I just check, the so-called "only from iStock" images from Yuri are about 83% cheaper on his own site:

I take it that the promise to reassess inde material and promote it out of the "main" collection is superceded by the promise never, ever to raise its price again.

83% cheaper, Rob? Surely not?

if iS lowers the price of all the indie stuff (that is also on FT, DT, SS etc) won't that mean those other agencies will be forced to lower their prices too?

I think they've played this really well and the goal may be to smash the competition (at our expense, of course). 

Would it be safe to ask in the iStock forum if exclusive artists can sell from their own site now? Yuri peopleimages as an example, along with the press release how could they say no?

Quote from: jjneff on July 16, 2013, 13:02
Would it be safe to ask in the iStock forum if exclusive artists can sell from their own site now? Yuri peopleimages as an example, along with the press release how could they say no?

You try; I can't.

their goal is very confusing, looks like they want all indies collection due to the 999 slots and also because of the recent half stock collection for half price advertising AND as a desperate measure too dropping drastically the pricing

OTOH they are dumping files at thinkstock trying to compete with SS and other, bigger buyers can purchase them there instead of iStock

so it looks they want it all and we know what happens with very ambitious persons/companies

as many said here istock will be exclusive and thinkstock for indies, in the meantime they dream of recovering buyers...

Quote from: jjneff on July 16, 2013, 13:02
Would it be safe to ask in the iStock forum if exclusive artists can sell from their own site now? Yuri peopleimages as an example, along with the press release how could they say no?

That post would have a half time of approx. 3.983 milliseconds, only slightly exceeded by your posting privileges on the forum.  But go ahead, try it, what good is physics without an experiment? 

The new Rebecca has chosen to base their new strategy on deceit? Surely they're a couple of well written blogs away from another uncomfortable backfire. Very odd.

Quote from: halfshag on July 16, 2013, 13:23
The new Rebecca has chosen to base their new strategy on deceit?...

Wait, deceit is a new strategy at istock?

Seems more like business-as-usual to me.

Quote from: EmberMike on July 16, 2013, 14:02

Quote from: halfshag on July 16, 2013, 13:23
The new Rebecca has chosen to base their new strategy on deceit?...

Wait, deceit is a new strategy at istock?

Seems more like business-as-usual to me.

Personally I think this 'Only on iStock' thing is an outrageous new low.

I noticed all of my photos are 1/2 of their values in istockphoto. Anyone has the script to delete all your photos from istock ? i'm considering a permanent removal of all my photos there.

Well, I am smart enough to not post that. It dose irk me to see the double standard for being exclusive. Now from a business point I think iStock is making the right moves in the market. Pricing was to high for a lot of buyers so the cut is good for buyers and long term health of the company. Next iStock has different level pricing which other sites have as well, example "OffSet" which is another completely different site from the SS main site. I am still feeling bullish on the iStock changes.

Quote from: yuliang11 on July 16, 2013, 14:30
I noticed all of my photos are 1/2 of their values in istockphoto. Anyone has the script to delete all your photos from istock ? i'm considering a permanent removal of all my photos there.

http://digitalplanetdesign.com/scripts/IS_addDeactivationColumn.user.js

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on July 16, 2013, 14:32

Quote from: yuliang11 on July 16, 2013, 14:30
I noticed all of my photos are 1/2 of their values in istockphoto. Anyone has the script to delete all your photos from istock ? i'm considering a permanent removal of all my photos there.

http://digitalplanetdesign.com/scripts/IS_addDeactivationColumn.user.js

thanks. does it runs on chrome ?

Just contact Customer Relations, they will quickly delete your account.

Quote from: BoBoBolinski on July 16, 2013, 15:05
Just contact Customer Relations, they will quickly delete your account.

It takes 30 days to get your images off the site after giving notice.  Removing them yourself is alot quicker.
Not sure I would give notice before making your next payout.  Even though they say you will receive your balance at the end of termination I no longer trust them to do that.  I've got another $7+ to go, which could take months at this rate.

Quote from: yuliang11 on July 16, 2013, 14:53

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on July 16, 2013, 14:32

Quote from: yuliang11 on July 16, 2013, 14:30
I noticed all of my photos are 1/2 of their values in istockphoto. Anyone has the script to delete all your photos from istock ? i'm considering a permanent removal of all my photos there.

http://digitalplanetdesign.com/scripts/IS_addDeactivationColumn.user.js

thanks. does it runs on chrome ?

It did back in February when I deactivated almost all my iStock portfolio

You just have to get Chrome to accept something not from the "Chrome store"

http://www.howtogeek.com/120743/how-to-install-extensions-from-outside-the-chrome-web-store/

I don't know if you remember the unlamented KK Thompson saying that iStock paid out $1.7 million a week to contributors in September 2010, and that he expected it to go up to $2 million a week in 2011:

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=252322

Apparently weekly payouts are back to $1.7 million a week, unless Monday's Getty press release got it wrong (look at the end, in the "About iStockphoto" section)

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/15/5569175/getty-images-names-ellen-desmarais.html

Possibly it's just lazy editing (given the horrible pseudo English in the rest of the release, that's an option), but possibly it reflects just how much more Getty is soaking up from what customers are paying, combined with a drop in business.

I think Ms Dow Jones has no idea what she's signed up to try and fix - getting designers to come back and shop at iStock when you know squat about those businesses, designers, illustrators, etc. seems like classic business school hubris. Any business is the same as any other business; you just work a few levers and presto...

I don't understand why they make it so easy for their competitors to point out all the issues with "exclusive images" that are available elsewhere for 83% less.

They must really believe the customers have no connections with the designers that upload the content, or that the design world is not interconnected. It would have been easy to do this in the eighties, but now where customers can compare prices with a mouseclick?

But maybe it all works well and they find their way back to the top....who knows...

Yuri going exclusive is in principal a good move for them.

iStock customers must live in a bubble...really who doesn't shop around for best prices...and google makes it so easy to find any image elsewhere...they also make it easy to steal images too...but that is a different issue

On logging on to IS I was just asked to fill out a survey. Once I identified myself as a contributor the only question was: "How could we serve you better?".

I gave them a few hints...

More from Yuri Acurs:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/16/scoopshot/

Quote from: fotoVoyager on July 16, 2013, 16:44
More from Yuri Acurs:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/16/scoopshot/

Odd.  We've already learned that neither "citizen journalism" stock nor "assignment" stock works as a paradigm.  Already many such businesses out of business.

Ah, but flipping the company to the next investor who doesn't believe that does...

Just got Dreamstimes circular promoting some Yuri images - will they be saying the COLLECTION rather than some individuall  pics are available exclusively  through them?