Quote from: innerpeaceseeker on January 13, 2026, 19:48
This is my very first post on this forum. Been a Shutterstock contributor since 2023, with a portfolio of 6000+ mostly travel images from across the world and mostly pictures myself and the missus take with our regular Canon and Sony cameras. None of the that AI BS, all regular pictures only.

In 2024, I had 1578 sales and in 2025, it was 2759. But ever since the Getty merger, sales have plummeted. I used to sell about 200-250 images monthly easily on average, and its now down to 150 on average since August last year which is when the merger took place. My sales on iStock picked up proportionally, but as you all know, you get zillions of 0.04 and 0.02 sales over there.

Anyway, January is a s%^tshow per usual...very dissapointing.

Welcome! While I agree with the essentials, there hasn't been a merger yet. There may never be a merger. Which just says to me, how much SSTK is in distress as far as we are concerned. After the merger, if there is one, then we'll see how that actually changes things.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 13, 2026, 23:47

Quote from: innerpeaceseeker on January 13, 2026, 19:48
This is my very first post on this forum. Been a Shutterstock contributor since 2023, with a portfolio of 6000+ mostly travel images from across the world and mostly pictures myself and the missus take with our regular Canon and Sony cameras. None of the that AI BS, all regular pictures only.

In 2024, I had 1578 sales and in 2025, it was 2759. But ever since the Getty merger, sales have plummeted. I used to sell about 200-250 images monthly easily on average, and its now down to 150 on average since August last year which is when the merger took place. My sales on iStock picked up proportionally, but as you all know, you get zillions of 0.04 and 0.02 sales over there.

Anyway, January is a s%^tshow per usual...very dissapointing.

Welcome! While I agree with the essentials, there hasn't been a merger yet. There may never be a merger. Which just says to me, how much SSTK is in distress as far as we are concerned. After the merger, if there is one, then we'll see how that actually changes things.

Was saying this the other day... have a look at Shutterstock's share price and you'll see it has not had any bounce in January which it inevitably did each year since the new payout structure. Now Shutterstock are trying to throw sheet* away for peanuts and that's not helping them either. Nothing they are doing now is working for them. They have backed themselves into a corner and have no gas left in the tank to save the organization. I hope they do NOT merge with iStock. At least iStock still makes very good sales even if commissions are low there are still higher paying sales that make up for it at least it does for me. I've sold 24 videos on iStock so far this month compared to 2 video sales on Shutterstock which one of them was 0.25 cents.

Quote from: Pacesetter on January 14, 2026, 08:07

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 13, 2026, 23:47

Quote from: innerpeaceseeker on January 13, 2026, 19:48
This is my very first post on this forum. Been a Shutterstock contributor since 2023, with a portfolio of 6000+ mostly travel images from across the world and mostly pictures myself and the missus take with our regular Canon and Sony cameras. None of the that AI BS, all regular pictures only.

In 2024, I had 1578 sales and in 2025, it was 2759. But ever since the Getty merger, sales have plummeted. I used to sell about 200-250 images monthly easily on average, and its now down to 150 on average since August last year which is when the merger took place. My sales on iStock picked up proportionally, but as you all know, you get zillions of 0.04 and 0.02 sales over there.

Anyway, January is a s%^tshow per usual...very dissapointing.

Welcome! While I agree with the essentials, there hasn't been a merger yet. There may never be a merger. Which just says to me, how much SSTK is in distress as far as we are concerned. After the merger, if there is one, then we'll see how that actually changes things.

Was saying this the other day... have a look at Shutterstock's share price and you'll see it has not had any bounce in January which it inevitably did each year since the new payout structure. Now Shutterstock are trying to throw sheet* away for peanuts and that's not helping them either. Nothing they are doing now is working for them. They have backed themselves into a corner and have no gas left in the tank to save the organization. I hope they do NOT merge with iStock. At least iStock still makes very good sales even if commissions are low there are still higher paying sales that make up for it at least it does for me. I've sold 24 videos on iStock so far this month compared to 2 video sales on Shutterstock which one of them was 0.25 cents.

From the investment market viewpoint. "Both firms face intense competition from open-source image models and low-cost AI-generated alternatives that have undercut stock photography licensing prices. A merger could restore pricing power by pooling libraries, automating tagging, and consolidating enterprise relationships." and "If the strategy works, the merger could mark a turning point for digital media rights management. If it fails or is blocked by regulators, it may signal that even industry consolidation cannot offset the deflationary forces of generative AI."

Just for those who are against the merger, I don't know why, this is an attempt to save the industry of licensing images, which includes Microstock, from further failure and a future demise. The cause is AI, clear and simple, and this would be a way to compete. Without the merger, the future is bleak for anyone hoping to make money from stock image licensing. Whether that is Getty or SSTK or any of us as individuals.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 14, 2026, 18:14

Quote from: Pacesetter on January 14, 2026, 08:07

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 13, 2026, 23:47

Quote from: innerpeaceseeker on January 13, 2026, 19:48
This is my very first post on this forum. Been a Shutterstock contributor since 2023, with a portfolio of 6000+ mostly travel images from across the world and mostly pictures myself and the missus take with our regular Canon and Sony cameras. None of the that AI BS, all regular pictures only.

