This subscription plan would definitely kill the few credit sales we still have.

It seems to be available in UK.  Anywhere else?

They just put the final nail in their own coffin, then.

http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/new-istock-subs-plans-this-is-what-you-earn

looks like people even stopped reacting on those kind of things.

both topics only few replies... that's the worst.

Quote from: ShadySue on October 05, 2015, 22:00
http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/new-istock-subs-plans-this-is-what-you-earn

Thanks for the link.  Didn't know about this new subscription plan until today. 

Quote from: Digital66 on October 05, 2015, 22:16

Quote from: ShadySue on October 05, 2015, 22:00
http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/new-istock-subs-plans-this-is-what-you-earn

Thanks for the link.  Didn't know about this new subscription plan until today.

Also buried in this thread:
http://www.microstockgroup.com/shutterstock-com/spam-attack-on-ss-forum/msg432814/#msg432814

So, no real reason for buyers to buy credits, more money for Getty, much less money for us, no RCs. Talking of which, the promised RC announcement in September didn't materialise. No matter, unless they keep us at our previous levels, there's no way I'll hold on to my 30%. I've all but stopped uploading to iS anyway. Only one file uploaded in 2015 has sold via credits, and precious few from 2014. I can't even be bothered to process files I was making anyway for 75c, far less spend time or money.

I don't care about IS anymore. They know its the last straw, know they are finished anyway. They hope all the thousands of rookies will remain, draining them of energy and at the same time earn a few pennies from them.

Quote from: ShadySue on October 05, 2015, 22:40

Quote from: Digital66 on October 05, 2015, 22:16

Quote from: ShadySue on October 05, 2015, 22:00
http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/new-istock-subs-plans-this-is-what-you-earn

Thanks for the link.  Didn't know about this new subscription plan until today.

Also buried in this thread:
http://www.microstockgroup.com/shutterstock-com/spam-attack-on-ss-forum/msg432814/#msg432814

So, no real reason for buyers to buy credits, more money for Getty, much less money for us, no RCs. Talking of which, the promised RC announcement in September didn't materialise. No matter, unless they keep us at our previous levels, there's no way I'll hold on to my 30%. I've all but stopped uploading to iS anyway. Only one file uploaded in 2015 has sold via credits, and precious few from 2014. I can't even be bothered to process files I was making anyway for 75c, far less spend time or money.

With this new subscription plan, credit sales will completely disappear very soon.  Being at 25% or 45% won't be important any more.  All exclusives will be getting nothing but subscription royalties.

Legally, how can they call "one month" a subscription?

Those advertised amounts are in Pounds Sterling.  The non-exclusive plan works out at about $40, from which they will pay non-exclusives ten subs of 28c each, or $2.80.

That works out at a commission rate of 7%.  Or, to describe it differently, they get to keep 93% and pay their suppliers 7%.

The Exclusive numbers are a little better.  However the actual cash differences comparing credit sales and subs sales are substantial.  At the moment I believe Exclusives get between $8 and $14 for a sale.  If these subs replace credit sales (which appears to be the intention), then the maximum payment will be $2.50 per sale, and more like $1.25 on average.  So, ten sales that currently make $80 to $140 will reduce to somewhere in the range $12.50 to $25.00.

Quote from: hatman12 on October 06, 2015, 02:48
That works out at a commission rate of 7%.  Or, to describe it differently, they get to keep 93% and pay their suppliers 7%.

 

And it is probably even worse, because 93% / 7% assumes that every "subscriber" always downloads their maximum allotment. While most probably will, some won't for various reasons, leaving 100% of non-sales to iS / Getty.

Quote
I believe Exclusives get between $8 and $14 for a sale.

Not all exclusives. I'm at 30% commission, and my Signature sales are mostly around $7-$8, with some as high as almost $10, and others below $5. I'd guess my average is close to $7. Essential sales are obviously less, generally around $2 - $2.50.

The end of credit sales in Australia too  :

Canada has joined the list too.

As has the US, sort of (or at least, my area of it).

There's a banner on the iStock home page that reads: "Get a 10 image one-month subscription for as low as $40. Buy now".

However, at the moment, the page linked to by the "Buy now" link does not yet mention the 10 image option. Typical iStock / Getty.

This looks like a very simple business plan - "let's screw our suppliers and take all the money for ourselves".

Quote from: KB on October 06, 2015, 22:50
As has the US, sort of (or at least, my area of it).

There's a banner on the iStock home page that reads: "Get a 10 image one-month subscription for as low as $40. Buy now".

However, at the moment, the page linked to by the "Buy now" link does not yet mention the 10 image option. Typical iStock / Getty.

What happens if you click on the 'Plans and Pricing' link in the footer area of any iS page?

Is 'as low as $40' correct grammar in US English? Looks wrong and very downmarket* to me. It should be 'as little as'. (It says, "As low as £25" here.)
*which is the way iS is heading.

Quote from: ShadySue on October 06, 2015, 23:03

Quote from: KB on October 06, 2015, 22:50
As has the US, sort of (or at least, my area of it).

There's a banner on the iStock home page that reads: "Get a 10 image one-month subscription for as low as $40. Buy now".

However, at the moment, the page linked to by the "Buy now" link does not yet mention the 10 image option. Typical iStock / Getty.

What happens if you click on the 'Plans and Pricing' link in the footer area of any iS page?

Is 'as low as $40' correct grammar in US English? Looks wrong and very downmarket* to me. It should be 'as little as'. (It says, "As low as £25" here.)
*which is the way iS is heading.

That's the same page that the banner links to.

And it's now live, showing the same pricing as the Australian page (well, except 10 Sig images are $99 USD, not $100 AUD).

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on October 06, 2015, 02:15
Legally, how can they call "one month" a subscription?

Somebody - I think it was CanStock - had a one week subscription

It's the notion that you pay once for the right to download x images in y time period, versus paying for each image you license. x and y can be anything and still technically be a subscription.

The Dollar Photo Club comes to mind, although they were even cheaper, *and* they had rollover.

And when signature files of former exclusives are sold, iStock pays $0.28 and keep more than 97% on such sales.

France and Germany today:

Where is our fearless low royalty crusader?

Soon news will be Istock/GI going out of business, their karma sucks

This pseudo-sub plan sucks.  I stopped uploading videos to istock after the price cut.  This is removing any motivation to upload stills.

Quote from: hatman12 on October 06, 2015, 22:53
This looks like a very simple business plan - "let's screw our suppliers and take all the money for ourselves".

Thats been their business plan for 4-5 years now.  Just accellerating as they get more desperate.  The water is starting to simmer.  Us frogs will be boiling by January 2016, methinks. 

Quote from: PixelBytes on October 08, 2015, 04:09

Quote from: hatman12 on October 06, 2015, 22:53
This looks like a very simple business plan - "let's screw our suppliers and take all the money for ourselves".

Thats been their business plan for 4-5 years now.  Just accellerating as they get more desperate.  The water is starting to simmer.  Us frogs will be boiling by January 2016, methinks.

I already hopped out and only have a toenail left in to see if the temperature ever gets reasonable again...