Excellent article from Pond5 encouraging contributors to maintain reasonable prices for their clips (and other media). A significant contribution I feel in the battle to discourage contributors from shooting themselves in the foot by participating in a race-to-the-bottom price war.

https://blog.pond5.com/6791-how-to-price-your-pond5-media-for-maximum-profit-a-brief-guide/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=artistinsights%2B2016%2B06%2Bpricing&utm_source=sailthru

Have I totally misunderstood recent concerns expressed here about Pond5's Membership Program, or have I entered an ironic paralell universe?

They are too busy shooting themselves in the foot.  We can't do it while they have the gun

Have I totally misunderstood recent concerns expressed here about Pond5's Membership Program, or have I entered an ironic paralell universe?

This article (dated 06/9!) looks like some kind of Soviet and present Russian cheerful and trashy TV propaganda. I'd rather believe my own, my friends' and this forum members' experience with Pond5. More than 20 downloads --> 6 --> 1.  Those are 3 months of 2500+ clip collection which has been increasing all that time.

I've increased my pricing this year from $69 to $79 for HD clips and my sales have increased.  They're model released content and shot on higher quality 4K cameras.  My 4K flies are $150+

Please Pond5 you have to set a minimum even if it's $25 because the $10 clips damage the business model.

We have to move beyond the old dollar bin thinking.

They can fix this by simply setting a floor rate. P5 has an oxymoron going on.  They sell these high end clips for peanuts (yes there is a subscription). A monthly plan for 5 videos is $69. That brings the cost of a clip to $13.80 assuming a customer downloads all 5 clips.  So, the customer does not find what they need. They go to the cheap sh!t collection. WOW, $79 for one video? A video that isn't even considered premium? What a ripoff.  So I'd guess that many higher volume buyers have gone to the membership because it's cheaper and has "pretty much"everything they need. 

Now, P5 is probably losing revenue, so they come out with that message to raise your prices in the Sh!t collection with the hopes that those cannibalized sales are shored up by higher prices.  I am all for higher pricing, so what I am saying is that I believe that this message is a result of their membership model starting to show some cancer.

Who knows, but why on earth would they not have done this way back when? Why wait to now to send that message? I say something from the membership program triggered it. 

They can fix this by simply setting a floor rate. P5 has an oxymoron going on.  They sell these high end clips for peanuts (yes there is a subscription). A monthly plan for 5 videos is $69. That brings the cost of a clip to $13.80 assuming a customer downloads all 5 clips.  So, the customer does not find what they need. They go to the cheap sh!t collection. WOW, $79 for one video? A video that isn't even considered premium? What a ripoff.  So I'd guess that many higher volume buyers have gone to the membership because it's cheaper and has "pretty much"everything they need. 

Now, P5 is probably losing revenue, so they come out with that message to raise your prices in the Sh!t collection with the hopes that those cannibalized sales are shored up by higher prices.  I am all for higher pricing, so what I am saying is that I believe that this message is a result of their membership model starting to show some cancer.

Who knows, but why on earth would they not have done this way back when? Why wait to now to send that message? I say something from the membership program triggered it.

I thought this collection consists of zero/low sellers, not exactly high end stuff?

Quote from: Mantis on June 12, 2016, 17:05

They can fix this by simply setting a floor rate. P5 has an oxymoron going on.  They sell these high end clips for peanuts (yes there is a subscription). A monthly plan for 5 videos is $69. That brings the cost of a clip to $13.80 assuming a customer downloads all 5 clips.  So, the customer does not find what they need. They go to the cheap sh!t collection. WOW, $79 for one video? A video that isn't even considered premium? What a ripoff.  So I'd guess that many higher volume buyers have gone to the membership because it's cheaper and has "pretty much"everything they need. 

Now, P5 is probably losing revenue, so they come out with that message to raise your prices in the Sh!t collection with the hopes that those cannibalized sales are shored up by higher prices.  I am all for higher pricing, so what I am saying is that I believe that this message is a result of their membership model starting to show some cancer.

Who knows, but why on earth would they not have done this way back when? Why wait to now to send that message? I say something from the membership program triggered it.

I thought this collection consists of zero/low sellers, not exactly high end stuff?

