Each of these companies would like us to believe that if we don't sell our images through them, we miss out to "their clientele" but I don't believe that.  It is the fresh new content and the best of the best old content that determines where people buy images.  These companies flaunt their content numbers and their quality to the buying population in order to grow their clientele.  And it works.  iStock CANNOT do that if we all take a stand.  Don't pull ports, just let iStock fall behind in the race to represent the best images out there.  Not a PAYCUT but a PAYSHIFT.  Moving those iStock dollars to another company. It won't be instant, but it will happen.  No buyer is loyal enough to any company to sacrifice quality of work to stay with a sinking ship.  I think what we could find in 2011, if we do this, is that as our iStock income decreases, the income at the others will grow. 

January 2011 may be a good time for the other micro companies to pick up disgruntled iStock exclusives and take advantage of the images they represent that iStock customers will never see.  I am curious... if Fotolia, Shutterstock or Dreamstime suddenly came up with an incentive for the exclusives to jump ship, or for us to pull our iStock ports down... would you take it?  I would.  We have more control over this situation than you realize.  I agree with those calling out for no more new uploads in 2011 but if you want to see results early in 2011, start now.  Start building a payshift before the paycuts hit.