Author Topic: Wemark hows it going (Read 37469 times)

ShadySue · « **Reply #25 on:** April 29, 2018, 13:52 »

Quote from: mindstorm on April 29, 2018, 13:48

Quote from: ShadySue on April 29, 2018, 13:15
The site doesn't "clearly" state it on their homepage or about page.
In fact, on their home page, above the fold, there is a big heading saying, "License from top photographers" which implies that should be doable now.

Gotta admit, it is not all that obvious. I did find it last night while checking them out, but had a hard time finding it again today.

I did find it though. The site officially starts May 7, as seen in this screenshot (from https://tge.wemark.com ) --

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hc43thmqs7c23cw/WeMark%20Starts%20May%207.png?dl=0

Oh well, I'm too stupid for them.
I don't even know what TGE means.

Reckless · « **Reply #26 on:** April 29, 2018, 14:22 »

TGE = Token generation event. It's listed on the road map at the bottom of token page.

ShadySue · « **Reply #27 on:** April 29, 2018, 14:40 »

Quote from: Reckless on April 29, 2018, 14:22

TGE = Token generation event. It's listed on the road map at the bottom of token page.

Well, like so many startups on here, you can all laugh at me next year when you're rich.

mlwp · « **Reply #28 on:** April 29, 2018, 15:40 »

With the photographer selling directly to the buyer where does the licensing agreement come in to play? Does Wemark have standard licenses that the buyer agrees to or is the contributor supplying their own?
Or, are their any? Dumb question, perhaps.

Bereng La Bhoreq · « **Reply #29 on:** April 29, 2018, 22:43 »

Illustrator, vectors, video, stock music and 3D models should be patient until Q1 2019

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #30 on:** April 30, 2018, 04:10 »

Quote from: ShadySue on April 29, 2018, 14:40

Quote from: Reckless on April 29, 2018, 14:22
TGE = Token generation event. It's listed on the road map at the bottom of token page.

Well, like so many startups on here, you can all laugh at me next year when you're rich.

Right?

I still don't get this. There doesn't appear to be a USP here, so I'm not sure why buyers would go there or to any of these. Looking at the about page on the site:
"Wemark is not a stock photo agency - Photographers licence their photo directly to customers with no middleman involved, hence customers get better prices." - Well, they are a "middleman" because they're taking a cut. Even though being "not a photo agency" gets them out of any responsibility for anything. And there's no guarantee anyone gets "better pricing".
"Know exactly who licensed your photos" - How do you "know" who licensed your photo? Isn't "the blockchain" anonymous? How does this help me in any way?
"Keep full rights on your photos" - I already keep full rights on my photos.
"Digital currency instead of credits - As a next generation platform, Wemark supports its own digital currency. Wemark Tokens allow for both customers and photographers to become a part of the platform's economy and value." - Still not sure why I would want made up "money" in such a tiny niche.
"Photographers earn more for their work - Wemark sets a new standard for stock photography royalties - photographers keep 85% of the photo sale price." - I host my work at Photoshelter. I get 89% of the sale price, so ....

I'm still not sure what problem any of this solves. Or if it actually solves it. Work is still hosted, it must be searchable, it must be sold, it must be paid for.

GraniteCove · « **Reply #31 on:** April 30, 2018, 05:19 »

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but unlike stock agencies these people don't actually have to sell stock to make money do they. I mean they make money by selling cryptocurrency - and the only way to sell cryptocurrency is by making enough people believe that their crypto flavour of the day has an intrinsic value of some sort. The truth is though that without our free inventory they have no product of their own. All they have is a concept and a platform. An illusion.

Call me cynical, but to me the majority of the marketing pitch on their site is geared towards photographers not just in an effort to attract them as contributors but also as potential investors. Again, great if you buy into all of this, but for me that low transaction commission speaks volumes about their long term commitment to maintaining a platform capable of seriously disrupting the industry.

niktol · « **Reply #32 on:** April 30, 2018, 06:43 »

Quote from: Bereng La Bhoreq on April 29, 2018, 22:43

Illustrator, vectors, video, stock music and 3D models should be patient until Q1 2019

I have no problem with that even it was longer. I am a wait and see guy.

niktol · « **Reply #33 on:** April 30, 2018, 06:48 »

Quote from: ShadySue on April 29, 2018, 13:52

Oh well, I'm too stupid for them.
I don't even know what TGE means.

