Sounds horrible *shudders*

Quote from: jsnover on June 15, 2010, 17:40

"Please note: this email is intended for you, we urge you not to encourage other photographers to join during our special invite program, we intend to only invite the best photographers for premium placement during this time."

Since I'm far from being amongst the "best photographers", I'll humbly obey their request, and let the privilege of being paid a whopping 10c for an image to the cr�me de la cr�me. 

You are always good for a good laugh . . .  so, HA HA!

So if one person signs up for a month and pays $100 and downloads the entire database in that month (70,000 images), you tell me that they're going to pay the photographers $7000?  I'm going to look up the contact infor cuz I have some land for sale.

... Ridiculous!  They had better widen their "invitation only" pool, because no self-respecting microstocker is going to give images away for .10 a download.  

I wonder who actually did send them their images as they obviously got a few contributors already.

Regarding "invitation only" - it appears that anyone can sign up right now directly on their site. This is just a huge clusterf***.

I wonder how tight the fine print is, as even I could make money downloading an unlimited number of my own images for 10 cents a pop. (or maybe we could just make a microstockgroup account that buys one of each of our images every day. I'm sure I have 100 crap rejects somewhere on my hard drive...

I wouldn't be surprised if the number of dls get restricted in the future, but the 10 cents stays.

I got that email too.... I consider it an insult, offering 10 cents per sub download. Hope most people do too. Good luck to them with building up content.

Judging by the number of people who jumped on the Thinkstock bandwagon for $.25, I wouldn't count on it. When people use the reasoning "well, 25 cents is better than nothing, right?" I can also believe there will be many who say "well, 10 cents is better than nothing, right?" too.

Hello Everyone!

I am an account rep from DreamStock.com I just wanted to chime in and say that our rates are lower than others because we are approaching stock photography in a different way, as a result our rates must stay competitive. Since we are offering an unlimited download plan, customers will tend to download more often, which means a photographer's earning power will actually increase! While we pay 10c per download via our unlimited download plan (medium images), we pay 50% commission rate when a customer purchases single images via our credit based system (extended licenses, bigger image sizes etc).

DreamStock is still in beta but we will be aggressively promoting it in the coming months as we are well financed from some big investors/banks. Those who upload to sites such iStock or Shutterstock know these sites get thousands of submissions per day, some of these sites have grown from 1-2 million images to well over 10+ million images in such a short period of time. We are inviting premium photographers to submit their images now so they get premium placement "First come, first serve". Of course if you didn't get an invite but have great looking images, you're welcome to join!

Those who join early will generally get a competitive edge over their competitors because their download counts are usually higher and as a result their images will feature more prominently near the first page of results. This is because we will be sorting our images by "Most Popular" by default.

We're just starting out but so far we've had a huge response!! We currently have thousands of photos waiting for approval and more are being added every week. We hope to surpass 1 million images within 16 months.

I wonder how tight the fine print is, as even I could make money downloading an unlimited number of my own images for 10 cents a pop. (or maybe we could just make a microstockgroup account that buys one of each of our images every day. I'm sure I have 100 crap rejects somewhere on my hard drive...

This is against our terms of service. While we welcome genuine downloads, we have strict policies against those who register accounts to artificially inflate download numbers for their associate photographers. Accounts/photographers involved in this scheme will be removed from our service.

If you have any other questions, feel free to visit us, we're generally on live chat. 

I just wanted to chime in and say that our rates are lower than others because we are approaching stock photography in a different way, as a result our rates must stay competitive. Since we are offering an unlimited download plan, customers will tend to download more often, which means a photographer's earning power will actually increase!

This is flawed thinking. All the significant subscription services rely on the fact that the average subscriber only downloads a fraction of their entitlement __ thought to be about 30-40%. The agencies would lose money otherwise as the commissions payable on 100% of download entitlement are invariably equal or greater than the cost of the subscription.

All you your plan is likely to achieve is to give you a competitive advantage over other agencies (by paying us less you could sell subscriptions cheaper) and, even worse, your plans would be an absolute gift to 'customers' such as HeroTurko and the like.

You have no chance of succeeding without the support of the major contributors and you have absolutely no chance of gaining that with a feeble offering such as this.

because we are approaching stock photography in a different way

No kidding! 

it is INSANE like you said!

Quote from: dreamstock.com on June 18, 2010, 09:56

.....

