Because most exclusives who know others who have left exclusivity, realise that it's still pretty hard to match the IS exclusive income, and even if it were possible, it takes many months or even years to reach that point. A non exclusive contributor said it in the forums here recently, if you're averaging $150 per day or more at IS, don't give up the crown.

I don't get it. So, things are good at iStock then? Why the complaints if everyone is convinced that they're better off as exclusives?

Or things are not so good? Getting worse? In which case I still don't get it. Exclusives are going to ride this thing to the end no matter what direction it seems to be going?

There are problems at IS but the grass is not always greener elsewhere, is the best way I can succinctly reply to that. That reply is based purely on the direct experience of people I know who have given up exclusivity recently. Everyone's experience is different and I accept that others experience can differ widely. I personally will give up exclusivity when my income drops enough to force my hand, which I don't expect to happen for an unquantifiable while yet...

Those folks you mention, they gave up exclusivity recently. Have you talked to anyone who gave it up a year or two ago? I think it's pretty common that those who more recently abandon the crown are worse off than those who have been independent for a while. It takes some time to gain any momentum when you're signing up to all of these other companies as a new artist.

...Unless you reveal what you earn as a non-exclusive, again, impossible to know, but if you earn three times my exclusive income you would be on a very high salary indeed.

Let me know how much you're making and I'll tell you if I'm in the ballpark.

I'd say you earning $30k a month is an impressive achievement.

Really? $10k per month? Nice work. You've got me beat.

I still think you'd do better independent, but at that level I can see the hesitation to make a drastic move like that.

Embermike,

I wouldn't make a move at your level, your smart not to, it's hard to beat $2-$12ish downloads with $.25 and .35 subs and the ones that do pay you more just don't have the sales.

This I have discovered personally, so I am currently exc with rasters and indi with my vectors ... This strategy is working for me pretty good, if they didn't "split vectors n rasters" I'd be exclusive with all too

Congrats by the way, that is an amazing achievement!

You mean BoBoBolinski, not me, right? I'm not exclusive...

Sorry mike and bobo

I meant that to go to bobo..


My Very Best
KimsCreativeHub.com

Quote from: runeer on February 26, 2014, 12:16

Yes, I'm still iS exclusive, sales still going down, the website is still full of bugs, landing pages haven't been updated for weeks...
and I'm back to agency to take up projects XD

Quote

So, I have to ask... why are you still exclusive then?

Sorry. I'm just kind of tired of these posts complaining about exclusivity. It's been years, several years actually, of this company taking shots at exclusives, lowering pay, reducing/removing benefits, making it harder and harder to earn, etc. And now you're taking on extra work to make up the difference?

Erm... I wasn't complaining actually (sorry if I sounded I did :-p), things can't get any worse at iStock especially for exclusive artists. I'm kinda numb with it now... But I have to admit that I've been a "frog in the boiling water", no one to blame but myself XD

While finding words to describe how I or us (most exclusives I've talked to) feel, I saw this very good reply from another fellow istock exclusive:

"My sales are so low now that it may be worth going back to independent. The problem is that it's impossible to predict how much the income would drop here at iStock... and I have no idea how the other agencies are doing nowadays, so maybe they wouldn't compensate for the lower income from iStock.

Going independent and then make even less money than I am now would be pretty depressing... "

That pretty much sums up my (or us) feeling now.

I just don't get it. I guess some people just like to stand in the rain and complain about the weather.

Well, before making up my mind to drop the crown and start anew as independent, taking projects from clients and agencies like I used to is the immediate way out. Some of the exclusives I've talked to are still holding on, creating and uploading like no tomorrow trying to make up for the declining sales, some stopped uploading for more than a year and doing something else already, and few finally dropped their crown and feeling dreadful to upload to multiple sites.

Quote from: Boians Cho Joo Young on March 21, 2014, 16:31

Vector sale in February

123rf ＞toonvectors ＞ dreamstime ＞fotolia ＞canstockphoto ＞depositphotos ＞ istockphoto

Thanks for sharing this info, really appreaciate it, but It'd be more justifiable if your iStock port. is equally big as the rest of other sites ;-)

"iStockphoto" 2014 Year Jan. Upload began.
Vector Content steady increase in selling.
"iStockphoto" keep one's eyes skinned.

Contents Type: 2D Vector illustrations
License: Non Exclusive, Royalty Free

Hi Everybody!

I'm not exclusive in IS and I was really wandering if as an exclusive I would have more DL than I have right now. IS right now covers 21% of my income while SS covers 30% and the rest comes mostly from Graphic River, 123RF & Fotolia. But seeing the table on the right of this forum I wander if by turning exclusive I would achieve 150+% of what I make right now by just becoming exclusive.

Can anyone help me with this??

Thanks!

I would guess no. You'd have to make 5 times what you make now at IS just to equal what you make now with all the agencies. It seems unlikely that you would do that well or better.

I was a happy exclusive until I noticed a big downward trend, and before it was too late, I dropped the crown.

After less than a year I'm happy with my decision even though I don't think I'm earning much more than I would have as an exclusive. But it makes a HUGE difference to be in an upward trend, at least until you reach your peak at the �new sites�. And I learnt a lot about microstock following that path.