There was a reason once why words needed more than one letter to be uniquely recognizable.

niktol · « **Reply #34 on:** April 30, 2018, 07:09 »

Quote from: GraniteCove on April 30, 2018, 05:19

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but unlike stock agencies these people don't actually have to sell stock to make money do they. I mean they make money by selling cryptocurrency - and the only way to sell cryptocurrency is by making enough people believe that their crypto flavour of the day has an intrinsic value of some sort. The truth is though that without our free inventory they have no product of their own. All they have is a concept and a platform. An illusion.

Call me cynical, but to me the majority of the marketing pitch on their site is geared towards photographers not just in an effort to attract them as contributors but also as potential investors. Again, great if you buy into all of this, but for me that low transaction commission speaks volumes about their long term commitment to maintaining a platform capable of seriously disrupting the industry.

I think you might be right, but I don't think the pitch is directed at contributors. Contributors know what their problems are and they aren't the buzzwords at the Wemark site. "Creators are usually forced to give up: Most of the rights over their content". That's a flat-out lie, but it's not the photographers who are the target.

The main theme of the pitch is, it's a supercentralized market and everyone wants out, there is some money to make on that move.

GraniteCove · « **Reply #35 on:** April 30, 2018, 09:27 »

Quote from: niktol on April 30, 2018, 07:09

Quote from: GraniteCove on April 30, 2018, 05:19
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but unlike stock agencies these people don't actually have to sell stock to make money do they. I mean they make money by selling cryptocurrency - and the only way to sell cryptocurrency is by making enough people believe that their crypto flavour of the day has an intrinsic value of some sort. The truth is though that without our free inventory they have no product of their own. All they have is a concept and a platform. An illusion.

Call me cynical, but to me the majority of the marketing pitch on their site is geared towards photographers not just in an effort to attract them as contributors but also as potential investors. Again, great if you buy into all of this, but for me that low transaction commission speaks volumes about their long term commitment to maintaining a platform capable of seriously disrupting the industry.

I think you might be right, but I don't think the pitch is directed at contributors. Contributors know what their problems are and they aren't the buzzwords at the Wemark site. "Creators are usually forced to give up: Most of the rights over their content". That's a flat-out lie, but it's not the photographers who are the target.

The main theme of the pitch is, it's a supercentralized market and everyone wants out, there is some money to make on that move.

Quote from: niktol on April 30, 2018, 07:09

Quote from: GraniteCove on April 30, 2018, 05:19
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but unlike stock agencies these people don't actually have to sell stock to make money do they. I mean they make money by selling cryptocurrency - and the only way to sell cryptocurrency is by making enough people believe that their crypto flavour of the day has an intrinsic value of some sort. The truth is though that without our free inventory they have no product of their own. All they have is a concept and a platform. An illusion.

Call me cynical, but to me the majority of the marketing pitch on their site is geared towards photographers not just in an effort to attract them as contributors but also as potential investors. Again, great if you buy into all of this, but for me that low transaction commission speaks volumes about their long term commitment to maintaining a platform capable of seriously disrupting the industry.

I think you might be right, but I don't think the pitch is directed at contributors. Contributors know what their problems are and they aren't the buzzwords at the Wemark site. "Creators are usually forced to give up: Most of the rights over their content". That's a flat-out lie, but it's not the photographers who are the target.

The main theme of the pitch is, it's a supercentralized market and everyone wants out, there is some money to make on that move.

