Lets hear them Please.

Whats yours?

In 2015, some agencies are planning to screw the contributors even more.

Some have already weighed in:

http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/2015-your-image-market-predictions-personal-resolutions/

- more polarization across the industry with SS reaching near-monopoly status
- some new M&As, probably Dreamstime will be sold
- falling sales in all the smaller agencies
- no "mobile revolution" at the horizon
- Adobe embedding FT into the next Adobe CC
- iStock merged with Thinkstock

Microstock agencies realize they need contributors to do well if they want to succeed, and change policies so we will all be rich!!

Think I will have a pint of whatever Pixelbites is drinking!

I think the theme will be polarization

Stick with professionals and avoid experimental companies who just like to store our media files for their PR stunts, all in attempt to get funding and not do anything for us  afterwards! seriously... it's like a scam of some sort...

SS yeah!

Big 4 contain 2 of the worst agencies for contributors 

Edit: SSartist deleted a part of his comment I was referring to. Something like, the big 4 yeah !!

SS is great, best agency for me, but when downloads on SS from 30-35 drops to 5-10 daily as last few weeks it's something that reminds me that it's never good to have near monopoly.

I hope fotolia, 123 and Istock will get better as soon as possible.

What were the predictions for 2014 and did any of those come to fruition?

I'm not that good with words so will keep it simple:

More hobbyists, factories and those who can live from a few hundred bucks on a few thousand images. Not to forget those who complain all the time but do nothing about it or the groupies that just don't know any better. I've already seen a few in this very thread.
The downward trend will continue for most of us but the agencies will continue to make a fortune. They will continue to strip us down to the very last penny using any means possible so our slice will get even smaller. New ones will continue to pop up but without success.
None will fade out since they will always find a way to get back into the game or lure us back in with some new candy.

So good times ahead!

Quote from: Snow on January 04, 2015, 12:48
I'm not that good with words so will keep it simple:

More hobbyists, factories and those who can live from a few hundred bucks on a few thousand images. Not to forget those who complain all the time but do nothing about it or the groupies that just don't know any better. I've already seen a few in this very thread.
The downward trend will continue for most of us but the agencies will continue to make a fortune. They will continue to strip us down to the very last penny using any means possible so our slice will get even smaller. New ones will continue to pop up but without success.
None will fade out since they will always find a way to get back into the game or lure us back in with some new candy.

So good times ahead!

With all the bumps in the micro stock road, this is the single BIGGEST issue that deflates my hope of making this a long term income stream. It's not like it hasn't happened yet. The last three years paves a clear record of reality in terms of cutting commissions. It's not like one agency did it and all the rest are guilty by association.  IStock, Dreamstime, FOTOLIA, Deposit Photos, RF123, Alamy all have a history of cutting commissions or "tweaking something (search)" or "implementing something (credit system)" that results in lower commissions.  I see NO POSSIBLE WAY that any of these actions will be reversed in favor of the contributor. Case and point. In 2013 I made $7500 at Istock. In 2014 I made $4500. That trend will never be reversible for me as I am not an image mill that can make up for losses by pumping in more volume.

Shutterstock has changed their search a few times most of which have resulted in poor sales for me.  Then it changes to something else and I do ok.  But by in large they haven't introduced any scheme to formally grab back commissions.  That being said, today, I am most worried about SS. It's like an inflating balloon that will eventually pop, and when it does watch out. SS makes up 45% of my income, mainly because of all the new license types they have introduced, resulting in a few large sales per month.  If that by itself goes away or is eroded it will be a big impact on monthly income.  SS should be our biggest worry, but I have no idea if 2015 will bring bad news from them.  I hope they offer a raise, and that starts a trend across the big four.....woooohooooo

Quote from: panicAttack on January 04, 2015, 11:19
SS is great, best agency for me, but when downloads on SS from 30-35 drops to 5-10 daily as last few weeks it's something that reminds me that it's never good to have near monopoly.

I hope fotolia, 123 and Istock will get better as soon as possible.

It is normal at this time of the year.

Artists will work two times harder and make even less money- wondering why they are in this business in the first place ... 

Quote from: Dook on January 04, 2015, 14:38
It is normal at this time of the year.

