Author Topic: Trending Redeemed Credits. How are you doing? (Read 16231 times)

ayzek · « **Reply #25 on:** May 10, 2011, 13:37 »

20% down. Still keeping my royalty level.

jamirae · « **Reply #26 on:** May 10, 2011, 13:41 »

horrible.

considering I was exclusive last year, so had more RC per sale - my port is split between illustrations and photos.

trending: photos down 50%; illustrations down 25%

but the good news is that I would still say at the crappy 16% if targets stay the same.

Anyka · « **Reply #27 on:** May 10, 2011, 14:53 »

20% down in RC's, and even more in $$$ sales.

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #28 on:** May 10, 2011, 14:57 »

Quote from: aeonf on May 10, 2011, 09:01

My calculations and bussiness plan are based on a 25% sales degredation (RPI) per year...... (20% isn't high growth).

25% + portfolio growth is unsustainable. Really, truly, mathematically unsustainable.

aeonf · « **Reply #29 on:** May 10, 2011, 15:00 »

Don't know what your problem is. Sean himself says for quite a while now that his revenue is stagnating. Am I wrong

Not that I wouldn't trade places with him any day... Hell I'll settle for 15% of his revenue.

All I am saying (giving sean as an example) is that if your portfolio grew by 20% but your revenue stayed more or less the same, it is a safe assumption that if you grow your portfolio by 30% (for example) you CAN expect a rise in revenue. No need for a math degree for this.
If one wants to predict future revenue and hence RC's, you must ALSO take into account by how much your RPI will drop (and it willl) and how much your portfolio will grow, nothing more, nothing less.

And no, 20% for an exclusive doing MS as a full time job isn't that high IMO. Then again, its not just a numbers game.

Please don't take this personal anyone, these are only numbers and opinions. I have great respect for Sean, and many other individuals not only becuase of how much $$ they make a month but because they are talented artists (which I might add, I am NOT!).

aeonf · « **Reply #30 on:** May 10, 2011, 15:48 »

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on May 10, 2011, 14:57

Quote from: aeonf on May 10, 2011, 09:01
My calculations and bussiness plan are based on a 25% sales degredation (RPI) per year...... (20% isn't high growth).

25% + portfolio growth is unsustainable. Really, truly, mathematically unsustainable.

That depends on the size of your portfolio, no ? the bigger it is the harder it is for it to grow... (in percentage).

luissantos84 · « **Reply #31 on:** May 10, 2011, 15:55 »

you are just INSANE (sorry but you are) and if I remember well you have 2k pics, how long did you took (or I guess your partner)

you are talking about 2k pictures in a year and not 2k crappy or average pics.. 200 pics per month is very good.. I guess you aren´t thinking properly, come back tomorrow and talk, you sound a crazy folk talking about reaching 45k RC.. what do you think his Sean target?

you are really travelling in the mayonese

you might be doing well but you have started "yesterday" (comparing to other here) your earnings will drop like everyone is talking here

pancaketom · « **Reply #32 on:** May 11, 2011, 01:12 »

Quote from: aeonf on May 10, 2011, 15:00

Don't know what your problem is. Sean himself says for quite a while now that his revenue is stagnating. Am I wrong
Not that I wouldn't trade places with him any day... Hell I'll settle for 15% of his revenue.

All I am saying (giving sean as an example) is that if your portfolio grew by 20% but your revenue stayed more or less the same, it is a safe assumption that if you grow your portfolio by 30% (for example) you CAN expect a rise in revenue. No need for a math degree for this.
If one wants to predict future revenue and hence RC's, you must ALSO take into account by how much your RPI will drop (and it willl) and how much your portfolio will grow, nothing more, nothing less.

And no, 20% for an exclusive doing MS as a full time job isn't that high IMO. Then again, its not just a numbers game.

Please don't take this personal anyone, these are only numbers and opinions. I have great respect for Sean, and many other individuals not only becuase of how much $$ they make a month but because they are talented artists (which I might add, I am NOT!).

In my experience best match changes make a much bigger change than portfolio degradation. 20% might not be that hard for a few years, but eventually if you are working solo it will become unsustainable. If you are not exclusive there the upload limits alone will stop you.

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #33 on:** May 11, 2011, 05:36 »

Quote from: aeonf on May 10, 2011, 15:48

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on May 10, 2011, 14:57
Quote from: aeonf on May 10, 2011, 09:01
My calculations and bussiness plan are based on a 25% sales degredation (RPI) per year...... (20% isn't high growth).

