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Author Topic: Buyers Bailing on Istock  (Read 387836 times)

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« Reply #625 on: December 10, 2010, 16:02 »
0
I'm a little gun shy of what they consider to be good for contributors these days.

I am guessing at some point they will revise the targets slightly downwards and everybody will be happy. except for those like me who don't have 1.4 million RCs and will be taking a cut next year. Even if they cut that a few orders of magnitude I'll still be taking a cut next year.

They could do something that would at least level the playing field like saying an RC is an RC and the targets are for totals, vector, video, audio, photo... nah, that would make sense.

I guess they will do what they will do. They should post it somewhere other than the middle of a thread though.

--=Tom


lisafx

« Reply #626 on: December 10, 2010, 16:07 »
0

The meat is unhelpfully buried in the middle of the thread, but here's a part that's talking about what's coming Monday Dec 13th. Earlier in the thread they said it was something for contributors.


It would certainly be much easier to find relevant information if it was posted at the top of the thread. Way too many cryptic and winky comments about mondays, F5s, etc.  from Istock staff.  They just dilute the thread so any useful news is nearly impossible to find....

Oh, just saw Jami made the same observation in the IS thread.  +1 Jami :D

I'm a little gun shy of what they consider to be good for contributors these days.



Me too.  I flinch like an abused dog every time I hear there's some new announcement coming that will be "good for contributors".  Shudder!

My guess - an across the board price rise to soften the blow of lowered royalties.  Of course this will be bad news for buyers, but the past year they have probably gotten used to bad news ;)
« Last Edit: December 10, 2010, 16:11 by lisafx »

« Reply #627 on: December 10, 2010, 16:30 »
0
Pretty much anything they announce anymore is bad news for buyers. :D

« Reply #628 on: December 10, 2010, 16:39 »
0
yeah, I can't help be worry.  but considering they made the search update to be the big announcement, I'm not expecting much.  Of course, the search should have been working when they launched the new site in the first place!  I fear that all these little tweeks are going to be "too little, too late" for some buyers.  A lot of them are frustrated and looking elsewhere already.  Which is good news for independents, but sucks for exclusives. 

it's clear to me that the direction of istock is to promote the high-priced stuff of Agency and Vetta.  I'm guessing their large buyer base of small-time freelancers and organizations with low budgets will continue to move on to find cheaper stock products.  iStock will be catering to the big guys that have deep pockets. 

donding

  • Think before you speak
« Reply #629 on: December 10, 2010, 17:55 »
0
iStock will be catering to the big guys that have deep pockets. 

Meaning bigger discounts and less money on our end.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #630 on: December 10, 2010, 18:26 »
0

I'm a bit behind on the iStock postings. Are they making another announcement on Monday or is this about an announcement in the past? If it's coming up this Monday...you'd better take the weekend off to enjoy your final days of freedom!!


The meat is unhelpfully buried in the middle of the thread, but here's a part that's talking about what's coming Monday Dec 13th. Earlier in the thread they said it was something for contributors.

I really, really don't understand why they do that childish F5 thing. They post F5, and everyone has to post F5, F5, and by the time there's a post it's in the middle, so you have to waste time finding it, and they say they've got some great news but they're not going to tell us until Monday. Why don't they just tell us as soon as they have something to tell us instead of making us worry over the weekend. That's generally held as 'bad management'.

bittersweet

« Reply #631 on: December 10, 2010, 18:33 »
0

I really, really don't understand why they do that childish F5 thing. They post F5, and everyone has to post F5, F5, and by the time there's a post it's in the middle, so you have to waste time finding it, and they say they've got some great news but they're not going to tell us until Monday. Why don't they just tell us as soon as they have something to tell us instead of making us worry over the weekend. That's generally held as 'bad management'.

I get a little maudlin thinking about the days when F5 meant something good, and the excited anticipation was actually warranted. *sigh*  :-\

molka

    This user is banned.
« Reply #632 on: December 10, 2010, 18:36 »
0
 iStock will be catering to the big guys that have deep pockets.  

who are those supposed to be? I worked for big names and they don't have deep pockets for stock. There are special projects with high budgets but that means launching a new product, celeb or smthng like that, and that means commissioned shoots.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2010, 18:38 by molka »

« Reply #633 on: December 10, 2010, 18:38 »
0
I honestly feel that my exclusive status is in the intensive care unit on life support ...
I really wouldn't be worried about giving up that crown. My data suggests to me that times are a'changing in the world of microstock. SS in particular are going from strength to strength and so far this month my earnings there are 25% higher than they are at Istockphoto. It's a trend that has been developing for some months now. Nearly 55% of my December's earnings at SS are from PPD's and EL's. They are no longer 'just a subscription site' __ far from it. I sell more EL's at SS than from all the other agencies combined (5 in the last 4 days for example).

