MicrostockGroup

Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: FlowerPower on July 08, 2016, 12:52

Title: iStock Down Merge
Post by: FlowerPower on July 08, 2016, 12:52
Did I read on Getty that the reason IS was down was to merge the files from IS into the Getty system. Are we all going to be for sale on Getty now, or will iStock be shut down?
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: ShadySue on July 08, 2016, 13:06
Did I read on Getty that the reason IS was down was to merge the files from IS into the Getty system. Are we all going to be for sale on Getty now, or will iStock be shut down?
Re-read the link you saw to see as much as they're going to tell us.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: cathyslife on July 08, 2016, 14:20
My guess is that iStock will go away. I personally believe that was Getty's plan all along. If you can't compete with a company, buy it up.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: jjneff on July 08, 2016, 15:21
Got a survey to fill out, I typed some suggestions in at the end. Survey would not go through, I deleted my suggestions and it went through!! Go Figure
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: Karen on July 08, 2016, 15:25
My guess is that iStock will go away.
They are merging iStock with Getty. iStock audio is already there.
They are closing Thinkstock and are shutting down the partner program.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: YadaYadaYada on July 08, 2016, 16:00
My guess is that iStock will go away.
They are merging iStock with Getty. iStock audio is already there.
They are closing Thinkstock and are shutting down the partner program.

I'd like that if true, I see no link. Maybe Sue can link to the link so I can read? Or is it top secret rumors?
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: ShadySue on July 08, 2016, 16:06
My guess is that iStock will go away.
They are merging iStock with Getty. iStock audio is already there.
They are closing Thinkstock and are shutting down the partner program.

I'd like that if true, I see no link. Maybe Sue can link to the link so I can read? Or is it top secret rumors?
I presume not quoting from the forum also applies to links.
IIRC there was also an email a couple of weeks back, but I may be wrong about that.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: KONJINA on July 08, 2016, 16:08
My guess is that iStock will go away.
They are merging iStock with Getty. iStock audio is already there.
They are closing Thinkstock and are shutting down the partner program.

Is it something official or a rummor/guess?
I saw no message anywhere of any of sites going down, but I think it could be done, I'm just thinking how will that work for our sales.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: ShadySue on July 08, 2016, 16:48
My guess is that iStock will go away.
They are merging iStock with Getty. iStock audio is already there.
They are closing Thinkstock and are shutting down the partner program.

Is it something official or a rummor/guess?
I saw no message anywhere of any of sites going down, but I think it could be done, I'm just thinking how will that work for our sales.
That is not what they are saying at the moment.
What might happen down the line, I couldn't possibly say.
How often has either something they say won't happen in the foreseeable future suddenly happened shortly after the announcement, or vice versa, when something they've promised has quietly been dropped.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: cdwheatley on July 08, 2016, 16:58
If they moved all images to Getty that would be great and might benefit the exclusive contributor at this point. We are all just guessing here. Istock credit sales are drying up fast, it's just a small fraction of what it was before subs. Makes sense to make Istock Gettys sub only site. People predicted this year's ago and doesn't seem that far fetched right now.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: ShadySue on July 08, 2016, 17:02
If they moved all images to Getty that would be great and might benefit the exclusive contributor at this point.
If it happened, it might or might not be good. Commissions are only 20% (for exclusives) and many sales are lower even than subs - I've had as low as 18c for a Getty sale, and IME, and apparently that of others, the large net value sales are reducing rapidly.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: cdwheatley on July 08, 2016, 17:24
If they moved all images to Getty that would be great and might benefit the exclusive contributor at this point.
If it happened, it might or might not be good. Commissions are only 20% (for exclusives) and many sales are lower even than subs - I've had as low as 18c for a Getty sale, and IME, and apparently that of others, the large net value sales are reducing rapidly.
Yes, might not be the same for everyone. I can only go by personal experience. I'm still getting big sales over there along with little ones. I've noticed my getty sales are are growing closer to Istock with around 30% of the images that I have on istock. It's not that Getty is doing so great, just that istock sales are drying up. So yeah, please move the other 70% of images to Getty :)
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: cdwheatley on July 08, 2016, 17:28
The only new money I see on istock these days comes in the form of signature+ subs at $2.50
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: ShadySue on July 09, 2016, 03:20
The only new money I see on istock these days comes in the form of signature+ subs at $2.50
How do you know that's new money rather than previous credit buyers having switched to subs?
In particular, why would the £2.50 subs be new money rather than the 75c or 34c subs?
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: cdwheatley on July 09, 2016, 08:36
The only new money I see on istock these days comes in the form of signature+ subs at $2.50
How do you know that's new money rather than previous credit buyers having switched to subs?
In particular, why would the £2.50 subs be new money rather than the 75c or 34c subs?
Maybe I used the wrong wording. All I'm saying is if I go to image subscriptions and sort by royalties, most of my top earning images are signature+. I'm not selling enough volume of the other collections. There is also the chance those sig+ images might sell on Getty occasionally.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: cdwheatley on July 09, 2016, 13:50
The only new money I see on istock these days comes in the form of signature+ subs at $2.50
How do you know that's new money rather than previous credit buyers having switched to subs?
In particular, why would the £2.50 subs be new money rather than the 75c or 34c subs?
Here are some actual numbers. Only 8 images that are not sig+ made my top 100 for subs earnings.
Title: Re: iStock Down Merge
Post by: ShadySue on July 09, 2016, 14:27
The only new money I see on istock these days comes in the form of signature+ subs at $2.50
How do you know that's new money rather than previous credit buyers having switched to subs?
In particular, why would the £2.50 subs be new money rather than the 75c or 34c subs?
Here are some actual numbers. Only 8 images that are not sig+ made my top 100 for subs earnings.
My top 6 subs earners are S+, but #7 is an Ess file - one I nominated for the Dollar Bin years ago when we could do that and is now my #9 best earner altogether, having never sold before. But its position in the best match has sunk by pages, and it hasn't sold as a credit since Nov or as a sub since Feb, just one example of how we are so totally at the mercy of best match.