Pond5 was a standout for me performing well until the take over. Now down over 2/3's.
I designed my whole life around stock. It's beyond discouraging and clearly the bottom has not arrived. Yet one company treats us well. Why don't the rest?

#insanity

Quote from: cboswell on June 14, 2022, 01:00

Pond5 was a standout for me performing well until the take over. Now down over 2/3's.
I designed my whole life around stock. It's beyond discouraging and clearly the bottom has not arrived. Yet one company treats us well. Why don't the rest?

#insanity

hard to draw any conclusions from 1-2 months - what were you earning before the takeover?

Pond5 sales have dropped of a cliff since Shutterstock took over and incidentally had a far higher-than-usual number of video sales on Shutterstock in the first six days of June.

Quote from: cboswell on June 14, 2022, 01:00

I designed my whole life around stock.

That's the thing. You should branch out before it's too late. Microstock is a sinking ship*, so find other ways to monetize your talents.

* Meaning maybe the industry won't disappear, but the average RPI for contributors is already diminishing rapidly.

It's really impossible to judge effects in few weeks. For me p5 in this month was BME, also with high price sales.
At the contrary, for SS was very bad month
It will take almost one year to really see effects.

In general the earnings are going down for sure, this is a fact, but it's not useful in my opinion to judge results in very short time.

Quote from: cboswell on June 14, 2022, 01:00

Pond5 was a standout for me performing well until the take over. Now down over 2/3's.
I designed my whole life around stock. It's beyond discouraging and clearly the bottom has not arrived. Yet one company treats us well. Why don't the rest?

#insanity

Ten years ago I was hoping the bottom would come soon.

Quote from: cascoly on June 14, 2022, 01:19

Quote from: cboswell on June 14, 2022, 01:00

Pond5 was a standout for me performing well until the take over. Now down over 2/3's.
I designed my whole life around stock. It's beyond discouraging and clearly the bottom has not arrived. Yet one company treats us well. Why don't the rest?

#insanity

hard to draw any conclusions from 1-2 months - what were you earning before the takeover?

I was making $300-400 a month with multiple sales. Since that announcement I have not had a single sale. Coincidence? Maybe. But if I get skunked this month that would be very unusual for P5.

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on June 14, 2022, 14:00

Quote from: cboswell on June 14, 2022, 01:00

Pond5 was a standout for me performing well until the take over. Now down over 2/3's.
I designed my whole life around stock. It's beyond discouraging and clearly the bottom has not arrived. Yet one company treats us well. Why don't the rest?

#insanity

Ten years ago I was hoping the bottom would come soon.

I think the only way "the bottom will come" is if or when royalties were driven so low that there was an obvious lack of new quality (well produced with models) content being uploaded and they saw that as a result of that sales dropped.

I've had 2 sales on P5 since the announcement and at full HD prices.

But I still think its too soon to tell. (I am not comparing sales to last month. Summer slump time has started and that's traditionally the worse time of the year for me, so other factors may be at play)

Summer on the other side of the planet but it is winter in this part of Earth.

Same here, it is one of my worst months since I joined P5 many years ago, and the fact that the world economy seems to be going down the toilet I suppose isn't helping.

Quote from: stocker2011 on June 15, 2022, 14:37
Same here, it is one of my worst months since I joined P5 many years ago, and the fact that the world economy seems to be going down the toilet I suppose isn't helping.

Sure but that's no fun when the game is Blame ShutterStock?

SS hasn't had time to screw up P5 yet, lets wait until something actually happens and then find fault?

They bought the company on May 11, 2022, it's been just days over one month. I think a little early and quick, to call SSTK out as the cause.

Actually all this discussion of big 4 down to big 3 reminds me of those documentaries I used to see showing the waterhole on the African savannah steadily shrinking in summer and the wildlife getting more desparate as the water source slowly shrinks to a muddy puddle.

I think we can safely say we are at the muddy puddle stage and the hyenas are circling with promises of more "exciting news" 

Quote from: Mimi the Cat on June 16, 2022, 06:31
Actually all this discussion of big 4 down to big 3 reminds me of those documentaries I used to see showing the waterhole on the African savannah steadily shrinking in summer and the wildlife getting more desparate as the water source slowly shrinks to a muddy puddle.

I think we can safely say we are at the muddy puddle stage and the hyenas are circling with promises of more "exciting news" 

That's a perfect allegory, Mimi! 

Quote from: Mimi the Cat on June 16, 2022, 06:31
I think we can safely say we are at the muddy puddle stage and the hyenas are circling with promises of more "exciting news" 

The phrase "exciting news" now gives me anxiety

Just had a sale on Pond5 with a pretty good commission - which will be missed if the new owner starts meddling with royalties.

Quote from: Pacesetter on June 17, 2022, 05:13
Just had a sale on Pond5 with a pretty good commission - which will be missed if the new owner starts meddling with royalties.

Which they will its in their DNA 

Quote from: Mimi the Cat on June 16, 2022, 06:31
Actually all this discussion of big 4 down to big 3 reminds me of those documentaries I used to see showing the waterhole on the African savannah steadily shrinking in summer and the wildlife getting more desparate as the water source slowly shrinks to a muddy puddle.

I think we can safely say we are at the muddy puddle stage and the hyenas are circling with promises of more "exciting news" 

Ah the Wild Kingdom narrator speaking in low tones, softly... describes how the big six, became the big five and now it's the big four, but Pond5 is wounded and limping, the pack will soon surround, separate, and devour the weakest.

Ah yes, we recall how iStock was the Silverback of the Microstock agencies. Oh how age and nature has taken it's toll.    Don't look at DT too close? what's a 3.4 compared to 32 or 64?

Tough economy, world and the biggest buyers, this will get worse, before it gets better. If it ever gets better?

Quote from: Uncle Pete on June 17, 2022, 16:30

Quote from: Mimi the Cat on June 16, 2022, 06:31
Actually all this discussion of big 4 down to big 3 reminds me of those documentaries I used to see showing the waterhole on the African savannah steadily shrinking in summer and the wildlife getting more desparate as the water source slowly shrinks to a muddy puddle.

I think we can safely say we are at the muddy puddle stage and the hyenas are circling with promises of more "exciting news" 

Ah the Wild Kingdom narrator speaking in low tones, softly... describes how the big six, became the big five and now it's the big four, but Pond5 is wounded and limping, the pack will soon surround, separate, and devour the weakest.

Ah yes, we recall how iStock was the Silverback of the Microstock agencies. Oh how age and nature has taken it's toll.    Don't look at DT too close? what's a 3.4 compared to 32 or 64?

Tough economy, world and the biggest buyers, this will get worse, before it gets better. If it ever gets better?

The trouble is that invariably in the middle of the depleted muddy waterhole there's usually a crocodile  waiting just under the surface too