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Author Topic: This month's sales  (Read 102198 times)

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« Reply #175 on: December 01, 2021, 03:36 »
0
Second WME.

Only AS and iS performing normal.

DT dead. 123rf nearly dead. CS dead. DP lousy RPD. SS lousy RPD.


thijsdegraaf

« Reply #176 on: December 01, 2021, 05:31 »
0
Shutterstock: OK
Adobe: Slow
Alamy: Dead
« Last Edit: December 01, 2021, 07:27 by thijsdegraaf »

For Real

« Reply #177 on: December 01, 2021, 10:45 »
0
Compared to November 2020 I lost about 10% in $$$ yet I doubled last years output in producing new images.

 For some reason my new images are not selling like most folks where they see instant sales on the first day  :-\

Level6

« Reply #178 on: December 01, 2021, 11:19 »
0
But long term is another story I guess. When I look at image credits in media outlets, the amount of Unsplash credits is still on the rise. Also premium outlets, glossy magazines, seem to use them very regularly. They use images from free collections wherever they can. At least that's my observation, and it would be foolish to think that this has no effect on our sales. Without free collections, these images would have generated sales. Probably small subscription sales, true, but still it's quite a volume.
[/quote]

You are not wrong about FREE, be it stock agencies free collections or the free stock sites themselves, I am seeing the same thing in Canada, media outlets using stock photos and video now but more and more it's the free sites OR it from an agency that has deal with another agency, just saw Toronto snowstorm coverage on Toronto media via the Chinese communist state media and the photographer was a freelancer selling through Getty, then somehow the Chinese state media got it and our very own Toronto media got it from them.

Even if an agency offers to pay for your images or videos at a fair price to make up their free collection, unless you're planning to retire and walk away from the business it's not worth it.

Media companies and large production companies will use free if they can get it especially if the quality is ok and it fits their needs.

What's needed is an end to free anything but also a forensic accounting of all these deals agencies have and that won't happen and that's why this has become a ticket to bankruptcy.




« Reply #179 on: December 01, 2021, 15:17 »
+2
....
Even if an agency offers to pay for your images or videos at a fair price to make up their free collection, unless you're planning to retire and walk away from the business it's not worth it.

Media companies and large production companies will use free if they can get it especially if the quality is ok and it fits their needs.

What's needed is an end to free anything but also a forensic accounting of all these deals agencies have and that won't happen and that's why this has become a ticket to bankruptcy.

these are the same arguments film stock photographers used when digital microstock started about 20 yrs ago (when a stock image routinely paid $150-300+).

maybe the future of microstock is going to be ALL free images for consumers, with photographers getting 1-time payments of $5 by agencies to build their collections.  that's more than many images would make in their lifetime. 

wrt microstock, photographers need to get out of the artist mind-set - we're not creating fine art; we're feeding a commodity beast. i'd rather make $100 by selling 20 out of a batch of 100, than wait for those 100 to sell 1000 times (probably optimistic estimate)

Level6

« Reply #180 on: December 01, 2021, 16:13 »
+2
Media companies and large production companies will use free if they can get it especially if the quality is ok and it fits their needs.

What's needed is an end to free anything but also a forensic accounting of all these deals agencies have and that won't happen and that's why this has become a ticket to bankruptcy.
[/quote]

these are the same arguments film stock photographers used when digital microstock started about 20 yrs ago (when a stock image routinely paid $150-300+).

maybe the future of microstock is going to be ALL free images for consumers, with photographers getting 1-time payments of $5 by agencies to build their collections.  that's more than many images would make in their lifetime. 

wrt microstock, photographers need to get out of the artist mind-set - we're not creating fine art; we're feeding a commodity beast. i'd rather make $100 by selling 20 out of a batch of 100, than wait for those 100 to sell 1000 times (probably optimistic estimate)
[/quote]

Those are good points, that was before my time with the film stock photographers but this fellow does editorial and severe weather, sells direct and for an appropriate price, https://stormhighway.com/footage/rates.php and now that same content can be had for free or nearly free.

As for everything going FREE, I can totally see it going that way for video and stills sadly, agencies buying wholesale is not bad either like you say but they won't buy from everyone so many will be leaving the business one way or another.

I think it's going that way and the smaller independent contributor will find it hard to impossible to continue to make a living here.