If I assume that my own portfolio is exactly 'average' in it's performance, relative to the size of the entire library, then working my sales figures backwards can give an estimation as to the overall sales at each agency. If so, based on my November sales, then last month SS had a turnover of $9.8M and IS were $10.8M. Obviously I've had to base those calculations on a couple of educated guesses regarding the percentage commission paid at SS (assumed to be 33%) and the size of the IS library (assumed to be about 7.5M images). SS of course have nearly twice as many images, many of them either similars or fairly useless because of the lack of upload limits, so I suspect that their figure is artificially boosted by that. I've run this exercise a few times in the past and a couple of years ago SS were barely half that of IS. Whatever the accuracy of the estimations, the indisputable fact that SS is now generating more money for me than Istock, from essentially the same portfolio, tells me that they can't be too far apart when it comes to the size of the agency.

It might take another year or two but I reckon SS will eventually emerge as the dominant microstock agency. Who do you trust the most to win out in the end __ Jon Oringer, serial entrepreneur and founder of SS, or Kelly Thompson, COO of an H&F subsidiary?

« Reply #634 on: December 10, 2010, 18:39 »
0
iStock will be catering to the big guys that have deep pockets.  

Meaning bigger discounts and less money on our end.

But just think of how many redeemed credits you might get! Money is not what is going to make you happy!
« Last Edit: December 10, 2010, 18:41 by caspixel »

« Reply #635 on: December 10, 2010, 19:45 »
0

I really, really don't understand why they do that childish F5 thing. They post F5, and everyone has to post F5, F5, and by the time there's a post it's in the middle, so you have to waste time finding it, and they say they've got some great news but they're not going to tell us until Monday. Why don't they just tell us as soon as they have something to tell us instead of making us worry over the weekend. That's generally held as 'bad management'.

I get a little maudlin thinking about the days when F5 meant something good, and the excited anticipation was actually warranted. *sigh*  :-\

Yeah. Those were the days :)

If they truly understood the way they've destroyed contributor (and buyer) confidence, trust, spirit - they'd stop the F5 stuff and just make straight, professional announcements because they'd get that what was once excited anticipation is now waiting and worrying about another what sauce storm on the horizon. And if they knew that, why would they continue to do that to us. Particularly if they aim to rebuild trust and all that jazz.

Ugh.

I will be shocked - but overjoyed - if Monday's announcement is actually something to celebrate.

reckless

« Reply #636 on: December 10, 2010, 20:20 »
0
Yes, it can be jarring to travel between "you've developed something you should've already had and made us dig through the forums to find it, wooyay!" and "those koolaid-drinking pom-pom-waving corporate c**ksuckers!!!" I am easily confused and disoriented.  ;D

Jen, I also have a tough time wading through the obsequious wooyays on the iStock forum, but as another lurker on this site for two years I caught a good laugh and smile from your post. Hang in there and say it like you feel it.

« Reply #637 on: December 11, 2010, 11:11 »
0
It occurs to me that it is usually about this time of the year that Istock announce the new prices and or any other changes to the pricing architecture to be imposed in January. Could this be what Monday's news is going to be about? Will they be intending to mitigate the reduced commissions with higher prices and, if so, will their customers accept it?

« Reply #638 on: December 11, 2010, 11:24 »
0
It might take another year or two but I reckon SS will eventually emerge as the dominant microstock agency. Who do you trust the most to win out in the end __ Jon Oringer, serial entrepreneur and founder of SS, or Kelly Thompson, COO of an H&F subsidiary?

Color me unexcited at the thought of a subscription model dominating the market.