Do you really underestimate THAT much our ability to think? Do you have any idea how many newcomers / low earners  came with same blah-blah "aggressive marketing" & stuff?
Surf around this forum and you'll be much more documented before coming with bold claims and expecting to be taken seriously. 10 cents / download - not even the guys that submit to Thinkstock will work with you.
As I said, take a look around here, you're obviously mistaking us for a bunch of naives.

eheh right!

You are assuming the 10c rate per subscription download will stay this low forever, this is not the case. You may remember that Shutterstock raised their download payout from 20c to 25c in 2006 and increased this as years pass by. We will be doing the same.

That statement totally contradicts the 'business reason' you gave in your first post. I don't understand why you added a smiley above either __ unless Dreamstock is supposed to be a joke. You are clearly wasting both your time and ours.

think I'll wait until the site is out of beta, got a good buyer base, generating earnings and starts on the commission increases . I've put to much time into new sites and I dont see this model being sustainable for either the agency or photographer.

For those who joined Dreamstock, don't bother uploading your Christmasfiles: with this $ 0.10 concept they'll be gone before the fall

Dreamstock needs a better business plan.  10� royalty.... only a fool would participate. 

I would make it more simple.. pay for the uploads and almost everybody will join, also no locking files..

Actually they pay 50$ for 1000 photos LOL

Simple math, at 100$ a month from the buyers, how much do you think they will be able to pay out to the photographers? Unless there are a lot of buyers coming from somewhere (hopefully not the places that pay us more now), I don't see this working out well.

Also I don't send SS my full size images, that way they can't sell full size for the sub cost (well, they can get upsized ones, but so can anyone upsize any image they get at a small size).

Please come back when you are paying out .30 or more per download, I think you will get a lot more interest here then, unless of course everywhere else is up to .50 by then.

--=Tom

if I may ask you something.. do you downsize the pictures to agencies that have subscription plans or just SS?..

Is it April 1st?

it is INSANE

It's good to know this time you are not cheerleading a new subscription plan agency! 

This kind of new "agencies" are born because there are photographers willing to accept anything. You see.

Quote from: pancaketom on June 16, 2010, 19:10

I wonder how tight the fine print is, as even I could make money downloading an unlimited number of my own images for 10 cents a pop. (or maybe we could just make a microstockgroup account that buys one of each of our images every day. I'm sure I have 100 crap rejects somewhere on my hard drive...

This is against our terms of service. While we welcome genuine downloads, we have strict policies against those who register accounts to artificially inflate download numbers for their associate photographers. Accounts/photographers involved in this scheme will be removed from our service.

If you have any other questions, feel free to visit us, we're generally on live chat.  

Hmmm...

They already have an excuse not to pay commisions:  "Sorry, we regret to inform you that sale for file ###### was not genuine"  

The only way the can make this model work, is by taking advantage of naive and desperate contributors and paying them practically nothing.

$100 unlimited downloads seems like an open invite to image thieves (Heroturko and co.) At that price for the whole library they'd be mad not to sign up! They'll make it back on Google ad words in a day.
Oh and just to agree with what others have been saying if people aren't downloading all they're entitled to on sites where they pay more for their subs (and as we know they never do or the model would collapse) there is no way they are going to be downloading more on this cheap assed site.
Surely the owners of he site have done their research enough to know this, so why try and spin us a line?

I agree with Phil.  If your agency ever gets to the point where they can deliver the royalties and traffic that Shutterstock can, then I would be more than happy to invest my time in uploading there.

We don't need another subs agency than ShutterStock. ShutterStock is fine for me.

Quote from: dreamstock.com on June 18, 2010, 16:23

You are assuming the 10c rate per subscription download will stay this low forever, this is not the case. You may remember that Shutterstock raised their download payout from 20c to 25c in 2006 and increased this as years pass by. We will be doing the same.

Furthermore, some of you get paid 25-38c depending on how many downloads you achieve at Shutterstock and other similar stock sites, we will be introducing a similar program in the future. Is it worth noting that our subscription service permits only "Medium" image resolutions to be downloaded. Sites such as Shutterstock allow full size image downloads. We feel if customers want to purchase large image resolutions they should buy your images with credits ($4 an image with 50% commission going to you) and not pay just 25c-38c for a full size resolution.  

2002 called, it wants its business model back.

Hahaha!  Seriously, glad to see you independents are gathering together to reject this ridiculousness.