Google search up streaming music royalty calculator and see what they make off streaming and downloads now vs selling CD's, artists fought and lost that battle long ago and now you need to be a social media powerhouse, sell merch and tour and even then it's a struggle but not everyone is big enough to tour.   

If you're as big as BTS or OK ONE ROCK and a few others then you can do ok but for the rest you're not making a living of the music.  It's like all forms of digital media just has no value anymore, can't compete with free and you need to give your work away for free to promote your work.

At the end of the day STARTUPS kill industries and put millions out of work, these agencies are all startups, from hard working taxi drivers who lost the battle to UBER to pizza delivery jobs for college students all gone to food delivery apps so this industry.     Startups call it disruption and talk about how great it is to not need humans, I don't see anything great about it.

« Reply #181 on: December 01, 2021, 16:51 »
+2


If you're as big as BTS or OK ONE ROCK and a few others then you can do ok but for the rest you're not making a living of the music.  It's like all forms of digital media just has no value anymore, can't compete with free and you need to give your work away for free to promote your work.


Very many good points in your posting.

Digitization has its advantages and disadvantages. The same applies to book authors, who earn much less money with e-books.

I myself have quite a large vinyl record and book collection. To these things I have a special reference, can name authors, song title, singer, album name.

When I download music or books digitally, I usually don't know the author or artist within the next few days. You somehow lose the relationship to things, you only consume.

I miss the times when you explored the world with a printed guidebook without Gps.  And somehow it also has its charm, when you get lost with your paper street map.

o.k., was a bit off topic  ;)

« Reply #182 on: December 01, 2021, 17:38 »
+3
....
Even if an agency offers to pay for your images or videos at a fair price to make up their free collection, unless you're planning to retire and walk away from the business it's not worth it.

Media companies and large production companies will use free if they can get it especially if the quality is ok and it fits their needs.

What's needed is an end to free anything but also a forensic accounting of all these deals agencies have and that won't happen and that's why this has become a ticket to bankruptcy.


maybe the future of microstock is going to be ALL free images for consumers, with photographers getting 1-time payments of $5 by agencies to build their collections.

I'm not sure I got that right.

Here in Central Europe, no one can produce an image for $5, upload it and create keywords. This contributor would starve.

A portfolio of 20,000! images would bring $100,000. That is nothing compared to the time and cost to create that amount of images.

If that were the future, and I've said this before, the microstock business would be dead in many countries from a contributor perspective.

Level6

« Reply #183 on: December 01, 2021, 18:11 »
+1
If that were the future, and I've said this before, the microstock business would be dead in many countries from a contributor perspective.
[/quote]

You're 100% it would be dead in many countries if it isn't already, I do editorial video in Ontario Canada and it's a ticket to bankruptcy, trying to learn swing and options trading and get out of camera work for good, it's literally a ticket to bankruptcy trying to sell on Pond5 and Shutterstock and doing editorial so I don't need to pay models or have a studio and it's still become a complete lost cause.

I knew it was on shaky ground but I think it's basically over as a way to make a living.

« Reply #184 on: December 01, 2021, 18:58 »
+1


You're 100% it would be dead in many countries if it isn't already, I do editorial video in Ontario Canada and it's a ticket to bankruptcy, trying to learn swing and options trading and get out of camera work for good, it's literally a ticket to bankruptcy trying to sell on Pond5 and Shutterstock and doing editorial so I don't need to pay models or have a studio and it's still become a complete lost cause.

I knew it was on shaky ground but I think it's basically over as a way to make a living.

What's your historical experience in Microstock? Did you use to make more in times past?

Level6

« Reply #185 on: December 01, 2021, 20:57 »
0

I knew it was on shaky ground but I think it's basically over as a way to make a living.
[/quote]

What's your historical experience in Microstock? Did you use to make more in times past?
[/quote]

I was doing ok with editorial video mostly on Pond5 and a little on SSTK and Newsflare, then 2021 happened and it slowed and this September income fell to $0 but I did make $80 today on Newsflare,  used to make $3500/month on Pond5 alone so it's quite the drop especially this fall and despite the recession, the fall season is the selling season so I held out some hope, didn't happen.

Now we have most COVID related travel hassles coming back around the world so you'd think stock video and photos would be doing quite well but they are not so I think it's all these deals and partnerships and programs that do everything but drive OUR sales, that, plus the free stuff and changing consumer interests.