25% + portfolio growth is unsustainable. Really, truly, mathematically unsustainable.

That depends on the size of your portfolio, no ? the bigger it is the harder it is for it to grow... (in percentage).

I should have said 25% per annum but I thought "sustainable" carried the built in assumption that it had to apply long-term.
Assuming that you are going hard at it, year 1 you upload as much as possible, year two you have 100% growth, year three you have 50% growth, year four you have 25% growth but in year five you have to upload 25% more than in year one... by year eight you have to work two and a half times harder than in year one just to hit your modest 25% target.

And I guess that really is the barrier that everyone hits. If 20% of your files drop out of contention every year, and you work as hard as you can, then after five years all you can do is replace the losses you can't achieve real growth. And lots of us have run into that sort of barrier at about that time.

gostwyck · « **Reply #34 on:** May 11, 2011, 05:46 »

^^^ Exactly. It is almost mathematically inevitable that a contributor will 'hit the wall' after 5-6 years, even in a flourishing market growing at the same rate as the libraries.

If growth in the market slows (or even falls) then you have a constantly growing number of images competing for the same or fewer sales. New images increasingly have to be outstanding in their subject to make any impact at all. I believe that is what many of us who have been contributing to microstock for 6+ years have been experiencing over the last year or so.

aeonf · « **Reply #35 on:** May 11, 2011, 06:24 »

Good point you have (gosty & BT), but once you do hit this stagnation (lets say after 5 or 6 years doing this full time) I would assume that you have enough revenue to expand and hire some help, no ? That's what Yuri does, and he does have 40K+ files in his portfolio.

ShadySue · « **Reply #36 on:** May 11, 2011, 06:37 »

c8% down. Building up my port this year after a slow year last year (uploading to Alamy instead). 14.25% growth since Jan 1st.

ShadySue · « **Reply #37 on:** May 11, 2011, 06:45 »

Quote from: aeonf on May 11, 2011, 06:24

Good point you have (gosty & BT), but once you do hit this stagnation (lets say after 5 or 6 years doing this full time) I would assume that you have enough revenue to expand and hire some help, no ? That's what Yuri does, and he does have 40K+ files in his portfolio.

Why would it take 5/6 years to plateau? If you're working flat out in year 1, how can you work 25% harder in each of the next 5 years? (Accepting that you'll learn a lot in year one which will help your workflow in year 2)
As you well know, when you've got 'help', you've got a lot of extra expenses, not just their wages, but also insurance and time with all the employer's paperwork, and a clear knowledge of projections to know if that's going to be worthwhile. Then you've got the possibility of your 'help' saying after a couple of months, "to h*ck with this, why don't I just do this myself and keep all the lolly?" (if they can see that getting a studio/hiring models etc is indeed as lucrative as you [but certainly not everyone] find it to be).

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #38 on:** May 11, 2011, 06:47 »

Quote from: aeonf on May 11, 2011, 06:24

Good point you have (gosty & BT), but once you do hit this stagnation (lets say after 5 or 6 years doing this full time) I would assume that you have enough revenue to expand and hire some help, no ? That's what Yuri does, and he does have 40K+ files in his portfolio.

As mentioned "help" and "expanding" bring high overhead costs that are not necessarily going to be "sustainable" or rewarded in terms of net income. If you plan on making a spiral like that, you might as well drop out now.

gostwyck · « **Reply #39 on:** May 11, 2011, 06:48 »

Quote from: aeonf on May 11, 2011, 06:24

Good point you have (gosty & BT), but once you do hit this stagnation (lets say after 5 or 6 years doing this full time) I would assume that you have enough revenue to expand and hire some help, no ? That's what Yuri does, and he does have 40K+ files in his portfolio.

I really don't think that microstock scales predictably enough to justify hiring help. The fact that there are so few examples of 'photo factories' more less proves that. Such factories may have enviable sales but they'll need those to pay all the bills. As time goes on and it gets ever more competitive then the risk of 'investing' in help becomes even more uncertain. Costs are always rising whilst payback periods are lengthening.

