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Messages - MatHayward
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1401
« on: July 17, 2014, 11:32 »
Send an email with your Fotolia login name or account number to me: [email protected] I'll take a look and see what's going on. -Mat
1402
« on: July 11, 2014, 11:38 »
deleted by Mat
1403
« on: July 09, 2014, 16:23 »
Nice! That's great it worked out so well.
1404
« on: July 07, 2014, 17:27 »
. Can I sit back and relax me now? 
I don't think there is ever a time you can sit back and relax. As mentioned by others here, you'll likely see an increase in sales for the short term but inevitably your portfolio will get pushed back further and further behind contributors that are consistently uploading new work. You've got to stay busy to stay relevant. Good luck, Mat
1405
« on: July 07, 2014, 12:47 »
This is not a band (like Matt up there assumed) and it is actually a small event, so much so that I would think they'd appreciate all the exposure they could get. More Google searches, more people next year.
I was clear on the scenario, just using the bands as a relevant example of where this is common practice. Generally where a promoter or publicist will benefit is if you are posting an article about their event. If it's not an event you are passionate about I would walk away. You are right, you probably would have been better off not contacting them at all in this particular instance since it is free and there are no photography restrictions in place. Now that you have opened the can of worms however it would be unethical in my opinion to show up and shoot without further dialogue with the promoter. Good luck, Mat
1406
« on: July 07, 2014, 11:26 »
This is not an uncommon request. Many bands require photographers sign a release providing them with the rights to use the images how they want. It makes a lot of photographers mad but it's the reality of the business. This sounds like a very similar deal. Look at it from the promoters perspective. It doesn't sound like you are a media source providing their event with any publicity to increase their foot traffic and revenue. What is in it for them to provide you with credentials?
-Mat
1407
« on: May 13, 2014, 16:51 »
Just to clear that up a bit:
If I understand that correctly, it is NOT about DPC directly.
Fotolia is raising the commission they pay on the monthly subscriptions.
Until now all we receive is our regular subscription rate.
For example the smallest package sells at $25 for 5 XXL images, i.e. we used to receive $0,25 - $0,40 per sale depending on our rank.
That is 5% - 8%.
Dirk
Now they raise that to a flat 20% (with a lower limit of the old rate).
That alone is a good move.
While I would like to receive the rate according to my rank (as these are not really subscriptions, but rather credit packages under a different name) it is still an improvement.
Now the connection to DPC: If you opt your portfolio in to DPC, that rate (for the monthly subscriptions) goes up from 20% to 25%.
That's how I understood it.
@Mat: Correct?
Dirkr, Thank you for your posts and your interpretation. You are exactly right. This thread is moving really fast and every time I attempt to respond multiple posts come in behind it. For those of you that do contribute to Fotolia that are involved in this thread there are a couple of important points I don't want to be missed... The minimum amount you will be paid for a subscription commission is the rate that it has been. If a member pays only $0.74 for an image you will still receive 0.33 credits if you are an Emerald contributor as it has always been. This will not go down. There is no downside to this..at all. The only changes made here are massive increases in monthly subscription commissions. If a members pay $5 you will earn 1.25 credits if you opt in to DPC or 1 credit if you are opted out DPC. Either way, it's a win for contributors. I know for a fact that your commissions will be increased dramatically with this change, I've already seen a couple of larger commissions on sub downloads today. This only concerns Fotolia. We decided to add an incentive for those of you who opt in to Dollar Photo Club. Fotolia is growing...fast and it wil continue to grow fast . The combined increase in commissions and in additional sales from the added source of DPC if you make the choice to opt in I predict will blow your mind. The interest of contributors and the agencies is aligned and our only goal is to grow the market and to grow commissions as a whole. There are subscription sites offering free trials all over the industry, they are selling subscription plans pennies on the dollar for example $39 for 150 downloads. Fotolia is going the other direction
1408
« on: May 13, 2014, 16:03 »
But what about the royalty on the Dollar Photo Club sales themselves - is that changing? 25% of $1 is 25 cents - so the existing rates would apply, correct?
That's a good question Joann. The commission rate on Dollar Photo Club sales will be a subscription commission based on rank as it has been. Here is a breakdown of the rates for DPC commissions. White 0.25 credits Bronze 0.27 credits Silver 0.29% credits Gold 0.31% credits Emerald 0.33% credits Sapphire 0.35% credits Rubis 0.37% credits Diamond 0.40% credits -Mat
1409
« on: May 13, 2014, 15:48 »
Hi Everyone,
Ive got exciting news to share with you! Fotolia has changed the commission structure for monthly subscription downloads for all contributors.