It's a few things all added up coming together but if customers can get it for free or nearly free I think it's ending or over.

I do editorial which has helped until now as those clips aren't easily recreated on set and I leave the fine art to those with better equipment and skills but just today I saw this on social media https://twitter.com/MarsScientific/status/1466135315672879109?s=20

« Reply #186 on: December 02, 2021, 03:43 »
0
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is yearly revenue. I have made sales for 23000$ (7000$ net)for 1 license and 0.001$ for Getty connect sales. The biggest selling image at Istock has brough me 20.000$ net so more than that big sales. At the best times in micro 2012 I was earning more with them 6 yearly figures than with Getty.

Everyone has to crunch his numbers and see where his work fits. You might be very talented and people want to pay you hundred or thousands of dollars to use your image or you might be very efficient at producing stock. At SS there quite a few with hundred of thousands of images in their portfolio. Quite horrible work many times but hey they sell at low prices and for the customers it is good enough

Stock is not the same for everyone. The same as the stock market. Some make money shorting, others with long investing, other day trading, technical, fundamentals.......That's the beauty of it You have some lee way to adapt your working style to it.

....
Even if an agency offers to pay for your images or videos at a fair price to make up their free collection, unless you're planning to retire and walk away from the business it's not worth it.

Media companies and large production companies will use free if they can get it especially if the quality is ok and it fits their needs.

What's needed is an end to free anything but also a forensic accounting of all these deals agencies have and that won't happen and that's why this has become a ticket to bankruptcy.


« Reply #187 on: December 02, 2021, 18:03 »
+1
...;

At the end of the day STARTUPS kill industries and put millions out of work, these agencies are all startups, from hard working taxi drivers who lost the battle to UBER to pizza delivery jobs for college students all gone to food delivery apps so this industry.     Startups call it disruption and talk about how great it is to not need humans, I don't see anything great about it.

sure - like railroads, oil pioneers, ford, gm,chrysler,ibm, apple,google,amazon,intel,nike,starbucks,...../..... those d'ned startups!

« Reply #188 on: December 03, 2021, 06:44 »
+1
Interesting to see the poll results have Shutterstock in the lead again. Despite the rhetoric, the reality is AdobeStock are performing badly in recent times.

« Reply #189 on: December 03, 2021, 07:58 »
0
Interesting to see the poll results have Shutterstock in the lead again. Despite the rhetoric, the reality is AdobeStock are performing badly in recent times.

Oh right, the poll... just had a look. What's going on at Envato?
It started to rain gold overthere?

Justanotherphotographer

« Reply #190 on: December 03, 2021, 08:05 »
+1
Interesting to see the poll results have Shutterstock in the lead again. Despite the rhetoric, the reality is AdobeStock are performing badly in recent times.

More people worship the rising than the setting sun.

« Reply #191 on: December 03, 2021, 11:07 »
0
Last month on Shutterstock was my best this year and second best ever for revenue. Downloads were good and RPD was better although not great.

Adobe was okay. Not great but not terrible either.

The end of November was a bit slow and December has started slowly which is disappointing in that, effectively, December is a three week month due to the Christmas and New Year holiday.

Not looking forward to the reset on Shutterstock in January.


Level6

« Reply #192 on: December 03, 2021, 12:20 »
0
...;

At the end of the day STARTUPS kill industries and put millions out of work, these agencies are all startups, from hard working taxi drivers who lost the battle to UBER to pizza delivery jobs for college students all gone to food delivery apps so this industry.     Startups call it disruption and talk about how great it is to not need humans, I don't see anything great about it.

sure - like railroads, oil pioneers, ford, gm,chrysler,ibm, apple,google,amazon,intel,nike,starbucks,...../..... those d'ned startups!

Well....some startups are good and have opened up opportunities to the masses that didn't previously exist and some people made a good living for awhile but then the math comes home to roost and they have to start paying back their investors and cutting commissions for the people on the platform and that's what we see in the stock video/photo industry, it's not sustainable for them either, they have overhead and staff plus have to pay back investors millions at 30% interest or they have shareholders to be accountable to like SSTK.

My longer term worry about the gig economy is this, there is so little money to be made, take this stock video industry for example but also others, as this cohort eventually gets to retirement age OR if a health problem comes up they have no pension, no benefits, and probably not much savings.  now what?.








