Author Topic: to recap and review... (Read 10561 times)

stockastic · « **on:** February 13, 2013, 13:54 »

The story is - Getty/IS sold several thousand images to Google, to be re-distributed in an apparently uncontrolled way, and the photographers received only a token one-time payment. And that's the end of it. Despite all the fog released on their forum, no detailed explanation of terms was ever provided, no real indication that the terms might be changed, or that the deal was in fact even complete (i.e. that even more images might be involved in the future) or that similar deals would not be struck elsewhere.

Statements made by IS employees on their forum, promising a relevant statement or announcement, had apparently no basis.

It's take it or leave it.

Is that a correct summing up of the situation?

crashoran · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2013, 13:57 »

I don't think the $12 was given until after contributors started protesting, and even after the measly $12 it made people even more angry.

tickstock · « **Reply #2 on:** February 13, 2013, 13:59 »

cmannphoto · « **Reply #3 on:** February 13, 2013, 14:01 »

Quote from: crashoran on February 13, 2013, 13:57

I don't think the $12 was given until the uproar began, and even after the measly $12 it made people even more angry.

Wrong, Sean made light of this in January
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=350439&page=1

Quote

Royalties for these images were paid through Getty Images and were processed in October and November of 2012.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=350491&page=1

stockastic · « **Reply #4 on:** February 13, 2013, 14:24 »

Quote from: tickstock on February 13, 2013, 13:59

Wouldn't this post fit nicely in one of the twenty other threads on this?

Did you read my post? I'm asking if my summary is correct. No one is going to go back and read those 20 threads now.

I'm actually surprised that IS has had absolutely nothing to say on this - officially at least - in all this time and I'm wondering if that's really true, and if so, are other people surprised as well?

I'd expect some typical corporate weasel-words by now.

ShadySue · « **Reply #5 on:** February 13, 2013, 18:40 »

Yes, this is a correct summary of the situation.

Perhaps Sean's shoddy treatment is an indication that they are not going to give us any further information on this or future 'deals' and we'd best just shut up and take it.

Mantis · « **Reply #6 on:** February 13, 2013, 18:43 »

Quote from: stockastic on February 13, 2013, 13:54

The story is - Getty/IS sold several thousand images to Google, to be re-distributed in an apparently uncontrolled way, and the photographers received only a token one-time payment. And that's the end of it. Despite all the fog released on their forum, no detailed explanation of terms was ever provided, no real indication that the terms might be changed, or that the deal was in fact even complete (i.e. that even more images might be involved in the future) or that similar deals would not be struck elsewhere.

Statements made by IS employees on their forum, promising a relevant statement or announcement, had apparently no basis.

It's take it or leave it.

Is that a correct summing up of the situation?

And they canned Sean to divert attention away from the Google deal.

klsbear · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2013, 19:05 »

Lobo made a vague reference to it on Monday (below) and a post later today sounded like he was on his way there today.
I don't expect we'll get anything close to what we'd like to hear.

Quote

Posted By Lobo:

Quote
Posted By lostinbids:
^ I think Slobo was wondering if there was going to be an announcement on what is happening with Google Drive.

That was a freebie then.

I'm heading into HQ this week. I'll get some updates.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=351105&messageid=6841727

stockastic · « **Reply #8 on:** February 13, 2013, 19:42 »

So that's it then. Just wanted to be sure I hadn't missed something, because the complete silence from IS/Getty is sort of amazing in itself.

Mars · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2013, 20:44 »

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #10 on:** February 14, 2013, 06:50 »

Quote

Other exclusives will follow Sean's lead and their buyers will go too.

I think this is an unlikely scenario. Most exclusives I know have been keen to keep their heads down and not cause trouble, most are realistic in feeling that buyers are loyal or otherwise to iStock, not to individual sellers. Most exclusives are not going to give up their steady, albeit reduced, incomes unless something cataclysmic happens at IS.

JFP · « **Reply #11 on:** February 14, 2013, 06:58 »

I will certainly not stay exclusive at IS and working on preparing my files for becoming indie. I grew my portfolio by 30% in 2012, had my BME in November and have a huge fall of revenues in Dec and Jan. My weekly revenue in Feb is 3 TIMES LOWER than in Nov.

