MicrostockGroup

Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: robggs on January 18, 2011, 06:09

Title: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on January 18, 2011, 06:09
Sunday January 16, 2011, 02:23 PM XSmall  Regular 0.00

I guess this is why my balance is not updating.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: ShadySue on January 18, 2011, 06:14
Sunday January 16, 2011, 02:23 PM XSmall  Regular 0.00

I guess this is why my balance is not updating.

It may be part of the delayed Subscription royalties bug
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=289372&page=1 (http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=289372&page=1)
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: 123XXX on January 18, 2011, 06:19
So many bugs around lately. Seems everyone is getting bit :)
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on January 18, 2011, 06:22
Thanks Sue. I had a scan but I didnt see any mention of 0% royalties. Oh well, its only an xsmall. May as well kick back and wait for someone to wave their wand.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: grp_photo on January 18, 2011, 06:23
OT:

There is a crack in everything. It's how the light gets in.
Love that quote who is the author?
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: ShadySue on January 18, 2011, 06:31
OT:

There is a crack in everything. It's how the light gets in.

Love that quote who is the author?

Leonard Cohen, from Anthem:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/leonardcohen/anthem.html (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/leonardcohen/anthem.html)
Leonard Cohen (London) [09]. Anthem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pKfozJahAg#ws)
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: Perry on January 18, 2011, 06:37
Sunday January 16, 2011, 02:23 PM XSmall  Regular 0.00

I guess this is why my balance is not updating.

Next year you need to get 12,000 redeemed credits to get 0%.
with 34,000 redeemed credits you will get 1%

The regular royalty level for new contributors will be -8%
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on January 18, 2011, 07:08
I better get cracking. ;D
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: cathyslife on January 18, 2011, 07:20
Sunday January 16, 2011, 02:23 PM XSmall  Regular 0.00

I guess this is why my balance is not updating.

That's incredible. Glad you posted, and I found out about the Subscriptions bug. I have a delayed royalty under royalties. Just think, if each contributor were to get even one small delayed royalty, think about how much money will still show in the IS account. Kind of like a 5 cent mistake on your phone bill. No big deal to any one person but you multiply that by the tens of thousands of phone customers, then you're talking some serious cash.

I am going to have to go look for some 0 royalties now, though.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: jamirae on January 18, 2011, 10:39
Thanks Sue. I had a scan but I didnt see any mention of 0% royalties. Oh well, its only an xsmall. May as well kick back and wait for someone to wave their wand.

I woudl send in a support ticket if I were you.  It may be just one xsmall, but how many more could happen after that and you may not see them?  I wouldn't let them get away with keeping one penny after the BS they have been dishing out to us lately.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: luissantos84 on January 18, 2011, 12:07
just had a XS sale for 0.12$ :)
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: nruboc on January 18, 2011, 12:19
Sunday January 16, 2011, 02:23 PM XSmall  Regular 0.00

I guess this is why my balance is not updating.

Ooops, someone tripped the switch for 2015 royalty levels
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: RT on January 18, 2011, 13:49
Ooops, someone tripped the switch for 2015 royalty levels
:D I was about to write the same thing, you were more generous in your date than I was going to though.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: BaldricksTrousers on January 18, 2011, 13:51
It seems I have three delayed royalties, one from August and from December one listed as one download with no sale or date of sale and with zero value. The whole place is falling apart.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: halfshag on January 18, 2011, 14:17
*sigh* Must be a candidate for the Epic Fail (http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/istock-f5-epic-fail/) list?  >:(
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: ShadySue on January 18, 2011, 14:23
*sigh* Must be a candidate for the Epic Fail ([url]http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/istock-f5-epic-fail/[/url]) list?  >:(

It was up there before this thread began.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: halfshag on January 18, 2011, 15:53
Can't see it listed though, but thanks.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: jcpjr on January 18, 2011, 16:14
just had a XS sale for 0.12$ :)

I just had one too...it's pretty sad that the 3rd party "partners" pay out more then they do.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: lightscribe on January 18, 2011, 16:23
I can't even find where to look to see a list of individual sales broken down....please help! The normal stats bar graph doesn't show this info?  how do I know if I had a 0.00 sale?
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on January 18, 2011, 16:51
I can't even find where to look to see a list of individual sales broken down....please help! The normal stats bar graph doesn't show this info?  how do I know if I had a 0.00 sale?

