Author Topic: Pond5 video sales since royalty cut (Read 17113 times)

stocker2011 · « **on:** May 15, 2019, 17:37 »

It's been a full month of since the royalties were reduced and I'm curious as to how were your sales including exclusive sales, assuming you opted to create a new account and make some of your content exclusive.

For me it was one of my worst months at P5 for over a year and a half, very disappointing.

How have your sales been?

SuperPhoto · « **Reply #1 on:** May 15, 2019, 18:33 »

I joined about a year ago, and last couple months was about 40% lower than on average...

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #2 on:** May 15, 2019, 22:04 »

Pretty much normal. This month looks like it could be the best of the year... they always do though. Give it a couple of weeks!

wds · « **Reply #3 on:** May 15, 2019, 22:32 »

Sales typical in volume....but then there's the 40% instead of 50% commission thing

stocker2011 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 16, 2019, 10:31 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on May 15, 2019, 22:04

Pretty much normal. This month looks like it could be the best of the year... they always do though. Give it a couple of weeks!

I'm curious as to know if your volume was pretty much the same as previous months and did you go exclusive with some videos?

Thanks.

Graiki · « **Reply #5 on:** May 16, 2019, 13:46 »

Hello, it was my worst month since I started with them in 2015.
I even emailed them for simple concern.
Because I had the same visualizations in my videos, same as the other months, everything is within the parameters.
I had no fall in statistics,
But my payment yesterday was horrible.
I do not know what happened, maybe even bad luck.
My average revolves around $ 400.
Yesterday I received $ 69.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #6 on:** May 17, 2019, 04:56 »

No, haven't gone exclusive. Volume seems to be slightly higher than before, which is helping to cancel out the drop in commission. Although to be fair, my sales do fluctuate quite a bit, so it might take a while to know for certain if it's having an effect or not.

Orchidpoet · « **Reply #7 on:** May 17, 2019, 12:15 »

Income has nosedived.

Haven't sold anything through my exclusive account. Strangely, it takes longer for my exclusive clips to get reviewed.

Cider Apple · « **Reply #8 on:** May 17, 2019, 12:31 »

Quote from: Orchidpoet on May 17, 2019, 12:15

Income has nosedived.

Haven't sold anything through my exclusive account. Strangely, it takes longer for my exclusive clips to get reviewed.

Wow that's awful. Hope it changes for you soon.
I was once exclusive for Getty and I told myself never again will I be exclusive - for anyone. It just doesn't make any business sense at all to me.

swisschocolate · « **Reply #9 on:** May 17, 2019, 13:05 »

Quote from: Orchidpoet on May 17, 2019, 12:15

Strangely, it takes longer for my exclusive clips to get reviewed.

This is an absolute disrespect... People risk their income and they can't even give a priority review

So sorry.
Though I'm still sure their exclusivity program was just a smoke screen for royalty cut.

swisschocolate · « **Reply #10 on:** May 17, 2019, 13:11 »

Quote from: Cider Apple on May 17, 2019, 12:31

I was once exclusive for Getty and I told myself never again will I be exclusive - for anyone. It just doesn't make any business sense at all to me.

Same story here.
Exclusivity should be 90% commission + promotion of the exact portfolio to be viable. Otherwise it's a very abusive scheme.

csm · « **Reply #11 on:** May 17, 2019, 16:53 »

Quote from: Cider Apple on May 17, 2019, 12:31

Quote from: Orchidpoet on May 17, 2019, 12:15
Income has nosedived.

Haven't sold anything through my exclusive account. Strangely, it takes longer for my exclusive clips to get reviewed.

Wow that's awful. Hope it changes for you soon.
I was once exclusive for Getty and I told myself never again will I be exclusive - for anyone. It just doesn't make any business sense at all to me.

I have just terminated my contract with Getty.
Looking forward to submitting my footage to Pond5 soon.
I was exclusive with Corbis, when they went under I was really pleased my work was going to Getty.
But with hindsight, maybe it wasn`t the best move, maybe its better to not have all your eggs in one basket.
And most of my images were RM, and most sales these days everywhere seem to be RF now.