Not to mention that the site has no imprint, no address, no telephone and no way to contact them apart from a mail form. Yeah, looks very trustworthy.

Quote from: luissantos84 on June 18, 2010, 13:58

it is INSANE

It's good to know this time you are not cheerleading a new subscription plan agency! 

This kind of new "agencies" are born because there are photographers willing to accept anything. You see.

I sometimes give more credit than the new agency deserves, it is because I am still young at microstock.. After a year I am feeling other things and these days I upload to agencies that are worth

Quote from: lisafx on June 18, 2010, 18:34

I agree with Phil.  If your agency ever gets to the point where they can deliver the royalties and traffic that Shutterstock can, then I would be more than happy to invest my time in uploading there.

We don't need another subs agency than ShutterStock. ShutterStock is fine for me.

Totally agree!   I wasn't actually suggesting they ever WOULD have the traffic and commissions of SS.  Just saying it isn't worth even discussing until/unless they do. 

Quote from: FD-amateur on June 19, 2010, 03:46

Quote from: lisafx on June 18, 2010, 18:34

I agree with Phil.  If your agency ever gets to the point where they can deliver the royalties and traffic that Shutterstock can, then I would be more than happy to invest my time in uploading there.

We don't need another subs agency than ShutterStock. ShutterStock is fine for me.

Totally agree!   I wasn't actually suggesting they ever WOULD have the traffic and commissions of SS.  Just saying it isn't worth even discussing until/unless they do. 

And since contributors get 10 cents instead of 30-40 at SS, wouldn't that mean DS would need to generate 3-4 times the amount of sales/downloads to at least match the results contributors get at SS? Don't see that happening. And if it does, like others, said, it will most likely be former buyers at SS.

Since we are offering an unlimited download plan, customers will tend to download more often, which means a photographer's earning power will actually increase! While we pay 10c per download via our unlimited download plan (medium images), we pay 50% commission rate when a customer purchases single images via our credit based system (extended licenses, bigger image sizes etc).

Hahaha. This is great humour

There are roughly X number of images licensed in the world. Starting a new agency and selling DLs does not increase the number of images licensed in the world it only displaces some sales from somewhere else. Therefore taking less for an image on DreamerStock just diminishes the amount of money generated by picture sales which diminishes everyone's income. It's kinda simple. Best thing to do is not contribute a single image and let DS die before they a get even a sputtering of life.

huh?  what's this extremely broad conclusion based on??  even with just the existing agencies it's hardly likely - agencies grow each year and produce more sales - what evidence do you have that's not true?

so, a new agency IS likely to increase the gross # of images licensed - the real question is whether it's worthwhile to upl to such an agency when they offer so little

s

You are assuming the 10c rate per subscription download will stay this low forever, this is not the case. You may remember that Shutterstock raised their download payout from 20c to 25c in 2006 and increased this as years pass by. We will be doing the same.

So you're starting your business by copying Shutterstocks commission rate from four years ago and cutting it in half. Good luck with that one!

Then you're going to let a buyer have unlimited downloads for $89.95 a month, and pay out 10c commission for each download. Or in other words once a buyer downloads 900 images you're running at a loss (obviously it would require less downloads if you consider running costs), no doubt you're keeping your fingers crossed that they'll only download the 30-40% allowance that happens at Shutterstock, and of course nobody is going to see this as an easy way to stockpile 20,000 images for $90.

Seriously - I hope you haven't invested any personal money in this project.

Thanks for all your feedback! We have taken them in and modified our program. We are still in beta and always open to suggestions. We will be adjusting the Unlimited program so payouts are now 15c, not 10c and will be limiting downloads to small resolution image files only. We also plan to introduce a new 25-per-day download plan shortly.

1. Unlimited plan - (Unlimited downloads per day)
15c credit to photographer per unique download ~ small image downloads only (under 1000px width)

2. Freedom Plan (25 images per day)
30c to 50c credit to photographer per unique download ~ full image size downloads

Rates will be:
30c - under $10,000 lifetime earning
40c - over $10,001 lifetime earning
45c - over $25,000 lifetime earning
50c - over $50,000 lifetime earning

EEHEHEHEHEEHHEHE so many plans to a small and new agency! LOL..

I have no words to express my LAUGH..! Unlimited downloads, so in one day a buyer will download the entire collection of Dreamstock thats nice (to the buyer eheheh)

+1