Yes, I fully realize none of the "fair trade" sites are generating sales that are even significant at this point.  What I am saying is that if enough contributors starting talking up "Micro X" as being the lifeboat they were climbing into,  a serious movement might get started.   And if big portfolios suddenly started coming to Micro X, and buyers starting hearing about a migration from IS to Micro X, and looked at it,  the thing might start feeding on itself.  My fairy tale ends with Micro X, within a few months, starting to generate some big numbers.

It's not a complete fantasy.  Things like this have happened: a business that once had a lock on a market suddenly realizes - too late - that there's a new kid on the block who's eating their lunch.  

The key is having a specific escape plan, a destination with a name, i.e. "have you heard? Everyone's moving to Micro X!"

Agree.

When IS introduced the last paycut just a few months ago, I restarted submitting to nearly all (very) minor microstock sites which I abandoned long ago due to lack of sales. Well, now my total % from those sites -excluding the top and middle tiers - is 2%. Not much, but it was 0% before. And it's going slightly up each month, while IS is going slightly down.

Yes, things can happen. And lightburner is making those things easier.

Excl

Dec $5.65
Jan $4.31
Feb $3.53

Exclusive. The variability in here is largely a result of extended licenses. As I mentioned before, this is plain exclusive stuff (no Vetta, Agency or E+)

Dec  $4.14
Jan  $4.59
Feb  $4.22
Mar  $4.66

So, can we now officially call Istock the lowest-paying-per-download microstock of them all?  (not talking percentage, just payment per sale)

Quote from: djpadavona on March 08, 2011, 20:11

It's the Greater Fool Theory, and it is why a few microstock companies and other related companies such as CafePress have become success stories by exploiting crowdsourcing.  These companies know it is a horrible deal for contributors to work with them.  But they also know there will always be a few people out of every 10 who will do anything for another dollar, even if it means the agency is making 5 or 6 dollars for every 1 they make.

Just remember every time you see a 9 cent commission that iStockphoto did not do this to you, You did this to you.  If you accept anything, that's exactly what you will get.

So you've shut all your microstock accounts at IS and elsewhere then, I take it?

I have stopped uploading, except for a trickle here or there.  I'm spinning up my own business and setting my own prices.  If that fails, and I cannot catch on with macro, then I am done.  Yes I put my money where my mouth is, and No I don't take kindly to being ripped off.