The changes have taken effect as of today so you may have noticed some differences already. From now on, all contributors that are opted in to Dollar Photo Club will receive 25% of the price paid for a subscription download. For example, a $25 monthly subscription provides 5 XXL images resulting in a $5 price per image. Your commission on that sale will now be $1.25 instead of the flat rate it has been. In some cases this change can result in more than a 500% increase in commissions.
As subscription quantities increase, the cost per photo goes down. The good news is that your commission will never go under what it is now . In other words, the minimum commission you will receive is the same commission as it has always been. This change can only affect you positively.
The 25% rate is for those opted IN to DPC. If you choose to opt out of DPC, Fotolia will still pay a 20% commission for subscription sales at Fotolia which in some case is a 400% increase for existing sub commissions.
Some more news will come soon regarding the Extended license at Dollar Photo Club.
Cheers!
Mat
1410
« on: April 30, 2014, 14:15 »
Every day many requests are sent from Dollar Photo Club members wanting to purchase an Extended License. In response they are directed to Fotolia to make the purchase. Ive just been notified that Dollar Photo Club will soon be adding an Extended License. The commission paid to photographers will be an even $30 (US). The cost for the member for this license will be $50 resulting in a 60% commission rate for contributors.
If you have any questions, please email directly: [email protected]
Will it be an "even $U.S.30" regardless of contributor canister level on the parent site Fotolia or wether the contributor has raised their EL prices on Fotolia from default when uploading? I might be wrong, but doesn't a default EL on Fotolia pay around $6?
Yes, the $30 commission on Extended Licenses will be a flat rate paid to all contributors regardless of rank. -Mat
1411
« on: April 30, 2014, 14:10 »
Volume.
Plus an EL cost 80 euro not 1 dollar.
Right now only Standard licenses are available at DPC. Very soon an EL at DPC will be available for $50 with a $30 commission (60%) paid to the photographer. -Mat
1412
« on: April 30, 2014, 13:08 »
Every day many requests are sent from Dollar Photo Club members wanting to purchase an Extended License. In response they are directed to Fotolia to make the purchase. Ive just been notified that Dollar Photo Club will soon be adding an Extended License. The commission paid to photographers will be an even $30 (US). The cost for the member for this license will be $50 resulting in a 60% commission rate for contributors. If you have any questions, please email directly: [email protected]
1413
« on: April 29, 2014, 19:07 »
Are you employed by Fotolia?
Yes, after volunteering as a moderator in the Fotolia forum for many years I made the decision to leave the restaurant business I had been in for more than 25 years and turn my focus to my true passion of photography. The timing was fortuitous as an opening came available on the Customer Service team at Fotolia that I happily accepted this past September...
Thanks for the clarification, Mat. I hope you realize that this was misleading, though, by earlier emphasizing the point that you are a contributor but never mentioning that you are an employee as well.
I also hope you realize that misrepresenting yourself only adds to the mistrust we already feel towards many agencies these days. Since you are a contributor, you know as well as all of us that it isn't easy being in the microstock business, especially recently. Many companies look to exploit every angle and opportunity to get the most profit from our work while paying us the least amount possible.
So you coming in here acting like a regular joe, hawking the DPC product and expecting us to buy into it all while under the employ of the very company that sells the product is pretty shady.
Frankly, it doesn't speak well to what Fotolia is about today. We need more honesty in this business, not less. I'm opted out of DPC, not just because I think it's a bad deal for artists but also because I'm concerned about the direction Fotolia seems to be going in. If you are truly intent on doing a good job for Fotolia and representing the company here and as a customer service rep in a positive way, I hope we can expect to see some better contributor relations going forward. That needs to include some real transparency and disclosure.
Fair enough Mike, thanks for the feedback. The truth is, this forum is very hostile. Yes, my employment status has changed in recent months, but sharing that here was not something I felt compelled to do. It's not about being "shady" it's simply an unpleasant place to attempt a reasonable discussion/debate or to share news. How many times have we seen agency representatives attempt to engage in a discussion here only to get the digital equivalent of an angry mob with pitchforks and torches? I've been a member of this forum a lot longer than I've been an employee at Fotolia and I know how this place works. My offer stands, I've shared my email address [email protected]. Feel free to write to me directly if you have any questions, (reasonable) comments or concerns and I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible. Kind regards, Mat
1414
« on: April 29, 2014, 12:34 »
I am a contributor with a vested interest in overall sales growth. Here are my FT portfolios:
http://us.fotolia.com/p/19000
http://us.fotolia.com/p/200920505
Are you employed by Fotolia?