I did My Uploads > Sort by Last DL > Look for your latest download and on the royalty value of that link > this will show the price of each download of that image and you might find that your latest sales show $0.00 royalty.

All downloads (all 4 of them) in the last two days have had $0 royalty. I've submitted a ticket.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: lisafx on January 18, 2011, 17:08
I can't even find where to look to see a list of individual sales broken down....please help! The normal stats bar graph doesn't show this info?  how do I know if I had a 0.00 sale?

Sean Locke has come up with a script you can install in firefox, through the greasemonkey add on, that gives you an extra column to see this info.  It's an incredibly useful tool.  

He was kind enough to post a link in another thread.  Here it is: http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=258262&page=1 (http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=258262&page=1)
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: madelaide on January 18, 2011, 17:14
Next year you need to get 12,000 redeemed credits to get 0%.
with 34,000 redeemed credits you will get 1%

The regular royalty level for new contributors will be -8%

Shhh!  Don't give them ideas!  ;D
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: stockastic on January 18, 2011, 17:19
Thanks Sue. I had a scan but I didnt see any mention of 0% royalties. Oh well, its only an xsmall. May as well kick back and wait for someone to wave their wand.

Of course, if the commission is wrong, the size could be wrong too.  We really have no independent way of verifying any microstock numbers.  IS could be selling images at any size, any price, and paying us whatever they chose to - or nothing.  It's all based on trust.  Which is now gone.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: Sadstock on January 18, 2011, 20:57
Thanks Sue. I had a scan but I didnt see any mention of 0% royalties. Oh well, its only an xsmall. May as well kick back and wait for someone to wave their wand.

Of course, if the commission is wrong, the size could be wrong too.  We really have no independent way of verifying any microstock numbers.  IS could be selling images at any size, any price, and paying us whatever they chose to - or nothing.  It's all based on trust.  Which is now gone.


Getty allows contributors to request an audit once a year at the contributor's expense, unless they find a substantial mistake.  Don't know that Istock has any such provision, but its clear they need to make such a provision at the very least.  Of course as jsnover has asked repeatedly, full disclosure of credit purchase price and all the rest on per transaction basis would be the ideal, but I doubt Istock will ever go that route.  
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: stockastic on January 18, 2011, 21:05
Thanks Sue. I had a scan but I didnt see any mention of 0% royalties. Oh well, its only an xsmall. May as well kick back and wait for someone to wave their wand.

Of course, if the commission is wrong, the size could be wrong too.  We really have no independent way of verifying any microstock numbers.  IS could be selling images at any size, any price, and paying us whatever they chose to - or nothing.  It's all based on trust.  Which is now gone.



Maybe we could encourage SJLocke to request an audit? ;)  Or maybe Yuri?  I think it would be hard for Istock to say no to a very big contributor, and the scale of transactions would be large enough that previously unidentifed problems would surface. 

Getty allows contributors to request an audit once a year at the contributor's expense, unless they find a substantial mistake.  Don't know that Istock has any such provision, but its clear they need to make such a provision at the very least.  Of course as jsnover has asked repeatedly, full disclosure of credit purchase price and all the rest on per transaction basis would be the ideal, but I doubt Istock will ever go that route. 

It's the same with the other microstocks, of course.  It's a weird new sort of marketplace where the producers have no control over inventory.   It's not like you can give an agency a fixed number of copies to sell, and when they're gone, the agency has to ask you for more.   To use a film analogy, we basically give the agency our negatives and trust them to pay us fairly.   When we see all the technical problems that happen with e-commerce sites like IS, how can we really put much trust in any sales and commission figures?
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: ShadySue on January 19, 2011, 06:48
My account jumped about $6 and I now have no 0% sales (I had 3), so maybe this one has been fixed.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on January 19, 2011, 07:24
My account jumped about $6 and I now have no 0% sales (I had 3), so maybe this one has been fixed.

