Quote from: tickstock on January 14, 2015, 19:34
I didn't say iStock didn't cut rates or fotolia or 123rf or any other company.  My response was to the person claiming that Shutterstock had never done it.  They have, that's the only point I was making.

What was that? Could you just clarify your point (for about the four-hundreth time on this and other threads)? When did SS ever cut rates?

Quote from: gostwyck on January 14, 2015, 20:01

Quote from: tickstock on January 14, 2015, 19:34
I didn't say iStock didn't cut rates or fotolia or 123rf or any other company.  My response was to the person claiming that Shutterstock had never done it cut earnings.  They have, that's the only point I was making.

What was that? Could you just clarify your point (for about the four-hundreth time on this and other threads)? When did SS ever cut rates?

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on January 07, 2015, 17:41
They haven't explicitly cut our earnings,

Sorry, I meant to say earnings.  Edited to fix that.

Good old days. 

Quote from: tickstock on January 14, 2015, 20:09

Quote from: gostwyck on January 14, 2015, 20:01

Quote from: tickstock on January 14, 2015, 19:34
I didn't say iStock didn't cut rates or fotolia or 123rf or any other company.  My response was to the person claiming that Shutterstock had never done it cut earnings.  They have, that's the only point I was making.

What was that? Could you just clarify your point (for about the four-hundreth time on this and other threads)? When did SS ever cut rates?

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on January 07, 2015, 17:41
They haven't explicitly cut our earnings,

Sorry, I meant to say earnings.  Edited to fix that.

Quote from: medveh on June 09, 2020, 20:43
Good old days. 

Yeah, before SS actually did by changing ELS to percentage and slaughtering our incomes, now making subs a percentage.

I'm just going to add, remember when nearly "everyone" boycotted IS over changes and unsustainable? Remember when almost "everyone" dropped Fotolia because of Dollar Photo club. The changes at Alamy when we paid for the 10% drop, in order to temporarily add an office in New York, for better sales? What a joke that was. And all the rest who adjusted levels and commissions over the years.

I can't read all the threads about unions, boycotts, post on social media or how to hurt Shutterstock, but maybe in one place, with this, I can ask, how did that work out in the past, with all the others? 

I mean change or the revenge and attacks are all about actually making some change, not just writing on forums, twitter or FB, and watching nothing change.


Shutterstock    61.4
AdobeStock    42.4
iStock               20.8
  exclusive        87.5
Alamy              8.1
Pond5              7.8
123RF              7.5
Dreamstime      4.8

Yeah I see a change, only seven agencies make the list now, not enough votes, hardly interesting earnings. Compared to 5 or 6 years ago when the list was much longer. I'd say there's a trend and that it's being ignored?

Quote from: gbalex on January 11, 2015, 19:31

Quote from: stockastic on January 10, 2015, 19:31

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on January 10, 2015, 15:33He's a billionaire because he masterfully played the game of business and managed to make a fortune off of ordinary people. Bravo! Well played.

I can't quite manage a "bravo" for this guy, who's made a ton of money as a middleman by gaining control of a market and exploiting photographers around the world, grinding their margins to dust and causing many skilled and creative people to abandon the business.  Yes there is some skill in evidence here, but also a very large component of being in the right place at the right time.

We don't have a 'buyer's market', or a 'seller's market'.  What we have today is a 'middleman's market'.    Somehow, I don't feel this represents the original dream of the internet and crowdsourcing increasing opportunities for everyone. 


I look forward to a day when the photographic community finds ways to route around Shutterstock entirely.  That will get a 'bravo' from me.

The ultimate measure of a man is what he does with power and wealth as his true worth is built upon the legacy of his deeds.

Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one would never wish to live.

Greed flourishes by a thousand tiny surrenders to self seeking, selfishness, self interest.

And here we are... Jon's actions bearing fruit!

Quote from: KnowYourOnions on January 05, 2015, 19:41

Quote from: Semmick Photo on January 05, 2015, 19:21

Quote from: SSArtist on January 05, 2015, 10:56
I bet everyone involved in this business with SS would ask for a raise: contributors, employees, contractors, Oringer's cleaner...

Why don't we all ask for money from FaceBook, Whatsup, Twitter, Instagram...as we all helped their success at the end of the day?

I use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family, I use WhatsApp to chat with people, I use Twitter to promote my site, I use Instagram to showcase images. I use Shutterstock to SELL my intellectual property of which they take 75-70%. Big diff.

Hey, You don't need to use SS...It's purely your choice. 

Out of all agencies out there, I think these guys are not bad...and they appear the best sellers (because they put effort in it). They are not cheating and promising more than they say.
Our files are NOT just sitting on their servers forever like with other agencies (who promise more %), which I personally call a scam.

SS is actively selling our media files and probably with operational costs can not afford to pay us more. It's capitalism! AND Yes, it sucks!


p.s. +1 for a tiered raise.

apart from adobe i get very few sales from other agencies like DT & DP. as for alamy I recently I got a paltry 0.16c DL of which I only get 3c & they're not even microstock.