There will be growth in the spring.

by the end of the year Getty will realise how much money they can make if they leave all the Community/marketplace thing to Shutterstock and Fotolia and will start to  distribute their (older) exclusive content through them as well.

they distribute via Corbis, masterfile, etc...why not through the other micros in addition to istock?

It would certainly be better than wasting money on embedded images and putting files for free on sites where noone pays...

Instead put your files where the customers are. Just follow the money.

Quote from: Dook on January 04, 2015, 14:38

Quote from: panicAttack on January 04, 2015, 11:19
SS is great, best agency for me, but when downloads on SS from 30-35 drops to 5-10 daily as last few weeks it's something that reminds me that it's never good to have near monopoly.

I hope fotolia, 123 and Istock will get better as soon as possible.

It is normal at this time of the year.

yes I know it, but this year it is more extreme then last year. I doubled my small portfolio (from about 450 to 900+) this year so I expected it will not be such hard hit, but it was. I hope sales will start to recover this week.

cheers!

Quote from: bunhill on January 04, 2015, 16:59

Quote from: Dook on January 04, 2015, 14:38
It is normal at this time of the year.

There will be growth in the spring.

Good one 

Quote from: panicAttack on January 04, 2015, 17:33

Quote from: Dook on January 04, 2015, 14:38

Quote from: panicAttack on January 04, 2015, 11:19
SS is great, best agency for me, but when downloads on SS from 30-35 drops to 5-10 daily as last few weeks it's something that reminds me that it's never good to have near monopoly.

I hope fotolia, 123 and Istock will get better as soon as possible.

It is normal at this time of the year.

yes I know it, but this year it is more extreme then last year. I doubled my small portfolio (from about 450 to 900+) this year so I expected it will not be such hard hit, but it was. I hope sales will start to recover this week.

cheers!

I hope too.
Believe me, it happens year after year, no matter how big your portfolio is.

Quote from: stockastic on January 04, 2015, 01:39
Some have already weighed in:

http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/2015-your-image-market-predictions-personal-resolutions/

Didn't see that thread, some really good words there. especially yours. Forget this thread and go there.

Quote from: No Free Lunch on January 04, 2015, 16:49
Artists will work two times harder and make even less money- wondering why they are in this business in the first place ... 

My prediction: the Wall will come down on more people than ever in 2015, making them so depressed about microstock that they will give up.  This will include many hobbyists who earn just a few thousand a year, as well as some of the big contributors who earn (or once earned) six figures. 

People will do the math and realize that they can no longer increase their own ports as quickly (by percentage) as the agencies can, making microstock a losing game once your port hits a certain size.  There's just no way around this math.  In my first few years, I was certain I could beat the Wall.  I was going to work harder, achieve better quality, find better niches than anyone else.  Oh, how deluded I was. 

I'm predicting my own income will fall 20% or so, and my resolution is to find another income stream.  For me, 2014 was the big wake-up call that microstock is not the reliable source of secondary income I hoped might carry me into retirement.  That dream is long gone.  2015 will be the year I resolve to find another income source to get passionate about and reduce the time I waste on this unsustainable numbers game.

Quote from: stockmarketer on January 05, 2015, 11:57
People will do the math and realize that they can no longer increase their own ports as quickly (by percentage) as the agencies can, making microstock a losing game once your port hits a certain size.  There's just no way around this math. 

what did they expected ? studio shootings with paid models sold for a pittance per download, millions of still life images with white background, business concepts copied over and over in any possible way, what could ever go wrong ?

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

- Yogi Berra

Quote from: stockmarketer on January 05, 2015, 11:57
In my first few years, I was certain I could beat the Wall.  I was going to work harder, achieve better quality, find better niches than anyone else.  Oh, how deluded I was. 

everyone i'm sure achieve better quality ,etc with time. it's whether u get to be found that makes the diff between earning 1K a week or a month and 0 .  looking at so many identical work from so many contributors, doing as good if not better than the top sellers say lifestyle category, it's not whether your work is better or worse, it's whether you can pull the string to get your work seen.
as they say in show biz, it's not how good or what you are, it's who you know.

i think he who knows how to pull strings will continue to earn.