Several people have said P5 have picked some of their best clips.  I thought contributors could choose what went in but P5 have done it.  Seems like they want to stop VB getting their customers.

Why are contributors moaning so much about P5 membership when SS via Bigstock and VB are doing exactly the same? Makes no sense to point the finger just at P5.

Because VB started out like that and you could choose not to upload there but P5 has been the top solid earner for lots of people for many years which has now changed.

I don't think many people care about Bigstock's video section... It looks quite ridiculous.

Quote from: Mantis on June 12, 2016, 17:05

They can fix this by simply setting a floor rate. P5 has an oxymoron going on.  They sell these high end clips for peanuts (yes there is a subscription). A monthly plan for 5 videos is $69. That brings the cost of a clip to $13.80 assuming a customer downloads all 5 clips.  So, the customer does not find what they need. They go to the cheap sh!t collection. WOW, $79 for one video? A video that isn't even considered premium? What a ripoff.  So I'd guess that many higher volume buyers have gone to the membership because it's cheaper and has "pretty much"everything they need. 

Now, P5 is probably losing revenue, so they come out with that message to raise your prices in the Sh!t collection with the hopes that those cannibalized sales are shored up by higher prices.  I am all for higher pricing, so what I am saying is that I believe that this message is a result of their membership model starting to show some cancer.

Who knows, but why on earth would they not have done this way back when? Why wait to now to send that message? I say something from the membership program triggered it.

I thought this collection consists of zero/low sellers, not exactly high end stuff?

I believe it is the higher end stuff taken at the permission of the artist, but I could be wrong.  However, when I inquired directly to P5, they told me I would have to up my game significantly to get into that collection.  The example they gave me was aerial.  Well, I don't do aerial.  So my post was based on their feedback that they are looking for higher end work, not necessarily the most sold. 

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on June 13, 2016, 05:23

Quote from: ccbcc on June 13, 2016, 02:37

I thought this collection consists of zero/low sellers, not exactly high end stuff?

Well, it could still be high-end stuff, but this is what I heard too. No best-sellers, only clips with 0-1 sale. Can a membership contributor confirm?

Yep, don't know what High End means but the membership clips are saleable and only clips with fewer than 2 sales as at August 2015

Will clips be taken out of the membership collection after a few downloads?

Guys,
you have no idea.
Those clips in the membership thingy are getting hundreds (probably thousands) of downloads each.
Basically all people who are in Pond 5 are experiencing no sales, apart for some of the participating artists who still have some sales, as they were pushed up in the search engine. But even some of them are complaining. Anyone else has no more sales in the pond.
But even on SS, FT, and so on people are reporting horrible sales.
Basically 50% of what used to be the video clip market that we all used to enjoy is now going in this dead sea were artists get no royalties
This cancer is spreading very bad. It remainds me of medieval plague

I get an average of about $150 a month from Pond5. Not much, but it'll do. I'm nearly at $140 already and we're not even half way through the month. Sales probably are down on average, but it's not all doom and gloom!

Guys,
you have no idea.
Those clips in the membership thingy are getting hundreds (probably thousands) of downloads each.
Basically all people who are in Pond 5 are experiencing no sales, apart for some of the participating artists who still have some sales, as they were pushed up in the search engine. But even some of them are complaining. Anyone else has no more sales in the pond.
But even on SS, FT, and so on people are reporting horrible sales.
Basically 50% of what used to be the video clip market that we all used to enjoy is now going in this dead sea were artists get no royalties
This cancer is spreading very bad. It remainds me of medieval plague

This is misguided speculation based off a handful of vocal and prolific forum posters. In my case 100% incorrect (I am not involved in the membership program in any way, sales are steady). Consider spending the time wasted seeking/making up excuses and falsely attempting to tarnish the reputation of what many would agree is a top earner, putting food on our families tables, and consider getting back to work creating improved content. Maybe you'll see different results. Otherwise, you may not be cut out for this gig.

However, Pond5 DOES need to increase bottom pricing, for the sake of all the financially inept uploaders who fear valuing their work above garbage. That little blog, experienced fellow contributors, common sense, the obvious, reality, mathematics...none of that will convince them to do so otherwise.