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Poll

For independent contributors - in light of Istock's new policy of mirroring all non-exclusive content in the Partner Program, will you be agreeing to the new ASA or leaving the site?

I will be pulling my portfolio from Istockphoto
52 (21.8%)
I will be staying and allowing my content in the PP
104 (43.7%)
Not sure right now.
47 (19.7%)
Going exclusive.
10 (4.2%)
I left already.
18 (7.6%)
Never joined
7 (2.9%)

Total Members Voted: 211

Author Topic: Independents - do you plan to leave Istock or not?  (Read 59287 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

« Reply #25 on: August 30, 2011, 03:34 »
0
The other thing to do for me is also to look at alternatives of monetizing my images outside of microstock.


« Reply #26 on: August 30, 2011, 03:35 »
0
I think I'll leave. I will not let hem sell my images for free and therefore not selling at the more expensive agencies. If all these great images of all of us are practically given away for free why would buyers go elsewhere? Delete , delete, delete...
But how to delete? I don't know how to do this anymore. Can anyone give me some information on this?

To Delete go to desired Image page

under "Stock photo details"  you will see "Administration"

from the drop down you have the Deactivation option with a reason Box ;)

 That is for individual files of course should you wish to delete entire Portfolio I would assume   you would get in touch directly
« Last Edit: August 30, 2011, 03:39 by iclick »

eggshell

« Reply #27 on: August 30, 2011, 04:14 »
0
Stay and upload selectively from now on .

If in the future they try to transfer all non-exclusive content to TS and make IS exclusives only , I'm out

« Reply #28 on: August 30, 2011, 04:40 »
0
Stay and upload selectively from now on .

If in the future they try to transfer all non-exclusive content to TS and make IS exclusives only , I'm out

Thanks! I'll start deleting my bestsellers next month as they still make some money. I'll leave a few just to see what they'll do.

« Reply #29 on: August 30, 2011, 04:41 »
0
I already left beginning of the year when the lowered royalties kicked in. These new changes don't make me feel like I have to reconsider that decision  ;)

« Reply #30 on: August 30, 2011, 05:24 »
0
I'm pulling my higher quality stuff. Guess that survey iStock conducted was pretty hollow, eh?

« Reply #31 on: August 30, 2011, 06:16 »
0
I'll leave if you leave  ;)

Slovenian

« Reply #32 on: August 30, 2011, 06:36 »
0
The pole results clearly shows why they keep on screwing us. We're just a bunch of sheep

« Reply #33 on: August 30, 2011, 06:56 »
0
Staying. My earnings are still growing at IS and also via the PP, without any discernible effect on my earnings at SS or DT. Of course that could change but I'll worry about that if and when I see it happening....I'm more interested in whether IS/Getty changes and JJRD's mention of International Development will open up new markets for me in Asia etc

And I ain't a sheep.

« Reply #34 on: August 30, 2011, 07:34 »
0
I will be staying.  I am not at all happy about the heavy-handedness of this new ASA, but I have been expecting something like this for months.  Can't afford to give up more than 1/3 of my income.

Im surprised they havent done it much earlier!  I knew this was coming well over a year ago, the pattern was all too familiar. Started with the new RM-contract, signing away certain shots to TS, etc.
I will be staying as well!  whats the point of beefing about it? but Im not happy at all. Lets see if they for, just ONCE, can proove us wrong?

best.

I am curious to see if this new PP push deflates sales on Istock, thus affecting our RC levels.  I know that won't happen over night but given a 6-12 month period I think we will be able to make a reasonable inference as to whether the PP program is actually a negative to gross sales.

« Reply #35 on: August 30, 2011, 07:53 »
0
I have already left back in January.
I didn't vote (no option for me), and can't see the results but I'm pretty sure I know them already.  

No, the vast majority of Independents will not leave IStock. 19% commission, 15, 10 or 5 it's all the same. Independents will stay put.
A sale is a sale and 0.7 cent is better than nothing. No matter the consequences.

What's interesting is that for some strange reason nobody can afford to leave IStock.
10 dollars a week or 1000, it's all the same. They can't afford it.

@XST, Red Dove
monitoring sales?
So you're saying that you will be carefully keeping an eye on your sales.
The day your sales at SS/DT start going down - ThinkStock goes up, is the day you will be deleting your port at IStock?
Is that what you mean?
It's just that it seems strange.
You can't afford to leave IStock today, while SS is still going strong, how will you afford to leave them then, with SS taken over by ThinkStock's crappy sales?
Nope.
That's not going to happen.
You will not be able to afford it :)
Now, or ever.

