Author Topic: 2013 RC Targets (Read 15552 times)

Freedom · « **Reply #25 on:** October 30, 2013, 12:05 »

I will stay on the current level.

raw_milk · « **Reply #26 on:** October 30, 2013, 13:09 »

Down 5%.

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #27 on:** October 30, 2013, 13:09 »

I'll drop a level.
BTW, did anybody ever point out that exclusives have to sell a lot fewer licenses to shift up a level than independents do? The number of sales that would get you two or three levels above basic for an exclusive would have an independent on 15 or 16%.

tickstock · « **Reply #28 on:** October 30, 2013, 13:13 »

gostwyck · « **Reply #29 on:** October 30, 2013, 14:09 »

Quote from: Karen on October 30, 2013, 08:53

With the last fall in sales on iStockphoto it looks like I will go down by 5% to lower RC level.
Are you going up/down or stay at the same RC level?
Thoughts?

You may be dropping 5% on your royalty rate, unfortunately however your income will drop by a lot more than that. For example a drop from say 35% to 30% is actually a reduction of 14.3% in revenue from the same sales.

Copidosoma · « **Reply #30 on:** October 30, 2013, 14:21 »

wait a minute, you mean there is a level ABOVE 15%?!?

Kidding. I'll never see it.

At least I can comfort myself in knowing that my level won't be dropping. Ever.

might be time to pull the rest of the port at IS.

ShadySue · « **Reply #31 on:** October 30, 2013, 14:38 »

Quote from: Copidosoma on October 30, 2013, 14:21

At least I can comfort myself in knowing that my level won't be dropping. Ever.

Unless they drop the levels even further.
Time was the lowest indie rate was 20%.

Hochstapler · « **Reply #32 on:** October 30, 2013, 15:19 »

I'll be surpassing 2012 total royalties in the next week or so and have a chance of leveling up although it's going to be close.

The low hanging fruit has been picked and stock is going to become ever more competitive with new entrants and more and more content via better and less expensive cameras.

Shoot, upload, repeat is my motto and salt as much of it away as you can.

Enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Red Dove · « **Reply #33 on:** October 30, 2013, 15:59 »

Back down from 16%

I've got more chance of becoming the next pope than hitting the 11,000 RC's required to make 17%

blamb · « **Reply #34 on:** October 30, 2013, 16:38 »

After dragging out exclusivity to the bitter end, I'll be dropping another level from 35% to 30%. Pretty dismal trend. And I worked so hard to get that 40% only to see it snatched away by that miserable RC scheme.

ShadySue · « **Reply #35 on:** October 30, 2013, 16:58 »

Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 15:19

Shoot, upload, repeat is my motto and salt as much of it away as you can.

Are your relatively recent shots being seen and bought?
The experience of most (not 'quite' all), who have expressed it, is that files uploaded over the past months are disappearing without trace.

Mantis · « **Reply #36 on:** October 30, 2013, 17:49 »

I am currently 1500 RC short. Better be a good Nov & Dec, or I will drop....BTW, good is in current, relative terms, not like the good ol' days.

Hochstapler · « **Reply #37 on:** October 30, 2013, 20:20 »

Quote from: ShadySue on October 30, 2013, 16:58

Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 15:19
Shoot, upload, repeat is my motto and salt as much of it away as you can.
Are your relatively recent shots being seen and bought?
The experience of most (not 'quite' all), who have expressed it, is that files uploaded over the past months are disappearing without trace.

Hi,

Five of the last ten of my downloads today have been uploaded in the past couple of months. My sales are spread out across files uploaded over the years I've been with istock and I even had an instant download last week so files are still somehow found and bought.

Interestingly, I've also been selling files I would not have dared submit before the change in standards because of fear of the dreaded 'over processed' rejection.

So for me, istock and exclusivity still work although I'm very concerned about the future of the industry.

ShadySue · « **Reply #38 on:** October 30, 2013, 20:22 »

Thanks for sharing.
Glad one more person is selling recently-uploaded files.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #39 on:** October 30, 2013, 20:24 »

Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 20:20

Quote from: ShadySue on October 30, 2013, 16:58
Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 15:19
Shoot, upload, repeat is my motto and salt as much of it away as you can.
Are your relatively recent shots being seen and bought?
The experience of most (not 'quite' all), who have expressed it, is that files uploaded over the past months are disappearing without trace.

Hi,

Five of the last ten of my downloads today have been uploaded in the past couple of months. My sales are spread out across files uploaded over the years I've been with istock and I even had an instant download last week so files are still somehow found and bought.

Interestingly, I've also been selling files I would not have dared submit before the change in standards because of fear of the dreaded 'over processed' rejection.

So for me, istock and exclusivity still work although I'm very concerned about the future of the industry.

maybe I am missing something but reading what you just said everything looks fine (for you) so I wonder what is wrong and making you worry about the future?

Hochstapler · « **Reply #40 on:** October 30, 2013, 20:46 »

Quote from: luissantos84 on October 30, 2013, 20:24

Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 20:20
Quote from: ShadySue on October 30, 2013, 16:58
Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 15:19
Shoot, upload, repeat is my motto and salt as much of it away as you can.
Are your relatively recent shots being seen and bought?
The experience of most (not 'quite' all), who have expressed it, is that files uploaded over the past months are disappearing without trace.