So however ever noble the idea of avoiding the race to the bottom, I am extremely reluctant to jump into any exclusivity clause once again so soon.

wds · « **Reply #12 on:** May 17, 2019, 21:18 »

iStock has pretty much always had exclusivity, but it did nothing to prevent the "race to the bottom" in stock photos.

georgep7 · « **Reply #13 on:** May 18, 2019, 00:23 »

For the record, no sales since going exclusive.

But changes need time.
For a start welcome message in frontpage changed to
"Exclusive Footage. Inspiring Videos. Endless Creativity."
I dunno if it will transform to a library or subscription model.
Still too early to judge.
The "good" thing is that upload and submission times are now
cut to 1/3 after dropping the other two agencies and some more
"in depth" study on trends and how P5 works or what asks for.

swisschocolate · « **Reply #14 on:** May 18, 2019, 06:09 »

Quote from: georgep7 on May 18, 2019, 00:23

The "good" thing is that upload and submission times are now
cut to 1/3 after dropping the other two agencies and some more

I write all metadata in Adobe Bridge. AS, P5, IS - all read metadata from the file automatically, SS promised to implement it soon as well. So what saves time here? Choosing 1 FTP folder instead of 4? It takes 5 sec.
Even with 100 videos a day it would take not more than an hour to apply categories and submit. With 10 videos it is a few minutes a day.

Quote from: georgep7 on May 18, 2019, 00:23

For a start welcome message in frontpage changed to
"Exclusive Footage. Inspiring Videos. Endless Creativity."

I bet that's it. There will be no more real advertising of exclusive collection, they needed those first two words on the main page and they've got it.

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #15 on:** May 18, 2019, 06:17 »

Quote from: swisschocolate on May 18, 2019, 06:09

Even with 100 videos a day it would take not more than an hour to apply categories and submit. With 10 videos it is a few minutes a day.

I think he mostly meant upload times.

Uploading a 1GB 4k ProRes file to 6 agencies takes quite a bit longer than to 1... Unless you have some kind of magically extreme internet?

It is virtually impossible to upload 100 HQ 4k files in one day to 4-6 agencies.

That being said, I personally think it's worth that extra time to avoid exclusivity or BlackBox "deals".

swisschocolate · « **Reply #16 on:** May 18, 2019, 06:51 »

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on May 18, 2019, 06:17

Quote from: swisschocolate on May 18, 2019, 06:09
Even with 100 videos a day it would take not more than an hour to apply categories and submit. With 10 videos it is a few minutes a day.
It is virtually impossible to upload 100 HQ 4k files in one day to 4-6 agencies.

Haven't tried yet. But internet is very fast, yes

If I ever reach those numbers, maybe it will make sense to get a separate laptop for it and upload at night or smth like that

But yes, fast internet is crucial and not everyone has it

Though, there are some cloud services where you upload once and they upload on few agencies (not Blackbox, to your own accounts). I wouldn't give access to my accounts to anyone, but if it would be necessary for work, I'd think about it.

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #17 on:** May 18, 2019, 06:56 »

Quote from: swisschocolate on May 18, 2019, 06:51

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on May 18, 2019, 06:17
Quote from: swisschocolate on May 18, 2019, 06:09
Even with 100 videos a day it would take not more than an hour to apply categories and submit. With 10 videos it is a few minutes a day.
It is virtually impossible to upload 100 HQ 4k files in one day to 4-6 agencies.

Haven't tried yet. But internet is very fast, yes
If I ever reach those numbers, maybe it will make sense to get a separate laptop for it and upload at night or smth like that

Actually, after a certain point, it doesn't really matter how fast your internet is, since the agencies can't accept the files at unlimited speeds. It's quite limited actually, depending on the agency of course.

swisschocolate · « **Reply #18 on:** May 18, 2019, 07:03 »

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on May 18, 2019, 06:56

Actually, after a certain point, it doesn't really matter how fast your internet is, since the agencies can't accept the files at unlimited speeds. It's quite limited actually, depending on the agency of course.

Sorry, what do you mean?

How it works? There is FTP folder limit or?

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #19 on:** May 18, 2019, 07:06 »

Quote from: swisschocolate on May 18, 2019, 07:03

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on May 18, 2019, 06:56
Actually, after a certain point, it doesn't really matter how fast your internet is, since the agencies can't accept the files at unlimited speeds. It's quite limited actually, depending on the agency of course.

