
« Last Edit: March 19, 2019, 11:48 by georgep7 »

« Reply #33 on: March 19, 2019, 12:57 »
+1
If things (sales) are going well, no news is usualy good thing. Because, when they are, they're always bad.

« Reply #34 on: March 21, 2019, 11:25 »
+10
So Pond5 thinks they're going to get people to sign up for exclusive ARTIST for a 10% bump.

ETA: Oh, excuse me.  20%.  Since they're cutting non-exclusive artists to 40%.

ETA:  You get two weeks to remove content from other sites.  That's your "buffer period".
« Last Edit: March 21, 2019, 11:37 by Sean Locke Photography »

Justanotherphotographer

« Reply #35 on: March 21, 2019, 11:30 »
+15
So Pond5 thinks they're going to get people to sign up for exclusive ARTIST for a 10% bump.

ETA: Oh, excuse me.  20%.  Since they're cutting non-exclusive artists to 40%.

LOL so they are just cutting royalties then as no one's going artist exclusive

dpimborough

« Reply #36 on: March 21, 2019, 11:35 »
+4
So Pond5 thinks they're going to get people to sign up for exclusive ARTIST for a 10% bump.

ETA: Oh, excuse me.  20%.  Since they're cutting non-exclusive artists to 40%.

Really? Sounds like they've just copied Alamy :(

« Reply #37 on: March 21, 2019, 11:38 »
0
Do they allow content exclusive?

« Reply #38 on: March 21, 2019, 11:41 »
+2
Do they allow content exclusive?

No.  It's a video exclusive artist program.

« Reply #39 on: March 21, 2019, 11:46 »
+3
Do they allow content exclusive?

No.  It's a video exclusive artist program.

But for some who have thousands of video clips with other agencies, is it realistic?

Because we are getting an immediate decrease in income, while the exclusive income increases will not offset the losses, at least not for a while.

Let's ask them for contents exclusive. I have already sent an email.

« Reply #40 on: March 21, 2019, 11:49 »
+1
Do they allow content exclusive?

No.  It's a video exclusive artist program.

I didn't hear what they said about going exclusive while already having thousands of clips spread across multiple agencies. Will those non-exclusive clips drop to 40% or would we have to delete all content from other agencies? I'd think about going exclusive, but there's no way I can afford to delete anything from SS

« Reply #41 on: March 21, 2019, 11:49 »
+9
Well, that was a long way of saying "sales are going down, business not so good, we need a bigger cut".

The lack of logic is amusing, since the very nature of stock footage is that it is never exclusive. The goal is of course to sell it multiple times. Will the client feel better if 99 other Pond5 customers used the same clip? But not if Shutterstock customers did...

And going from 50% to 40% is a 20% cut. From 60% to 40% is a 33% cut.

So effectively, a 20% cut for 99% of us.


« Reply #42 on: March 21, 2019, 11:51 »
+1
I didn't hear what they said about going exclusive while already having thousands of clips spread across multiple agencies. Will those non-exclusive clips drop to 40% or would we have to delete all content from other agencies? I'd think about going exclusive, but there's no way I can afford to delete anything from SS

I didn't hear them clarify this beyond doubt, but it is my understanding that this program was ARTIST exclusive, meaning ALL of your clips need to be either exclusive or non-exclusive. Not just some clips in your portfolio. So you would have to delete everything. Good luck with that P5...

« Reply #43 on: March 21, 2019, 11:52 »
+3
Please explain: They stated that exclusive files would be shared on Vimeo and Adobe platform..... How is that exclusive???

« Reply #44 on: March 21, 2019, 11:52 »
+2
The lack of logic is amusing, since the very nature of stock footage is that it is never exclusive. The goal is of course to sell it multiple times. Will the client feel better if 99 other Pond5 customers used the same clip? But not if Shutterstock customers did...

Exactly.  "We don't like to see the same clip out there, so try not to sell it too much."

"Will those non-exclusive clips drop to 40% or would we have to delete all content from other agencies? I'd think about going exclusive, but there's no way I can afford to delete anything from SS"

It's artist exclusive.  You have two weeks to remove.

« Reply #45 on: March 21, 2019, 11:53 »
+3
Please explain: They stated that exclusive files would be shared on Vimeo and Adobe platform..... How is that exclusive???

They'll be your exclusive _distributor_.  They can "distribute" them wherever they like.

« Reply #46 on: March 21, 2019, 11:54 »
0
I didn't hear what they said about going exclusive while already having thousands of clips spread across multiple agencies. Will those non-exclusive clips drop to 40% or would we have to delete all content from other agencies? I'd think about going exclusive, but there's no way I can afford to delete anything from SS

I didn't hear them clarify this beyond doubt, but it is my understanding that this program was ARTIST exclusive, meaning ALL of your clips need to be either exclusive or non-exclusive. Not just some clips in your portfolio. So you would have to delete everything. Good luck with that P5...

They'll struggle to get 99% of us to delete our SS portfolios as it's simply not affordable. Also SS generate some decent size prices

« Reply #47 on: March 21, 2019, 11:55 »
+2
They'll struggle to get 99% of us to delete our SS portfolios as it's simply not affordable. Also SS generate some decent size prices

Exactly. Double the sales and 60% of that doesn't even come close to what I get from all the other sites combined.

« Reply #48 on: March 21, 2019, 11:59 »
+6
So for most existing contributors, we are getting an immediate reduction in our earnings no matter if we go exclusive or not.

If we go exclusive, we have to delete our clips from other agencies (waste of time) and suffer from loss of immediate sales.

If we don't, our share goes down from 50% to 40%.

Does not sound good!

Plus, given that agencies change their policies unilaterally and arbitrarily all the time, we will have risk too much if we go artist exclusive. This program may be only good for someone who has just started out.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2019, 12:03 by Orchidpoet »

wds

« Reply #49 on: March 21, 2019, 12:06 »
+2
Well, that was a long way of saying "sales are going down, business not so good, we need a bigger cut".

The lack of logic is amusing, since the very nature of stock footage is that it is never exclusive. The goal is of course to sell it multiple times. Will the client feel better if 99 other Pond5 customers used the same clip? But not if Shutterstock customers did...

And going from 50% to 40% is a 20% cut. From 60% to 40% is a 33% cut.

So effectively, a 20% cut for 99% of us.

FWIW this is the same logic as iS (or for that matter any stock vendor) charging more for exclusive content. In one sense I never understood it because the content can still be seen "all over the place" if purchased many times. I think their (P5) point was that if the content is only available on their platform, they control the price therefore the price would not be slowly eroded by different agencies competing with each other selling the same content. I think that makes sense, but what doesn't make sense is that it seems the individual contributors will be taking a hit by only selling on P5....unless they(the contributor) significantly raised their price points
« Last Edit: March 21, 2019, 12:08 by wds »


 

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