The cataclysm already happened and IS is unlikely to recover. No steady income anymore.

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on February 14, 2013, 06:50

Quote
Other exclusives will follow Sean's lead and their buyers will go too.

I think this is an unlikely scenario. Most exclusives I know have been keen to keep their heads down and not cause trouble, most are realistic in feeling that buyers are loyal or otherwise to iStock, not to individual sellers. Most exclusives are not going to give up their steady, albeit reduced, incomes unless something cataclysmic happens at IS.

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #12 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:07 »

Quote

My weekly revenue in Feb is 3 TIMES LOWER than in Nov.

That is certainly not my experience, nor that of others I know. My income is gradually rising, as others I know also report, although still well down from, say, 2 years ago.
I had my best week since last summer last week, others I know report improving sales ( again, although still well down on previous years) I have no way of knowing how many sales 3 times lower is, but I suspect those with smaller portfolios and who have been at IS for a shorter period may have a bumpier ride, especially as the best match is currently favoring older files and thus disadvantaging newcomers. To say IS is 'unlikely to recover' and 'the cataclysm has already happened' is overstating the situation to an absurd degree.

cathyslife · « **Reply #13 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:13 »

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on February 14, 2013, 07:07

Quote
My weekly revenue in Feb is 3 TIMES LOWER than in Nov.

That is certainly not my experience, nor that of others I know. My income is gradually rising, as others I know also report, although still well down from, say, 2 years ago.
I had my best week since last summer last week, others I know report improving sales ( again, although still well down on previous years) I have no way of knowing how many sales 3 times lower is, but I suspect those with smaller portfolios and who have been at IS for a shorter period may have a bumpier ride, especially as the best match is currently favoring older files and thus disadvantaging newcomers. To say IS is 'unlikely to recover' and 'the cataclysm has already happened' is overstating the situation to an absurd degree.

I thought you closed your account.

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #14 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:16 »

Quote

I thought you closed your account.

I had a number of requests not to, so I didn't. It was good to know I had more support that I thought.

Microbius · « **Reply #15 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:17 »

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on February 14, 2013, 07:07

....To say IS is 'unlikely to recover' and 'the cataclysm has already happened' is overstating the situation to an absurd degree.

Just saving the quote for the next round of the fun and ongoing game "Reposting Vlad's words a year later so he can eat them" yum yum

cathyslife · « **Reply #16 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:18 »

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on February 14, 2013, 07:16

Quote
I thought you closed your account.

I had a number of requests not to, so I didn't. It was good to know I had more support that I thought.

enstoker · « **Reply #17 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:33 »

Quote from: cclapper on February 14, 2013, 07:18

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on February 14, 2013, 07:16
Quote
I thought you closed your account.

I had a number of requests not to, so I didn't. It was good to know I had more support that I thought.

Really?

And who asked You not to close ?

Mars · « **Reply #18 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:36 »

JFP · « **Reply #19 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:41 »

You are lucky then...

I m exclusive since 2009 with a descent size portfolio

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on February 14, 2013, 07:07

Quote
My weekly revenue in Feb is 3 TIMES LOWER than in Nov.

That is certainly not my experience, nor that of others I know. My income is gradually rising, as others I know also report, although still well down from, say, 2 years ago.
I had my best week since last summer last week, others I know report improving sales ( again, although still well down on previous years) I have no way of knowing how many sales 3 times lower is, but I suspect those with smaller portfolios and who have been at IS for a shorter period may have a bumpier ride, especially as the best match is currently favoring older files and thus disadvantaging newcomers. To say IS is 'unlikely to recover' and 'the cataclysm has already happened' is overstating the situation to an absurd degree.

ShadySue · « **Reply #20 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:43 »

Quote from: Mars on February 14, 2013, 07:36

But let's not make this about you again and about your experience when we have more than half of the current exclusives saying they want to drop their crown.
http://blog.microstockgroup.com/2012-microstock-industry-survey-sneak-peek/

To keep it real, over half of the {170 exclusives who took part in the survey} said they were going to drop exclusivity. Out of how many exclusives?