« Reply #639 on: December 11, 2010, 11:33 »
0
I really wouldn't be worried about giving up that crown. My data suggests to me that times are a'changing in the world of microstock. SS in particular are going from strength to strength and so far this month my earnings there are 25% higher than they are at Istockphoto. It's a trend that has been developing for some months now. Nearly 55% of my December's earnings at SS are from PPD's and EL's. They are no longer 'just a subscription site' __ far from it. I sell more EL's at SS than from all the other agencies combined (5 in the last 4 days for example).

If I assume that my own portfolio is exactly 'average' in it's performance, relative to the size of the entire library, then working my sales figures backwards can give an estimation as to the overall sales at each agency. If so, based on my November sales, then last month SS had a turnover of $9.8M and IS were $10.8M. Obviously I've had to base those calculations on a couple of educated guesses regarding the percentage commission paid at SS (assumed to be 33%) and the size of the IS library (assumed to be about 7.5M images). SS of course have nearly twice as many images, many of them either similars or fairly useless because of the lack of upload limits, so I suspect that their figure is artificially boosted by that. I've run this exercise a few times in the past and a couple of years ago SS were barely half that of IS. Whatever the accuracy of the estimations, the indisputable fact that SS is now generating more money for me than Istock, from essentially the same portfolio, tells me that they can't be too far apart when it comes to the size of the agency.

It might take another year or two but I reckon SS will eventually emerge as the dominant microstock agency. Who do you trust the most to win out in the end __ Jon Oringer, serial entrepreneur and founder of SS, or Kelly Thompson, COO of an H&F subsidiary?

I can't say what it's like for the average independent, but this hasn't been my experience at all. If anything it has been the opposite. IS has gradually pulled away from SS with less images.

jbarber873

« Reply #640 on: December 11, 2010, 11:56 »
0
I really wouldn't be worried about giving up that crown. My data suggests to me that times are a'changing in the world of microstock. SS in particular are going from strength to strength and so far this month my earnings there are 25% higher than they are at Istockphoto. It's a trend that has been developing for some months now. Nearly 55% of my December's earnings at SS are from PPD's and EL's. They are no longer 'just a subscription site' __ far from it. I sell more EL's at SS than from all the other agencies combined (5 in the last 4 days for example).

If I assume that my own portfolio is exactly 'average' in it's performance, relative to the size of the entire library, then working my sales figures backwards can give an estimation as to the overall sales at each agency. If so, based on my November sales, then last month SS had a turnover of $9.8M and IS were $10.8M. Obviously I've had to base those calculations on a couple of educated guesses regarding the percentage commission paid at SS (assumed to be 33%) and the size of the IS library (assumed to be about 7.5M images). SS of course have nearly twice as many images, many of them either similars or fairly useless because of the lack of upload limits, so I suspect that their figure is artificially boosted by that. I've run this exercise a few times in the past and a couple of years ago SS were barely half that of IS. Whatever the accuracy of the estimations, the indisputable fact that SS is now generating more money for me than Istock, from essentially the same portfolio, tells me that they can't be too far apart when it comes to the size of the agency.

It might take another year or two but I reckon SS will eventually emerge as the dominant microstock agency. Who do you trust the most to win out in the end __ Jon Oringer, serial entrepreneur and founder of SS, or Kelly Thompson, COO of an H&F subsidiary?

I can't say what it's like for the average independent, but this hasn't been my experience at all. If anything it has been the opposite. IS has gradually pulled away from SS with less images.

  I only started with microstock a few years ago, but i can say without a doubt that SS has always been my best earner. Lately, IS has been dropping for me. It seems as though anything new just falls by the wayside and gets lost in the mass. Even things that are unique and sell very well elsewhere go nowhere on IS. Plus, they take over a month to inspect, and mostly reject, videos. At SS, I can post today and be selling tomorrow. If a shot catches on, it will continue to sell every day. If SS had an exclusive program, I would give it some thought.

lisafx

« Reply #641 on: December 11, 2010, 14:18 »
0
It occurs to me that it is usually about this time of the year that Istock announce the new prices and or any other changes to the pricing architecture to be imposed in January. Could this be what Monday's news is going to be about? Will they be intending to mitigate the reduced commissions with higher prices and, if so, will their customers accept it?

My thoughts exactly.  ;)


My guess - an across the board price rise to soften the blow of lowered royalties.  Of course this will be bad news for buyers, but the past year they have probably gotten used to bad news ;)
« Last Edit: December 11, 2010, 14:28 by lisafx »

« Reply #642 on: December 11, 2010, 14:48 »
0
^^^ Whoops __ missed that bit!

