Post by: SuperPhoto on July 09, 2019, 09:36
IF you are thinking about making your content unlimited for storyblocks - DON'T.
ITS STUPID.
YOU'LL HURT YOURSELF & EVERYONE ELSE IN THE INDUSTRY. YOU'LL MAKE STORYBLOCKS EVEN FATTER & WEALTHIER THAN THEY ARE, WHILE HURTING YOUR SALES FROM OTHER AGENCIES AND MAKING YOU A WHOLE LOT LESS IN THE LONG RUN.
I'd say videoblocks (aka storyblocks) was probably one of *the* first companies to really make a big push for the subscription based
model of content back in I think it was around 2011/2012... In an environment where companies where charging 'per clip'.
They very quickly (within a couple years) grew to $30+ million in revenue... Other companies started introducing "their" subscription models - which meant a lot less sales for the majority of authors.
Then in 2015, introduced the 'membership' program - where basically they'd purchase any clips that sold to add to their library (no risk for them, but massive sales data) - and pay the author a token amount...
Then when that was exhausted - have now decided to go for "unlimited" downloads! And give you a "percentage" cut of
the number of downloads you get...
The "pilot" program they say was successful... May very well have been, I mean 3x earnings of virtually nothing, is still something...
and for a tiny test group - splitting earnings amongst "them" would skew the results so they could "honestly" say that they
saw "3x" earnings (assuming they are being honest about that in the first place)...
But now, if you get people jumping on the bandwagon, which they will - desperate to make sales - videoblocks library overnight
grows by 100x (quite possibly 1000x, 10000x, I am not sure how tiny their test group was, but I do know there are a LOT
of authors signed up)... makes VIDEOBLOCKS tons of cash because they market themselves as "the" place to get CHEAP CHEAP
content...
but now you make even LESS than you did before - because earnings are now are split 100, 1000, 10000x amongst the test
group (and subscribers are not going to download 1000x the clips they did before)...
So this is a REALLY CRAPPY deal for authors... only people that are really benefiting is storyblocks...
Which, of course - puts pressure on the other agencies to make knee jerk reaction moves (i.e., they see a cut of their sales being
eaten at - figure out its videoblocks/storyblocks - so then THEY introduce THEIR "unlimited subscription model") - and voila.
NOT MENTION..........
If you like having your content upload on "warez" sites, other people "re-packaging" your content and selling it - then this is the precisely the type of thing that will most likely happen when you do. (i.e., motionarray which "forced" people to go unlimited downloads now regularly sends out "dmca" notices because of people reselling/repackaging content.... they sometimes even brag "we sent out 2,000+ notices just recently"... "2000"??? do you REALLY want your content being given FREE or for RESALE by others on 2,000+ sites???)
$0.0001 sales for you!
SO........... IF you are thinking about making your content unlimited for storyblocks - DON'T.
ITS STUPID.
YOU'LL HURT YOURSELF & EVERYONE ELSE IN THE INDUSTRY.
Post by: trucic on July 09, 2019, 10:23
Post by: SuperPhoto on July 09, 2019, 10:32
Highly supporting not to participate in this deal... they are obviously desperate and without doubt they need new content... have tried with small sample and got almost nothing in return... do not support them, because they know what they are doing - luring for naive contributors!
it's not that they are "desparate" - its that they are "greedy". They got the pie, they got the crumbs, and now they want to lick the pie plate.
It's a really raw deal for contributors because it will canabalize sales on other platforms.
PLUS - videoblocks/storyblocks has proven they are a dishonest company - because they promised "100% commissions for life!" for your own content... Then, only a couple years later, they said "Welll... thats not quite true! Only 50%"... And even when there was an outcry by contributors - the canned response was pretty much "well, sucks to be you. we are big, you are little, so we decide what we want to do. so suck it up or go away.".
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Post by: Rage on July 09, 2019, 10:33
.
Post by: trucic on July 09, 2019, 10:36
Post by: jjneff on July 09, 2019, 16:52
Post by: cobalt on July 09, 2019, 17:45
I have benefitted for many years with photos with low prices and high volume sales. But I have never seen it work for video. I think the buyer market is simply much too small.
The producers are not stupid, ultralow returns will never justify uploading 4k or higher content. There are many sites where videos are available for low prices, but they cannot convince the really interesting content to go there.
Storyblocks will continue to exist, but with this business model I really don‘t see how they can grow to become a stronger player.
But for all the content that is older, only hd, or just the simple useful snaps that will be sent everywhere...for this material it can probably work well.
If they introduce the option to selectively choose individual files, it might be more generally attractive. Artists could selectively dial „teaser“ content in and out of the marketplace.
It would make it a dynamic system and put artists in control.
If you can only opt in entire portfolios, I think a lot of people who believed the „forever 100%“ thing are understandably disappointed.
When they uploaded it was a different business model.
Can‘t imagine how people with thousands of clips feel. I only have around 300, my usual mix of videos at a new place to see how it goes.