As far as I am concerned 'hiring help' rather obliterates the main advantages of microstock which is to enjoy a laid-back lifestyle with no boss, no direct customers, no employees, no invoicing, no chasing money, no marketing, choosing your own hours, no commuting, minimal overhead, etc, etc, etc.

jjneff · « **Reply #40 on:** May 11, 2011, 07:34 »

That is exactly what Stock is all about. I started with video in 2006 and am now full-time. The reasons are freedom lifestyle and less stress! My earnings grow every year but
not nearly as fast as in the beginning. If you treat this as a business it is a business. If I spend money it is on gear, travel and hiring models.

aeonf · « **Reply #41 on:** May 11, 2011, 08:29 »

Quote from: sjlocke on May 11, 2011, 06:47

Quote from: aeonf on May 11, 2011, 06:24
Good point you have (gosty & BT), but once you do hit this stagnation (lets say after 5 or 6 years doing this full time) I would assume that you have enough revenue to expand and hire some help, no ? That's what Yuri does, and he does have 40K+ files in his portfolio.

As mentioned "help" and "expanding" bring high overhead costs that are not necessarily going to be "sustainable" or rewarded in terms of net income. If you plan on making a spiral like that, you might as well drop out now.

I disagree. If I could hire a SJLOCKE for example and pay him 3K a month, I think that would be VERY sustainable.
Actually, that's exactly what did... I hired someone, gave him a 50% share and he does all of the work. all I do is blabber on MSG

So I don't have a boss, my partner (and friend) doesn't have a boss, and we are all very happy puppies (for now!)

Sue: as you knowin IS has upload limits, so your growth possibilities aren't infinite, it takes time to climb the "old" canisters.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #42 on:** May 11, 2011, 09:09 »

you have know remembered me of a song, thanks!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0OVpyvey4U[/youtube]

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #43 on:** May 11, 2011, 09:33 »

Quote from: aeonf on May 11, 2011, 08:29

I disagree. If I could hire a SJLOCKE for example and pay him 3K a month, I think that would be VERY sustainable.
Actually, that's exactly what did... I hired someone, gave him a 50% share and he does all of the work. all I do is blabber on MSG
So I don't have a boss, my partner (and friend) doesn't have a boss, and we are all very happy puppies (for now!)

Sue: as you knowin IS has upload limits, so your growth possibilities aren't infinite, it takes time to climb the "old" canisters.

When he wises up, he'll do it himself, keep 100%, and you'll be back at zero. Witness laflor and Yuri's other interns. My costs are way below 50%.

lisafx · « **Reply #44 on:** May 11, 2011, 09:48 »

Quote from: gostwyck on May 11, 2011, 06:48

As far as I am concerned 'hiring help' rather obliterates the main advantages of microstock which is to enjoy a laid-back lifestyle with no boss, no direct customers, no employees, no invoicing, no chasing money, no marketing, choosing your own hours, no commuting, minimal overhead, etc, etc, etc.

So true! If I wanted the hassle of managing and supporting a workforce I would be better off in a "real job", with a steadier income and benefits.

etienjones · « **Reply #45 on:** May 11, 2011, 10:46 »

Down 14%

slobo · « **Reply #46 on:** November 20, 2011, 20:37 »

I am down 17%.
iStock raised diamond limit by 25%.
I will not make it this year. I'll be short some 37%

cobalt · « **Reply #47 on:** November 20, 2011, 20:45 »

I´ll be down over 25% Rc, but stay within my 35% range. 40% or 150k RC is completely unreachable with my portfolio and style. I won´t even try. I really would need to hire help and upload in high volume.

it would be nice if there were other intermediate bonus levels, even if it was just one time cash payments.

qwerty · « **Reply #48 on:** November 21, 2011, 02:05 »

I was on track to retain my level and now I have 0,.

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #49 on:** November 21, 2011, 02:46 »

Quote from: cobalt on November 20, 2011, 20:45

150k RC is completely unreachable with my portfolio and style.

Yes, the RC system is designed to reward top lifestyle shooters and punish anyone who deviates from the most popular niches however good their work is.

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Author Topic: Trending Redeemed Credits. How are you doing? (Read 16231 times)

ayzek

jamirae

Anyka

BaldricksTrousers

aeonf

aeonf

luissantos84

pancaketom

BaldricksTrousers

gostwyck

aeonf

ShadySue

ShadySue

Sean Locke Photography

gostwyck

jjneff

aeonf

luissantos84

Sean Locke Photography

lisafx

etienjones

slobo

cobalt

qwerty

BaldricksTrousers

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