« Reply #643 on: December 11, 2010, 14:50 »
0
It occurs to me that it is usually about this time of the year that Istock announce the new prices and or any other changes to the pricing architecture to be imposed in January. Could this be what Monday's news is going to be about? Will they be intending to mitigate the reduced commissions with higher prices and, if so, will their customers accept it?

My thoughts exactly.  ;)


My guess - an across the board price rise to soften the blow of lowered royalties.  Of course this will be bad news for buyers, but the past year they have probably gotten used to bad news ;)

I can't imagine ANY company nowadays not pinching pennies, for whatever reason, but there seems to be a big bunch of IS people who seem to think IS buyers don't care about prices or price increases, that h*ck or high water they are going to stick with IS because they are lazy/don't care/whatever. I guess we will be finding it all out in short order.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #644 on: December 11, 2010, 15:15 »
0
While I wouldn't be surprised to see the normal price rise at iStock in January, I would be very surprised if this was the 'great news for contributers'. But as I've said, I'm pretty useless at second-guessing iStock.

« Reply #645 on: December 11, 2010, 15:31 »
0
It might take another year or two but I reckon SS will eventually emerge as the dominant microstock agency. Who do you trust the most to win out in the end __ Jon Oringer, serial entrepreneur and founder of SS, or Kelly Thompson, COO of an H&F subsidiary?


Color me unexcited at the thought of a subscription model dominating the market.


I'm mostly an outside viewer in this circuit, but here's my opinion of istock's most worrisome trend: http://siteanalytics.compete.com/istockphoto.com+shutterstock.com/#
Of course the price model is different and so on, but if that trend continues for a long time, almost none of the details will matter. In the end, I think these statistics will dominate any discussion about current details.

Anyway, carry on... :)

lisafx

« Reply #646 on: December 11, 2010, 15:37 »
0
^^^ Whoops __ missed that bit!

Well, you know, great minds think alike, and all that ;D

lisafx

« Reply #647 on: December 11, 2010, 15:41 »
0

I'm mostly an outside viewer in this circuit, but here's my opinion of istock's most worrisome trend: http://siteanalytics.compete.com/istockphoto.com+shutterstock.com/#



WOW!   :o

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #648 on: December 11, 2010, 15:53 »
0
It might take another year or two but I reckon SS will eventually emerge as the dominant microstock agency. Who do you trust the most to win out in the end __ Jon Oringer, serial entrepreneur and founder of SS, or Kelly Thompson, COO of an H&F subsidiary?


Color me unexcited at the thought of a subscription model dominating the market.


I'm mostly an outside viewer in this circuit, but here's my opinion of istock's most worrisome trend: http://siteanalytics.compete.com/istockphoto.com+shutterstock.com/#
Of course the price model is different and so on, but if that trend continues for a long time, almost none of the details will matter. In the end, I think these statistics will dominate any discussion about current details.

Anyway, carry on... :)

This is the SiteAnalytics graph referenced above:


Someone will need to come in and interpret the figures, but here are Alexa stats for iStock, FT, DT and SS for the past six months:
« Last Edit: December 11, 2010, 15:56 by ShadySue »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #649 on: December 11, 2010, 15:58 »
0
It might take another year or two but I reckon SS will eventually emerge as the dominant microstock agency. Who do you trust the most to win out in the end __ Jon Oringer, serial entrepreneur and founder of SS, or Kelly Thompson, COO of an H&F subsidiary?


Color me unexcited at the thought of a subscription model dominating the market.


I'm mostly an outside viewer in this circuit, but here's my opinion of istock's most worrisome trend: http://siteanalytics.compete.com/istockphoto.com+shutterstock.com/#
Of course the price model is different and so on, but if that trend continues for a long time, almost none of the details will matter. In the end, I think these statistics will dominate any discussion about current details.

Anyway, carry on... :)

This is the SiteAnalytics graph referenced above:


Someone will need to come in and interpret the figures, but here are Alexa stats for iStock, FT, DT and SS for the past six months:

Worryingly, there's no evidence on either graph of "half of the year's sales being made in the final four months", as intimated by KKT in that fateful announcemant.


 

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