Sorry, what do you mean? How it works? There is FTP folder limit or?

No, I mean that the receiving speed is not unlimited. For example, some agencies can't accept faster than 10mbit/sec, so it doesn't matter if you can upload at 10mbit/sec or 1,000mbit/sec. Most agencies are not too fast.

swisschocolate · « **Reply #20 on:** May 18, 2019, 07:12 »

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on May 18, 2019, 07:06

No, I mean that the receiving speed is not unlimited. For example, some agencies can't accept faster than 10mbit/sec, so it doesn't matter if you can upload at 10mbit/sec or 1,000mbit/sec. Most agencies are not too fast.

Good to know, thanks!
Well, maybe it's changing with time... If not then will adapt.
I wish I'd be able to reach those limits

(tens of files per day)

georgep7 · « **Reply #21 on:** May 18, 2019, 07:58 »

@Swisschocolate,
it was more than horrible SS ftp errors and AS silly rejections.
I don't remember which agency required MOVs to evaluate and I had to re-render.
It was the first time I thought "scr*w it, I don't care to get accepted, I'll pass".

I don't encourage anyone to go exclusive: too risky, but for me was a time relief.
After all, I am still a newbie, an outsider, I don't expect to bring dinner at the table from Stock!

Not Today · « **Reply #22 on:** May 18, 2019, 08:23 »

Quote from: georgep7 on May 18, 2019, 00:23

For the record, no sales since going exclusive.

But changes need time.
For a start welcome message in frontpage changed to
"Exclusive Footage. Inspiring Videos. Endless Creativity."
I dunno if it will transform to a library or subscription model.
Still too early to judge.
The "good" thing is that upload and submission times are now
cut to 1/3 after dropping the other two agencies and some more
"in depth" study on trends and how P5 works or what asks for.

You'd be better off using BlackBox if uploading time is a concern

1 upload - 5 agencies.

You don't even have to upload your own videos, you can also choose to just do metadata for other people travelling and shooting aerial for a 20% split of these clips, and can be a great extra business if you've got time to kill between shoots.

I'm posting my referral if you're interested: https://portal.blackbox.global/register?code=JR1SS6LT

georgep7 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 18, 2019, 08:31 »

Quote from: Not Today on May 18, 2019, 08:23

Quote from: georgep7 on May 18, 2019, 00:23
For the record, no sales since going exclusive.

But changes need time.
For a start welcome message in frontpage changed to
"Exclusive Footage. Inspiring Videos. Endless Creativity."
I dunno if it will transform to a library or subscription model.
Still too early to judge.
The "good" thing is that upload and submission times are now
cut to 1/3 after dropping the other two agencies and some more
"in depth" study on trends and how P5 works or what asks for.

You'd be better off using BlackBox if uploading time is a concern 1 upload - 5 agencies.

You don't even have to upload your own videos, you can also choose to just do metadata for other people travelling and shooting aerial for a 20% split of these clips, and can be a great extra business if you've got time to kill between shoots.

I'm posting my referral if you're interested: https://portal.blackbox.global/register?code=JR1SS6LT

My secret weapon / plan is to let P5 build the .csv for me
and when I got a big port to opt out and bargain a wholesale!

Thanks @NotToday but I was not convinced from BlackBox,
if I ever change my mind, I promice to pm and ask again for your referal

Graiki · « **Reply #24 on:** June 02, 2019, 14:30 »

Hello
I had my worst month in four years. A gigantic drop in sales. Coincidence or not with the fact that I am not exclusive.
The other agencies remain the same, but POND5 very badly.

csm · « **Reply #25 on:** June 02, 2019, 15:01 »

Quote from: Not Today on May 18, 2019, 08:23

Quote from: georgep7 on May 18, 2019, 00:23
For the record, no sales since going exclusive.

But changes need time.
For a start welcome message in frontpage changed to
"Exclusive Footage. Inspiring Videos. Endless Creativity."
I dunno if it will transform to a library or subscription model.
Still too early to judge.
The "good" thing is that upload and submission times are now
cut to 1/3 after dropping the other two agencies and some more
"in depth" study on trends and how P5 works or what asks for.

You'd be better off using BlackBox if uploading time is a concern 1 upload - 5 agencies.