« Reply #193 on: December 03, 2021, 13:10 »
+1
...;

At the end of the day STARTUPS kill industries and put millions out of work, these agencies are all startups, from hard working taxi drivers who lost the battle to UBER to pizza delivery jobs for college students all gone to food delivery apps so this industry.     Startups call it disruption and talk about how great it is to not need humans, I don't see anything great about it.

sure - like railroads, oil pioneers, ford, gm,chrysler,ibm, apple,google,amazon,intel,nike,starbucks,...../..... those d'ned startups!

..
My longer term worry about the gig economy is this, there is so little money to be made, take this stock video industry for example but also others, as this cohort eventually gets to retirement age OR if a health problem comes up they have no pension, no benefits, and probably not much savings.  now what?.

ok, but that's a problem with laissez-faire capitalism & the gig economy, not ALL startups - plus, unlike most industrial countriies, the US has a porous safety net, esp'ly with no national health care system

« Reply #194 on: December 03, 2021, 20:55 »
+1

I was doing ok with editorial video mostly on Pond5 and a little on SSTK and Newsflare, then 2021 happened and it slowed and this September income fell to $0 but I did make $80 today on Newsflare,  used to make $3500/month on Pond5 alone so it's quite the drop especially this fall and despite the recession, the fall season is the selling season so I held out some hope, didn't happen.

Yeah that's a huge fall on sales. I was not a big seller on Pond5 but definitely seen a big drop from May 2021 onwards, which has been disappointing. 

Level6

« Reply #195 on: December 04, 2021, 10:30 »
0
Yeah that's a huge fall on sales. I was not a big seller on Pond5 but definitely seen a big drop from May 2021 onwards, which has been disappointing.
[/quote]

Same here but I attributed it to the so-called summer slump plus the COVID recession we are still in and so I kept producing editorial video and uploading and operating off a credit card to stay afloat and then some September 1 sales went to zero and as of today still at zero.

This is April 1 2019 all over again when by some magic customers just stopped buying stock at P5 and then they came galloping to our rescue with the exclusive program and contributors lost even more money as sales didn't happen with all those new exclusive accounts.

« Reply #196 on: December 09, 2021, 18:17 »
+2
Absolutely terrible sales on both Shutterstock and Adobe. I expected December to be poor but thought the fall-off would be in the last third of the month due to the holidays rather than at the beginning.

Anyone else notice a big drop in sales?

Level6

« Reply #197 on: December 09, 2021, 18:30 »
0
Absolutely terrible sales on both Shutterstock and Adobe. I expected December to be poor but thought the fall-off would be in the last third of the month due to the holidays rather than at the beginning.

Anyone else notice a big drop in sales?

Editorial video here and same, terrible to the point I considered buying one of my own clips to see if the system was working.

Lots of things coming together at the worst time and something are the agencies doing but not all, we are still in the worst recession since the depression and while some media talk about a shortage of workers no one can find a job.

That, and there is a massive amount of debt people and businesses who survived COVID took on and that's coming due now. 

Every time I see a story here in Canada "employers can't find workers" I say I can start tomorrow, bored out of my mind now that stock has failed, can't even get a job in fast food and I've applied everywhere here.

« Reply #198 on: December 10, 2021, 01:50 »
+2
Absolutely terrible sales on both Shutterstock and Adobe. I expected December to be poor but thought the fall-off would be in the last third of the month due to the holidays rather than at the beginning.

Anyone else notice a big drop in sales?

Editorial video here and same, terrible to the point I considered buying one of my own clips to see if the system was working.

Lots of things coming together at the worst time and something are the agencies doing but not all, we are still in the worst recession since the depression and while some media talk about a shortage of workers no one can find a job.

That, and there is a massive amount of debt people and businesses who survived COVID took on and that's coming due now. 

Every time I see a story here in Canada "employers can't find workers" I say I can start tomorrow, bored out of my mind now that stock has failed, can't even get a job in fast food and I've applied everywhere here.

I think many employers are being tight wads and crybabies, carrying on about not enough staff and then not giving anyone less than the ideal candidate a go.     

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #199 on: December 10, 2021, 05:42 »
0
Interesting to see the poll results have Shutterstock in the lead again. Despite the rhetoric, the reality is AdobeStock are performing badly in recent times.

Oh right, the poll... just had a look. What's going on at Envato?

I've been completing the poll for a change!


 

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