I hear what you are saying, but it still feels to me like they are preaching to the choir. Buyers don't give a rat's wrinkled rectum about supplier equity and the agencies clearly don't either. The only ones who really care are those of us with a vested interest in seeing a more equitable system. Don't get me wrong, from an arms length investor perspective I can see the appeal of exploiting a huge base of highly disgruntled creative types with nowhere else to turn, but in order for that to work not only would contributors need to come onboard in massive numbers, but so would buyers. As far as I can tell Wemark has 0 market position with an ICO soft capped at 1.5M and a hard cap at 8M. Even if the ICO were very successful and reached the hard cap and every penny of that was reinvested in marketing (of which there is no discussion) is that enough to lure buyers away from the big 3? Who knows, but if not I am doubtful that independent investors will be willing to life support this through the entire cycle. I think someone else already asked this question but if this were really about disrupting the market and creating a crypto based platform why did they not just go with bitcoin taking their 15% cut and leave it at that. Because this is not about photographers or buyers or the market. It's about WMK. I think savvy investors will see right through this, desperate photographers I'm not so sure.

niktol · « **Reply #36 on:** April 30, 2018, 10:09 »

Quote from: GraniteCove on April 30, 2018, 09:27

I hear what you are saying, but it still feels to me like they are preaching to the choir. Buyers don't give a rat's wrinkled rectum about supplier equity and the agencies clearly don't either. The only ones who really care are those of us with a vested interest in seeing a more equitable system. Don't get me wrong, from an arms length investor perspective I can see the appeal of exploiting a huge base of highly disgruntled creative types with nowhere else to turn, but in order for that to work not only would contributors need to come onboard in massive numbers, but so would buyers. As far as I can tell Wemark has 0 market position with an ICO soft capped at 1.5M and a hard cap at 8M. Even if the ICO were very successful and reached the hard cap and every penny of that was reinvested in marketing (of which there is no discussion) is that enough to lure buyers away from the big 3? Who knows, but if not I am doubtful that independent investors will be willing to life support this through the entire cycle. I think someone else already asked this question but if this were really about disrupting the market and creating a crypto based platform why did they not just go with bitcoin taking their 15% cut and leave it at that. Because this is not about photographers or buyers or the market. It's about WMK. I think savvy investors will see right through this, desperate photographers I'm not so sure.

I dunno. I was never a savvy investor myself, so I don't know how they are thinking. All my income comes from building my expertise in a few different areas, and I don't really have time for seeking new and immediate investment opportunities. Maybe I will when I retire.

It's just that the whole language of the site is for emotional types. Vague and urgent. There may be a whole bunch of people desperately seeking where to grow their money, and that maybe it, a short but a seemingly decent fly-by-night opportunity. Who says they should be savvy to act on it? Maybe they shouldn't.

If I thought that site was counting on me to put some money up, I wouldn't expect them to use cryptocoin lingo right on the front page with no explanations (how many photographers/artists or designers know what that is or ever used it?). I would also not expect them to use some nonsense catch-phrases to describe the problem. The problem isn't "the lack of control" or that "a big part of the hard-earned money is taken away" or that "contributors' rights are taken away". It all sounds like a justification for a third uninvolved and unfamiliar with the realities party. "Look, we are gonna open the floodgates, everybody just waits to start selling through us, the value of coins are going to shoot through the roof, there's going to be such huge demand for them". Hence the free doughnuts for everyone who uploads before May 1, to justify that statement.

That doesn't mean that this place will not exist after half a year, it just doesn't look like the primary goal after the low hanging fruit is picked.

GraniteCove · « **Reply #37 on:** April 30, 2018, 10:16 »

Slightly different perspectives, same conclusion.

niktol · « **Reply #38 on:** April 30, 2018, 10:26 »

Quote from: GraniteCove on April 30, 2018, 10:16

Slightly different perspectives, same conclusion.

Pretty much

Clair Voyant · « **Reply #39 on:** April 30, 2018, 10:42 »

Slightly off topic... today I just sold all of the real estate I bought with my Monopoly money and got 0.85c on the dollar, time to retire, it was well worth the wait.

GraniteCove · « **Reply #40 on:** April 30, 2018, 11:00 »

Did you hold it long enough to beat inflation?

derby · « **Reply #41 on:** April 30, 2018, 12:56 »

After years reading many asking for new solutions, new business model and new actors in the market, I don't understand why so many people don't give credit to this offer.