And I tend to agree with Slovenian. Go on Getty, give us 5% commission and 0.5 cent sales. No matter how low, we will take it all in.

« Reply #36 on: August 30, 2011, 07:55 »
0
I will stay... I need the money!! We are all slaves from the money... and they know that!

« Reply #37 on: August 30, 2011, 08:01 »
0
Is it possible to reactivate images after you have deactivated them? Or is deactivation permanent? It would be easier to deactivate my portfolio if I knew that I could retain the option of reactivating it if things ever improve at IS in the future.

Cogent Marketing

« Reply #38 on: August 30, 2011, 08:24 »
0
Is it possible to reactivate images after you have deactivated them? Or is deactivation permanent? It would be easier to deactivate my portfolio if I knew that I could retain the option of reactivating it if things ever improve at IS in the future.

I believe you have to resubmit all over again as if it were the first time... Perhaps someone who has tried to do it ay iSP can give a view?

lisafx

« Reply #39 on: August 30, 2011, 08:25 »
0

As usual I'll complain about the survey (sorry) but you might have added something besides the all or none, forced answers.  ;D What about, I'll sit and think about it, as in #3 Maybe? Or maybe, #4 Already left IS!  ??? or #5 Going exclusive, which is odd, but could happen?


Great ideas Pete & Le_Cyclope.  I'll see if I can change it to add "not sure" and "going exclusive".  

Although IMO going exclusive to avoid the PP is only going to be a short term fix.  In future "iterations" I think it's a safe bet that eventually opt out will disappear for exclusives too.  They just removed the opt out for having exclusive files xferred "upstream" to their other distributors already.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2011, 08:49 by lisafx »

lisafx

« Reply #40 on: August 30, 2011, 08:41 »
0
I have already left back in January.
I didn't vote (no option for me), and can't see the results but I'm pretty sure I know them already.  

I added your option so you can see the results :)

But you're wrong about there being no limit to what they can get away with.  Currently my income from Istock is a couple of thousand $ a month.  If it ever drops into the hundreds I would not have any qualms at all about leaving.

I am sure I am not the only one with some bottom limit in mind, below which it isn't worth doing anymore.   
« Last Edit: August 30, 2011, 08:47 by lisafx »

« Reply #41 on: August 30, 2011, 08:46 »
0
Im an exclusive, still dont like the way this was put and I think exclusives will be hurt too, less people will be willing to pay what a good work is worth when you have the option of having it for pennies. Right now Im in the process of being a total independant, get a representative and quit microstock for good. Lately exclusiveness means 1 to 2 sales per day, a couple of months ago my files "suddenly" stopped selling and I have hardly any views in my new files. Before I used to have an average of at least 14-20 downloads per day so right now its almost as if I were a brand new contributor with no portfolio. Its very very strange, no summer slow down has been like this before, specially when summer is almost over and instead of seeing sales pick up they have lowered more than before. And now this...after that survey....

« Reply #42 on: August 30, 2011, 09:01 »
0
Its so sad to see how many of us are beaten completely numb and just shrug and accept this very bad deal because the income can't be missed (altho i understand, i live alone so the only one suffering the consequences is me, not my family).
I need a little more time to think but im pretty positive i'm going to pull my port (maybe i'll keep the real drab there just to have my account and future options open). I REALLY can't miss the income either but i'll find other ways to compensate. Apart from not wanting to see my pics on that disgrace of a TS i definitely dont want to wait every month for their lousy, sketchy reporting where no one knows whats what and which is even more untransparent than the RC system. I'm not ok with my pics going wherever they decide at what rate they decide and take their worth-less-than-nothing word for it that the amounts are correct, and those amounts not added to my istock credits while actively driving away traffic from istock AND more important, shutterstock. I dont want my pics to get stolen, and i definitely dont want to pay for it! I dont want to give my pics for free to advertise for istock,or worse, TS or some other sketchy partner and not even get credited for it either ("we'll credit where possible"). Not to mention the numerous "glitches", always in our disadvantage.
I dont want to bend over for their arrogance any longer, i regret so many non-exclusives will carry on like nothing happened, but im sure those will follow soon as the next "iterations" are announced. It's not going to get better, only worse... our new "distributor" has started "Race to the bottom Pt. 2, where the ship really sinks". Soon enough it wont be sustainable for any of us non-exclusives, apart from the ones willing to take a couple of cents.
Funny how exlusivity used to mean extra perks and advantages, while (for) now it only means "getting shafted a tiny bit less".
I just wished SS would come with a countermove (image exclusivity please!), or nasty istock at least would let us keep P+ away from the PP.