In 2024, I had 1578 sales and in 2025, it was 2759. But ever since the Getty merger, sales have plummeted. I used to sell about 200-250 images monthly easily on average, and its now down to 150 on average since August last year which is when the merger took place. My sales on iStock picked up proportionally, but as you all know, you get zillions of 0.04 and 0.02 sales over there.

Anyway, January is a s%^tshow per usual...very dissapointing.

Welcome! While I agree with the essentials, there hasn't been a merger yet. There may never be a merger. Which just says to me, how much SSTK is in distress as far as we are concerned. After the merger, if there is one, then we'll see how that actually changes things.

Was saying this the other day... have a look at Shutterstock's share price and you'll see it has not had any bounce in January which it inevitably did each year since the new payout structure. Now Shutterstock are trying to throw sheet* away for peanuts and that's not helping them either. Nothing they are doing now is working for them. They have backed themselves into a corner and have no gas left in the tank to save the organization. I hope they do NOT merge with iStock. At least iStock still makes very good sales even if commissions are low there are still higher paying sales that make up for it at least it does for me. I've sold 24 videos on iStock so far this month compared to 2 video sales on Shutterstock which one of them was 0.25 cents.

From the investment market viewpoint. "Both firms face intense competition from open-source image models and low-cost AI-generated alternatives that have undercut stock photography licensing prices. A merger could restore pricing power by pooling libraries, automating tagging, and consolidating enterprise relationships." and "If the strategy works, the merger could mark a turning point for digital media rights management. If it fails or is blocked by regulators, it may signal that even industry consolidation cannot offset the deflationary forces of generative AI."

Just for those who are against the merger, I don't know why, this is an attempt to save the industry of licensing images, which includes Microstock, from further failure and a future demise. The cause is AI, clear and simple, and this would be a way to compete. Without the merger, the future is bleak for anyone hoping to make money from stock image licensing. Whether that is Getty or SSTK or any of us as individuals.

Sounds good but I don't think Shutterstock is interested in saving anything. Just have to look at Pond5 and Shutterstock itself quickly deteriorating. Probably just want to combine libraries to enrich their AI offerings.     

Quote from: Pacesetter on January 15, 2026, 02:50

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 14, 2026, 18:14

Quote from: Pacesetter on January 14, 2026, 08:07

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 13, 2026, 23:47

Quote from: innerpeaceseeker on January 13, 2026, 19:48
This is my very first post on this forum. Been a Shutterstock contributor since 2023, with a portfolio of 6000+ mostly travel images from across the world and mostly pictures myself and the missus take with our regular Canon and Sony cameras. None of the that AI BS, all regular pictures only.

In 2024, I had 1578 sales and in 2025, it was 2759. But ever since the Getty merger, sales have plummeted. I used to sell about 200-250 images monthly easily on average, and its now down to 150 on average since August last year which is when the merger took place. My sales on iStock picked up proportionally, but as you all know, you get zillions of 0.04 and 0.02 sales over there.

Anyway, January is a s%^tshow per usual...very dissapointing.

Welcome! While I agree with the essentials, there hasn't been a merger yet. There may never be a merger. Which just says to me, how much SSTK is in distress as far as we are concerned. After the merger, if there is one, then we'll see how that actually changes things.

Was saying this the other day... have a look at Shutterstock's share price and you'll see it has not had any bounce in January which it inevitably did each year since the new payout structure. Now Shutterstock are trying to throw sheet* away for peanuts and that's not helping them either. Nothing they are doing now is working for them. They have backed themselves into a corner and have no gas left in the tank to save the organization. I hope they do NOT merge with iStock. At least iStock still makes very good sales even if commissions are low there are still higher paying sales that make up for it at least it does for me. I've sold 24 videos on iStock so far this month compared to 2 video sales on Shutterstock which one of them was 0.25 cents.

From the investment market viewpoint. "Both firms face intense competition from open-source image models and low-cost AI-generated alternatives that have undercut stock photography licensing prices. A merger could restore pricing power by pooling libraries, automating tagging, and consolidating enterprise relationships." and "If the strategy works, the merger could mark a turning point for digital media rights management. If it fails or is blocked by regulators, it may signal that even industry consolidation cannot offset the deflationary forces of generative AI."

Just for those who are against the merger, I don't know why, this is an attempt to save the industry of licensing images, which includes Microstock, from further failure and a future demise. The cause is AI, clear and simple, and this would be a way to compete. Without the merger, the future is bleak for anyone hoping to make money from stock image licensing. Whether that is Getty or SSTK or any of us as individuals.

Sounds good but I don't think Shutterstock is interested in saving anything. Just have to look at Pond5 and Shutterstock itself quickly deteriorating. Probably just want to combine libraries to enrich their AI offerings.   

I think that's it. I think SSTK is beyond saving as far as Microstock is concerned. The combined libraries are the goal now. Both of them are in trouble.