As Michael said:
"I wouldn't read too much into it. Those who are dedicated to staying exclusive (at least for the time being) have not much reason to look outside the iStock forums for information, and no need to take part in industry surveys. So the people who decide to take part in something like this is a self-selected group of people who are already at a stage to look outside the iStock world. Overall it's just about 170 iStock exclusives who took part in the survey."
"http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/2012-microstock-industry-survey-first-results/msg298519/#msg298519

ShadySue · « **Reply #21 on:** February 14, 2013, 07:55 »

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on February 14, 2013, 07:16

Quote
I thought you closed your account.

I had a number of requests not to, so I didn't. It was good to know I had more support that I thought.

Grief, I wouldn't let other people influence my decisions to that extent.

Unless they were buyers, and if I had that much of a buyer fan base I'd be selling direct, not giving any agency a percentage.

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #22 on:** February 14, 2013, 08:24 »

Quote

Unless they were buyers, and if I had that much of a buyer fan base I'd be selling direct, not giving any agency a percentage.

I was talking about here, not IS! That made me laugh for some reason.

Quote

when we have more than half of the current exclusives from the survey saying they want to drop their crown.

I think the big mistake people here make is they assume that what happens here is as important in the real world as people here think it is.
Thus, the fact that half the exclusives filling in that report say they want to drop their crown, that is ( a) assumed to be accurate and (b) assumed to reflect everyone else on IS. Neither of those propositions is necessarily true, (b) particularly so. People who come here tend to be the more annoyed and disaffected, so the trends reported in surveys don't necessarily reflect the wider view, just those of people here. How many exclusives are there? I have no idea, but many many thousands. The fact that 80 odd people fill in a form and say they want to give up exclusivity ( I probably said that, because, in an ideal world, with all incomes equal, I would like to), it doesn't mean they're going to.

Quote

I've decided you're either someone with a small portfolio big noting yourself or you're on the IS payroll trolling here to try to keep things balanced.

I'm not sure what 'big noting' means, but I don't think that's me, nor am I on IS payroll! ( wish I was actually) I am a medium to big seller, that all I am prepared to say. I come here to counter some of the more absurd statements that are made here, of the 'we're going to bring IS down', 'I am going to take all my clients away from IS' etc etc ad absurdum
If you read what I say, I am unhappy with IS and many recent developments, I'm just not in a position to drop exclusivity for reasons I've already stated. I have said if I was starting out now I would definitely not be exclusive, but I am in a trap at IS, as many others are, where we cannot afford to leave as our income drop would be too great. I do not need sympathy for my position, as it is in the nature of golden handcuffs, but I make plans for the future, like anyone else at IS right now.

ShadySue · « **Reply #23 on:** February 14, 2013, 08:38 »

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on February 14, 2013, 08:24

Quote
Unless they were buyers, and if I had that much of a buyer fan base I'd be selling direct, not giving any agency a percentage.

I was talking about here, not IS!

People here asked you not to give up the crown, so you didn't?
What if they'd asked you to jump out of a window? (sorry, couldn't resist - as a former teacher, the classic response to 'they were doing it so I joined in' just flew back to the top of what passes as a brain.)

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #24 on:** February 14, 2013, 08:42 »

Quote

People here asked you not to give up the crown, so you didn't?

>Facepalm
Let me clarify what I said, for those at the back not listening.
I said a few days ago I was dropping my membership here, not at IS.
A few people contacted me and asked me to reconsider, as I was one of the few sane people here ( they didn't say that bit , but that was the general gist). I reconsidered and didn't leave HERE ( not IS, where I am an exclusive and am not about to give that up, although not 100% happy there)

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Author Topic: to recap and review... (Read 10561 times)

stockastic

crashoran

tickstock

cmannphoto

stockastic

ShadySue

Mantis

klsbear

stockastic

Mars

vlad_the_imp

JFP

vlad_the_imp

cathyslife

vlad_the_imp

Microbius

cathyslife

enstoker

Mars

JFP

ShadySue

ShadySue

vlad_the_imp

ShadySue

vlad_the_imp

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