« Reply #43 on: August 30, 2011, 09:08 »
0
Does anyone realize the real impact this survey will have?  Someone at ISP is no doubt watching these results and saying to a co-worker, "See, I told you we could stick it to them even harder than last time and they'd end up asking for more."

Apparently there's no breaking point at which people will say No More.  And if ISP didn't know it before, they do now.

I respect everyone's right to make a decision on their own, but I fear this type of forum is essentially organizing a response from some of ISP's most prolific and successful contributors to send a loud and clear message: "We're OK with this.  Keep the abuse coming."

« Reply #44 on: August 30, 2011, 09:32 »
0
I derive 1/2 of my living from microstock and 40% of that is coming from IS.
So far, it doesn't look that SS or DT can provide any replacement for IS, FT is a way down.
I am rather thinking about putting more efforts into my non photography activity and less time for microstock.

RT


« Reply #45 on: August 30, 2011, 09:41 »
0
Does anyone realize the real impact this survey will have?  Someone at ISP is no doubt watching these results and saying to a co-worker, "See, I told you we could stick it to them even harder than last time and they'd end up asking for more."

Apparently there's no breaking point at which people will say No More.  And if ISP didn't know it before, they do now.

I respect everyone's right to make a decision on their own, but I fear this type of forum is essentially organizing a response from some of ISP's most prolific and successful contributors to send a loud and clear message: "We're OK with this.  Keep the abuse coming."

As I hinted at earlier, for a long time the vast majority of people here have been singing the praises of Shutterstock - a site where a buyer can license an XXL image for which the contributor receives 38c or less, why when other sites lower commissions or take moves like this recent one by iS people are surprised or outraged is beyond me.

Dress it up however you want but we all (well probably 99% or us) value our work at 38c or less for an XXL. My RPI has been and no doubt still will be higher at iS than any of the other microstock sites, and yes there are many things I grudge about iS but as long as they continue to bring me the most revenue for my portfolio each month I'll stay there.

lisafx

« Reply #46 on: August 30, 2011, 09:44 »
0
Yeah, I agree.  The "big" contributors that "can't" leave should just go exclusive.  The "small" contributors that can leave should.  Its not the "big" contributors that fill in all the millions of holes that keep them floating as an image bank.


No "Big contributor" with half a brain would consider going exclusive with Istock at this point.  Anyone who thinks the shafting is going to stop at non-exclusives only hasn't been paying attention.

« Reply #47 on: August 30, 2011, 09:57 »
0
Actually right now I am leaning towards pulling almost all of my content. If I have any images like a screw or something that reflect how I feel right now I'll leave them up just to keep my account sales totals alive in case they are sold and it makes sense to re-contribute in the future.

This is only one step down the line, I expect at some time in the future some content will be not just mirrored but completely moved. Then the exclusives will have no choice but to see their stuff at the pp. This is only the first iteration folks, and Getty has a lot more shoes they can drop.

They already said what their goal is and it is 20% or less commission.

I am sorry to see what has become of IS, but it is what it is.

« Reply #48 on: August 30, 2011, 10:01 »
0
What I get from this thread is that while some people are actually walking away from IS right now, for most of us it's more a matter of all motivation being gone.  

I'm not doing any microstock right now,  and when I do some again I won't even submit it to IS.   They've made it clear that this is a declining business for photographers and that they plan to pay us less and less as time goes by.    

In this new announcement they didn't even bother with any hype about how the changes would benefit their contributors. It was just "here's what we're doing to you now, take it or leave it".  No vision for the future, not even a fake one.  If they'd at least pretend, I could too.  It is indeed a loveless marriage.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2011, 12:10 by stockastic »

lisafx

« Reply #49 on: August 30, 2011, 10:29 »
0
In this new announcemen they didn't even bother with any hype about how the changes would benefit their contributors. It was just "here's what we're doing to you now, take it or leave it".  No vision for the future, not even a fake one.  If they'd at least pretend, I could too.  It is indeed a loveless marriage.


Yes, there is certainly no pretense anymore that they care about contributors.  Very sad state of affairs, but completely predictable.  

But at least they've managed to keep JodiJacobson happy.  ROFL!  I'll have some of what she's smoking please ;D

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=333754&messageid=6469394
« Last Edit: August 30, 2011, 10:32 by lisafx »


 

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