Hi,

Five of the last ten of my downloads today have been uploaded in the past couple of months. My sales are spread out across files uploaded over the years I've been with istock and I even had an instant download last week so files are still somehow found and bought.

Interestingly, I've also been selling files I would not have dared submit before the change in standards because of fear of the dreaded 'over processed' rejection.

So for me, istock and exclusivity still work although I'm very concerned about the future of the industry.

maybe I am missing something but reading what you just said everything looks fine (for you) so I wonder what is wrong and making you worry about the future?

Things are going well, yes, but I don't know how long the good times will last. I mentioned the over saturation of the market and I'm also concerned that all the debt Getty piled up for non productive reasons will become an issue in the future.

I'm too old to learn the new tricks of uploading to many agencies, plus I don't want to take the hit of all my files being demoted to Main pricing and forfeiture of possible GI royalties.

So all I can do is shoot, edit, and upload which is something I thoroughly enjoy doing. Trust me, I'm not a kool aid drinker, but I realize there's nothing I can do to change things, so I don't allow myself to get sucked into the vortex of negativity that paralyzes one's productivity.

Good luck to us all!

:-)

luissantos84 · « **Reply #41 on:** October 30, 2013, 20:59 »

Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 20:46

I'm not a kool aid drinker

Ron · « **Reply #42 on:** October 31, 2013, 05:51 »

I am 1360 RC short to go to 16% (1500). If things dont pick up in the last two months, I think I am going to stay level.

Karen · « **Reply #43 on:** October 31, 2013, 07:47 »

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on October 30, 2013, 11:06

Quote from: tickstock on October 30, 2013, 10:50
Quote from: Ron on October 30, 2013, 10:46
You are now blaming other sites for causing people to drop RC levels on IS. LOL. IS is never ever at fault, are they? Do you actually believe your own BS?
I was talking about declining sales. I don't like the RC system at all although I'll be comfortably staying at the same level.

IStock's loss of sales is iStock's fault, not other people's. Consider these points:
After setting up TS, Getty decided to advertise it on the iStock homepage as a cheaper option
The iStock website is horribly slow even when it's working, costing customers valuable time
iStock prices were pushed up too far on a significant part of the content, encouraging budget buyers to look elsewhere for content (I think they even made some comment once about wanting corporate budgets, not low-volume buyers).
iStock pricing is extremely confusing and files can change price dramatically at any time, depending on the latest whim
iStock chose to tick-off its suppliers by squeezing them in innumerable ways, ensuring that it got a heap of bad publicity (and probably alerting a lot of customers to cheaper alternatives in the process)
Getty decided to swamp iS with mountains of third-rate material from old collections it had lying about, hoping to rake in a big return, but actually devaluing the collection
Getty decided to slash iStock's profitablity by cutting the cost of half its files by about 60%, thereby pulling some sales off the higher-priced material without - by all accounts - pulling in any extra customers.
Getty/iS decided to wipe out the community spirit that had allowed it to sail on with exclusives and a number of buyers alike viewing the collection through rose-tinted glasses.

Now, how much of that is really Shutterstock's fault?

If so many contributors will go down why nobody is asking to lower the RC targets?
I can't see any discussion of this issue on iStock's forums.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #44 on:** October 31, 2013, 08:25 »

perhaps they just don't care anymore

Ron · « **Reply #45 on:** October 31, 2013, 08:27 »

Quote from: luissantos84 on October 31, 2013, 08:25

perhaps they just don't care anymore

Exactly. The forum changed after they let go Sean. You dont see any uproar anymore, plus I believe many spirits finally got broken.

mlwinphoto · « **Reply #46 on:** October 31, 2013, 09:56 »

Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 15:19

Enjoy the ride while it lasts.

The 'ride' ended awhile ago.

tickstock · « **Reply #47 on:** October 31, 2013, 11:25 »

Paulfleet · « **Reply #48 on:** October 31, 2013, 11:30 »

I'm trapped in a downward spiral all the way down to the urine extracting depths of 16% and I don't like it.

ShadySue · « **Reply #49 on:** October 31, 2013, 11:38 »

Quote from: tickstock on October 31, 2013, 11:25

Quote from: ShadySue on October 30, 2013, 16:58
Quote from: Machine Gun Mark on October 30, 2013, 15:19
Shoot, upload, repeat is my motto and salt as much of it away as you can.
Are your relatively recent shots being seen and bought?
The experience of most (not 'quite' all), who have expressed it, is that files uploaded over the past months are disappearing without trace.
I just looked at your portfolio. Your newest image is of a magnificent frigate and a search for 'magnificent frigate' shows your image as #1 in the best match.

Indeed it is, and another file which was accepted just before that one is at 108 for 'desert island', which is above 10% on a search of 1953.

I've been checking new uploads regularly (easy, as I haven't been uploading much) for several months, and they've all hit the database anything between 10% and 50% down the best match, at least until Monday of this week.

So maybe a change for the better for new files.
Ouch, I'll need to start making more stock photos if this is a new policy.

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Author Topic: 2013 RC Targets (Read 15552 times)

Freedom

raw_milk

BaldricksTrousers

tickstock

gostwyck

Copidosoma

ShadySue

Hochstapler

Red Dove

blamb

ShadySue

Mantis

Hochstapler

ShadySue

luissantos84

Hochstapler

luissantos84

Ron

Karen

luissantos84

Ron

mlwinphoto

tickstock

Paulfleet

ShadySue

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