You don't even have to upload your own videos, you can also choose to just do metadata for other people travelling and shooting aerial for a 20% split of these clips, and can be a great extra business if you've got time to kill between shoots.

I'm posting my referral if you're interested: https://portal.blackbox.global/register?code=JR1SS6LT

If Pond5 wants to push exclusivity how will this affect Blackbox?

--

Can someone please share a link to a REALLY good lifestyle port that has gone exclusive?
You don't have to if you don't want to, its a metaphorical question.

My point is, I just can't find any really good lifestyle portfolios that have gone exclusive.
Apart from one artist that was mentioned in the Artist Town hall meeting of course.

All I've seen so far are very mundane exclusive portfolios.

I think its the content which is most important, not whether it is exclusive or not.
I'm sure if a client sees an exclusive clip of frog spawn, for instance, they aren't going to be thinking I'm so pleased this clip is exclusive.

wds · « **Reply #26 on:** June 03, 2019, 09:21 »

...
[/quote]

If Pond5 wants to push exclusivity how will this affect Blackbox?

--

Can someone please share a link to a REALLY good lifestyle port that has gone exclusive?
You don't have to if you don't want to, its a metaphorical question.

My point is, I just can't find any really good lifestyle portfolios that have gone exclusive.
Apart from one artist that was mentioned in the Artist Town hall meeting of course.

All I've seen so far are very mundane exclusive portfolios.

I think its the content which is most important, not whether it is exclusive or not.
I'm sure if a client sees an exclusive clip of frog spawn, for instance, they aren't going to be thinking I'm so pleased this clip is exclusive.
[/quote]

What you say makes sense. However, the exclusivity model works (I think) for iStock. The content isn't necessarily better, just exclusive.

Noedelhap · « **Reply #27 on:** June 03, 2019, 10:18 »

Quote from: stocker2011 on May 15, 2019, 17:37

It's been a full month of since the royalties were reduced and I'm curious as to how were your sales including exclusive sales, assuming you opted to create a new account and make some of your content exclusive.

For me it was one of my worst months at P5 for over a year and a half, very disappointing.

How have your sales been?

Normal.

It's too soon to say whether this new exclusivity program affects our sales, we need at least 6-12 months of sales data to say anything meaningful about it.

mindstorm · « **Reply #28 on:** June 03, 2019, 10:23 »

Quote from: wds on June 03, 2019, 09:21

If Pond5 wants to push exclusivity how will this affect Blackbox?

I don't see any effect at all...? Pond5 would love for you to become exclusive, but they don't require it. BB will simply remain non-exclusive, as far as I can tell.

gnirtS · « **Reply #29 on:** July 30, 2019, 21:23 »

I just had a truly insulting $2.80 video sale. No idea what package that was from but certainly nothing like 40% of any of my pricing structures.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #30 on:** July 30, 2019, 23:51 »

Quote from: gnirtS on July 30, 2019, 21:23

No idea what package that was from but certainly nothing like 40% of any of my pricing structures.

Doesn't it say on your financials page? Item price, license type, revenue and your cut?

gnirtS · « **Reply #31 on:** July 31, 2019, 03:20 »

Nothing to explain the price.

Its showing version HD, license LLP NLR $7 and i get $2.80.

The clip itself is set at $49 for a HD clip, $20 for web.

I cant work out where $2.80 comes from in there at all, its far lower than anything i set it to.

Pablito · « **Reply #32 on:** July 31, 2019, 06:50 »

LLP is a partner sale

gnirtS · « **Reply #33 on:** July 31, 2019, 09:44 »

Most of my sales show LLP but until that all have been 50% then 40% of the set selling price.
This one is substantially lower.

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #34 on:** July 31, 2019, 12:33 »

Quote from: gnirtS on July 31, 2019, 09:44

Most of my sales show LLP but until that all have been 50% then 40% of the set selling price.
This one is substantially lower.

I've had some $2.xx LLP sales, but most of them have actually been substantially higher than my Pond5 sales, sometimes more than double.

So, I suppose they can be at any level. I don't mind, as long as the majority of all sales aren't $2.xx sales. A $2 sale still brings your clip up the search rankings above all clips with 0 sales. And since the vast majority of all clips have earned $0, that's a very good thing.

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Author Topic: Pond5 video sales since royalty cut (Read 17113 times)

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