For sure there are many things that have to be cleared, for sure it starts with zero buyers, for sure it will take years to take off.

But this is really the new business model that everyone is asking for. Maybe wemark will not win the race, but this model it's the future so I'll give a try
For sure I don't think I'll become rich in few months 😁

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #42 on:** April 30, 2018, 14:11 »

Quote from: derby on April 30, 2018, 12:56

But this is really the new business model that everyone is asking for.

What's new about it? They host the image, they take a cut when you sell an image, the buyer gets an image. I'm not seeing anything groundbreaking here, aside from the bookkeeping behind the scenes. Like I said, I get a better rate on Photoshelter for the same thing.

GraniteCove · « **Reply #43 on:** April 30, 2018, 14:29 »

I think it might be because some of us just don't see a bona fide business model here. Nor even a worthwhile investment for that matter. Some of us might just see it for what it really might be - a highly speculative venture which is requesting the unpaid use of our assets to build a potentially lucrative vehicle for the benefit and enrichment of others with nothing more than a carrot of hope that it might pay off down the road for any of us as contributors. Sound familiar?

I am not against the overall concept in any way. I completely agree that cryptocurrencies are here to stay, and that the model really does have merit and holds promise for many applications in this industry. What bothers me personally is what I consider the arrogance of those who know that the market is in such a deplorable state for so many contributors that they can count on the most critical component of their "business model" to be supplied absolutely free of charge. Yes, agencies do exactly the same thing, except with agencies there is a degree of comfort in knowing that at least in some abstract way their fortunes are tied directly to actual sales. This "offer" is not the same thing at all.

Just to be clear, I would consider this an opportunity if there were something tangible in it for me. Something like stakeholder equity in WTK based on contribution level sounds fair. If this were a creative group based initiative (as opposed to venture capitalists) I would be even more inclined to get involved. As it stands right now though - no thanks.

derby · « **Reply #44 on:** April 30, 2018, 14:32 »

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on April 30, 2018, 14:11

Quote from: derby on April 30, 2018, 12:56
But this is really the new business model that everyone is asking for.

What's new about it? They host the image, they take a cut when you sell an image, the buyer gets an image. I'm not seeing anything groundbreaking here, aside from the bookkeeping behind the scenes. Like I said, I get a better rate on Photoshelter for the same thing.

What is new is inside the blockchain system.
You will have no more need to put your transactions in a middle centralized ledger. You can control where and when your work is used, no more thief no more search around the web.
The blockchain give you the key, exactly as you work as an agency by yourself. You have a decentralized database, and, just to give you an example, none will be able to costrain you to lowering price or put your work in "special discount offer".
This is a great (and, I think) revolutionary business model, far far away from any other agencies model.

Of course, as I said before, there are many things that have to be cleared, and I haven't knowledge to find all the answers I would like to have.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #45 on:** April 30, 2018, 14:47 »

Quote from: derby on April 30, 2018, 14:32

What is new is inside the blockchain system.
You will have no more need to put your transactions in a middle centralized ledger. You can control where and when your work is used, no more thief no more search around the web.
The blockchain give you the key, exactly as you work as an agency by yourself. You have a decentralized database, and, just to give you an example, none will be able to costrain you to lowering price or put your work in "special discount offer".
This is a great (and, I think) revolutionary business model, far far away from any other agencies model.

How do I "control where and when my work is used" if it is an RF license? And if it is just that I write my own license, how is that different from any other self hosted shop. Like Photoshelter (again), I have my own license. I'm also not constrained to any price and I can offer discounts. So, again, you're not telling me anything groundbreaking here.

