In the future, all of the microstock companies will be owned by one individual. Me. All shall kneel before me, and agree that without Whiz there would be no microstock. 

Or not.

I don't see why microstock would go anywhere. The only problem is that too many photos, illustrations; etc will be available. The increasing competition may make it more difficult to make money. This will be especially true for those who are just starting out in microstock photography in five years. So either microstock companies will raise their standards excruciatingly high, or they will start deleting images that don't sell(like Fotolia does).

or they will start deleting images that don't sell(like Fotolia does).

That would be a good thing...even if the half of my files who not sell can be in this category. Because less files say more views for the good ones.

 Soon I'm gone trow out some of my newbie files that I'm not necessarily proud of and what site don't allow to easily delete these is Bigstock. If there is one site who have to do it , for me it's them.

I think we'll see a shake out in a couple of years. Mergers, acquisitions, culling of the herd. I think professional photographers will finally "get it" and move to the Microstock model en-masse. Newly minted professional photographers will never know the old stock model and will automatically start off at the Microstock level slowly but surely killing off the old stock photography model. You may see an increase in prices, but not for a while. Microstock companies will give more incentive  to get and keep "exclusive" photographers. The major players will get even more picky about what passes through the inspectors. I think you'll also see the majors start to cull older files with zero or little downloads. IS did this a couple of years ago. I think buyers will flock to the site with the best search engine. IS is clearly falling down on this right now. This is an opportunity for the others to spring ahead.

I also think it's a bit of a pyramid scheme at this point. If you got in early, built a big high quality portfolio you hit the jackpot. It will be more of an uphill battle for new, high quality photographers...

Will one of you, that can see the future so well, please give me the winning lottery numbers for Friday night.

 

My magic 8 ball says:   


As more companies start using microstock for advertising, more companies are going to get burnt when the images used are used by someone else simultaneously. Microstock companies will attempt to combat the negative outcomes of this by moving their top exclusive content into a more RM style of licensing.

I think the RF side will have a greater variety of pricing, with web sized and low quality images  prices staying as they are or getting even cheaper, with larger file sizes and higher quality more popular images gaining in price.

The subscription sites will implement new subscription options (think a cheaper web size only version).

Rights buyouts will become more and more common, and the pricing for them will increase.

And if these don't come true, it is because a super advanced alien race has messed with the space time continuum, and not because I don't have a clue.

As more companies start using microstock for advertising, more companies are going to get burnt when the images used are used by someone else simultaneously.

So true.  I've noticed this twice last winter.  First, I do a bit of work for the big bridal show.  When their magazine hit the newspaper, there was the bride that the show used on their magazine cover (and postcards, etc.), as well she was on two non-related ads inside.

The second was during RSP/tax season.   There were huge print and tv ads, and billboards all over town - featuring big happy faces with glasses.  It got to be very confusing because a bank and a national optical chain were using the same set of photos.  The people that sell glasses couldn't shoot their own product???    If I paid for a billboard and it was on one side of the bridge for people to see on their way in and the same face was on a billboard selling something else at the in the other direction for people to see on the drive home I would be pissed.

I have a worry that subscriptions will erode the income...
vphoto

Subscriptions piss me off too.