Its still a problem for me.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on January 20, 2011, 06:14
I've put a support ticket in and its with their development team now.

I hope they fix it soon. I'm a big fan of istock. It feels good to submit there because your photos are at the go to site in the industry, but thats rapidly changing when I can't see my balance increasing with each download.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: Perry on January 20, 2011, 06:21
I've put a support ticket in and its with their development team now.

I wish I could say your support ticket is in good hands, but then I would be lying.

I hope they fix it soon. I'm a big fan of istock. It feels good to submit there because your photos are at the go to site in the industry

What are you smoking?
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on January 20, 2011, 06:38
I was expecting this reaction. I'm not saying that istock is the best site anymore, or that it ever was, but it was up there a year ago before many of these changes were introduced.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on January 27, 2011, 15:23
They are fixing this: http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=294962&page=1 (http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=294962&page=1)
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: jamirae on January 27, 2011, 16:58
They are fixing this: [url]http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=294962&page=1[/url] ([url]http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=294962&page=1[/url])


so, in other words -- "they are working on it"  just like everything else. 
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on February 12, 2011, 10:41
Still $0 royalties on all of my downloads in the last month. Anyone with the same experience?
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: caspixel on February 12, 2011, 10:59
Still $0 royalties on all of my downloads in the last month. Anyone with the same experience?

WOW!  :o :o

That is just ridicuolous. How can anyone trust that site or iStock's accounting? Even if/when they correct it, how are you even going to know the new amounts are correct?
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: Karimala on February 12, 2011, 12:44
I can't even find where to look to see a list of individual sales broken down....please help! The normal stats bar graph doesn't show this info?  how do I know if I had a 0.00 sale?

Sean Locke has come up with a script you can install in firefox, through the greasemonkey add on, that gives you an extra column to see this info.  It's an incredibly useful tool.  

He was kind enough to post a link in another thread.  Here it is: [url]http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=258262&page=1[/url] ([url]http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=258262&page=1[/url])


Thanks for the link, Lisa!  Now if I can just get Greasemonkey to work properly and install it.

Update: Sweet!  Got it to work.  I was having the same problems as Joann.  http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=297012&page=2 (http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=297012&page=2)
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on February 12, 2011, 14:06
Still $0 royalties on all of my downloads in the last month. Anyone with the same experience?

No, but a bunch of us have problems with unpaid subscription sales (going back 2 to 3 weeks). We've been "nagging" in the help forum thread about getting a commitment on when we'll get paid (even if it's an interim step and they haven't yet fixed the bug). I suggest that you submit a report to customer relations if you haven't, post in the forum asking for a date by which you're going to get paid.

The ASA says that iStock will "endeavor" upon written request to pay for content sold by the 15th of the following month. When they were dragging their feet over paying for the EL bonuses they withheld, I put into my 2nd CR ticket (they closed the first one pointing to the forum thread that said "we're working on it") that this was my written request for payment no later than the 15th of the following month. I did get the money, although it may have been a complete coincidence. Can't hurt to put your request in writing, however unnecessary that should be :)

Don't let them fob you off with "known bug". They need to pay contributors even if they can't fix the bugs. Yes it's work to do that sort of thing manually, but those are the consequences of having a bunch of the site totally screwed up.
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: ShadySue on February 12, 2011, 14:12
Still $0 royalties on all of my downloads in the last month. Anyone with the same experience?
What did Support say?
Title: Re: 0% Royalty!
Post by: robggs on February 13, 2011, 05:31
I've submitted two tickets over the last month - both responses were along the lines of "were working on it". I've not hit them with the spiel about endeavouring to pay me by the 15th of the following month - I will today (thanks Jsnover). I'm also waiting on unpaid subscription sales from December. I can see that I've had quite a few green sales in December but still no green on the royalties chart for that month.

I've checked the istock "help" forum this morning and a contributors are starting to report royalties where there were $0 royalties before.