ShadySue · « **Reply #46 on:** April 30, 2018, 14:48 »

Quote from: derby on April 30, 2018, 14:32

What is new is inside the blockchain system.
You will have no more need to put your transactions in a middle centralized ledger. You can control where and when your work is used, no more thief no more search around the web

OK, please explain to me in words of one syllable how the blockchain stops thieves from lifting legitimately purchased files from the websites they were purchased for, which is how most thefts occur.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #47 on:** April 30, 2018, 15:09 »

Quote from: ShadySue on April 30, 2018, 14:48

Quote from: derby on April 30, 2018, 14:32
What is new is inside the blockchain system.
You will have no more need to put your transactions in a middle centralized ledger. You can control where and when your work is used, no more thief no more search around the web
OK, please explain to me in words of one syllable how the blockchain stops thieves from lifting legitimately purchased files from the websites they were purchased for, which is how most thefts occur.

And isn't this just a Wemark ledger? What if I want to join another blockchain site. Don't I have to reupload everything into their ledger?

derby · « **Reply #48 on:** April 30, 2018, 15:33 »

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on April 30, 2018, 14:47

How do I "control where and when my work is used" if it is an RF license? And if it is just that I write my own license, how is that different from any other self hosted shop. Like Photoshelter (again), I have my own license. I'm also not constrained to any price and I can offer discounts. So, again, you're not telling me anything groundbreaking here.

Quote from: ShadySue on April 30, 2018, 14:48

OK, please explain to me in words of one syllable how the blockchain stops thieves from lifting legitimately purchased files from the websites they were purchased for, which is how most thefts occur.

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on April 30, 2018, 15:09

And isn't this just a Wemark ledger? What if I want to join another blockchain site. Don't I have to reupload everything into their ledger?

Ok guys, I'm not the expert one :-) And I'm also not english native language so please forgive me for my poor explanations!

Anyway:
As i said, once more, there are a lot of thing to be cleared and I have no answers about licenses.

Sean, if photoshelter is good for you, it's up to you, it's your choiche, I don't work for wemark and I don't want to convince you what is the best for you.
I'm simply saying that I think this will be a big change in the market (future)

Shadysue, the reason is simply that you digital property is inside a distribuited database and none else can can claim the property. Now you have to ask to the agency to control this, in the blockchain structure everyone can know who is the legitimate owner and if they want to use it they have to pay you and only you.
OF COURSE this is valid only for files in the blockchain. Outside it there will still exist thieves. This is a great reason to drive your content in blockchain structure (IMO).

Sean, wemark ledger simply doesn't exist. Ledger is public and everyone can access it. All the net validate your content and your transaction, Wemark (or anyone else) don't do this job.
So, you don't put your content in "someone else" ledger, you put your content in public distribuited ledger that anyone can access and control.

Ok, it's not so simple, and as I have to underline I'M NOT AN EXPERT!
This is what I understood, reading something about the blockchain structure.

My faith goes to the general idea of distribuited ledger, I'm not promoting one or other site/network.
Feel free of course to get info, I'm interested in new opinions!

GraniteCove · « **Reply #49 on:** April 30, 2018, 16:08 »

Quote from: derby on April 30, 2018, 12:56

After years reading many asking for new solutions, new business model and new actors in the market, I don't understand why so many people don't give credit to this offer.

Derby, not trying to beat up on you here, it's just that I get the feeling you may have fallen for Wemark's marketing hype and are conflating what they are trying to do with blockchain technology in general. The two really have little to do with each other. If it's just web theft you are worried about then you should check this out...https://binded.com. Sean, if you are selling on Photoshelter then maybe it might be of interest to you as well.

I think sooner rather than later traditional agencies will be integrating blockchain into their systems. Frankly they will have to. For anyone interested in what some independent photographers are doing with blockchain today you might be interested in this...https://www.artnome.com/news/2018/3/4/how-blockchain-will-change-photography

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Author Topic: Wemark hows it going (Read 37469 times)

ShadySue

Reckless

ShadySue

mlwp

Bereng La Bhoreq

Sean Locke Photography

GraniteCove

niktol

niktol

niktol

GraniteCove

niktol

GraniteCove

niktol

Clair Voyant

GraniteCove

derby

Sean Locke Photography

GraniteCove

derby

Sean Locke Photography

ShadySue

Sean Locke Photography

derby

GraniteCove

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