Hi everyone, Yes, after volunteering as a moderator in the Fotolia forum for many years I made the decision to leave the restaurant business I had been in for more than 25 years and turn my focus to my true passion of photography. The timing was fortuitous as an opening came available on the Customer Service team at Fotolia that I happily accepted this past September. Working in this position has allowed me the opportunity to see firsthand the passion and commitment the team at Fotolia has towards increasing business and revenue for all involved including photographers. Going into the job I have the unique perspective of looking at it from the view of a contributing photographer. As much as I love to talk about myself (NOT!) I would like to reiterate a couple of solid points that some people in this forum are attempting to brush off as irrelevant. The license at Dollar Photo Club has changed as a direct result of the urging of contributors. The license at Dollar Photo Club has always been a Standard License but now it has been made more clear. Customers cannot use the images in items that will be resold where the primary value comes from the image (tee shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) and there is now a limit of 500K on the run. As it has been pointed out here, the only difference between buying an image at any stock agency with a subscription plan and buying it at Dollar Photo Club is the fact that the customer can continue to use their purchased downloads even after cancelling their membership. The fact that a customer can continue to use their available downloads without them expiring means that again, a higher percentage of overall spending goes to the contributor. If a member of Fotolia or any stock agency buys a subscription and allows the subscription to expire before using their available downloads, those downloads expire and no commission is paid to the photographer. Dollar Photo Club is hitting a previously untapped market and is driving sales at fast rate. I recommend you think it through with logic rather than passion before deciding if you want to be a part of the growth or simply a witness to it. As has been mentioned, you now have the option to opt out or opt back in manually in your account settings. If you have any questions or concerns my email address is [email protected] and I will be happy to start a dialog with you one on one. -Mat Hayward
1415
« on: April 28, 2014, 15:21 »
FYI: The license agreement has changed to limit the print run to 500K as it is at Fotolia. "Run limit: The Member may not cause or allow any given Work (including modifications thereof) to be reproduced more than 500,000 times"
So how does that work Legally.
If I bought a $99 package last week am I now limited to the 500k size print run? or can I go by the old terms when I bought my package that I thought was unlimited.
And how are you going to police that?
As it's a contract between FT and the end user it is most likely that FT would have to honour the contract.
I can't see that once the sold images under the "unlimited print run" clause they could then rescind that.
That is correct. If an image was purchased prior to the change of the license the original license will be valid for that particular file. -Mat
1416
« on: April 28, 2014, 13:57 »
FYI: The license agreement has changed to limit the print run to 500K as it is at Fotolia. "Run limit: The Member may not cause or allow any given Work (including modifications thereof) to be reproduced more than 500,000 times"
So your initial assessment of the licence was wrong and yet you kept advising contributors that they were wrong when they pointed it out to you, in fact they were right?
I understand your point Ron. Up until about a month or so ago, the Standard license at Fotolia allowed unlimited print runs. The differentiator between the Standard license and the Extended license was when an image was to be used on an object in which the primary value was found within the image. For example, tee shirts, coffee mugs, greeting cards, etc. The Standard license changed recently at Fotolia to include the print run of 500K but that change did not carry over to DPC. All of the other relevant differentiators remained in place. Having listened to contributor feedback this week, management realized that this was an important issue and made the correction in the license agreement for Dollar Photo Club. -Mat
1417
« on: April 28, 2014, 13:21 »
FYI: The license agreement has changed to limit the print run to 500K as it is at Fotolia. "Run limit: The Member may not cause or allow any given Work (including modifications thereof) to be reproduced more than 500,000 times"
1418
« on: April 28, 2014, 12:59 »
....In the meantime if you do not want your images sold through Dollar Photo Club send your request via a Fotolia customer support ticket and you will be manually removed.....
-Mat Hayward
Mat, could you please clarify the opt out that is being offered? Can we have our whole portfolio manually removed by contacting customer support as you stated in this post or just stop new uploads appearing on the site, as the replies to individual contributors seem to imply?
We need to know what options are open to us before we can make a decision. Do we have to delete our whole portfolio from Fotolia if we want to opt out of DPC or not?
Yes, you can opt out of Dollar Photo Club sales via a customer support ticket. These requests may take several days for the process to complete but Customer Service is responding as quickly as possible. To clarify, this removes your entire portfolio (including existing and future uploads) from Dollar Photo Club while keeping your images active in the rest of the database. -Mat
1420
« on: April 27, 2014, 14:08 »
In the meantime if you do not want your images sold through Dollar Photo Club send your request via a Fotolia customer support ticket and you will be manually removed.
I wrote fotolia support and was told that I would have to deactivate my images if I wanted them removed from Dollar Photo Club. Has that policy changed?
Yes.
1421
« on: April 27, 2014, 12:27 »
Hi All,
I can tell you with 100% confidence that the Fotolia team cares very much for the photographers and respects your opinions and feedback. Your concerns about being in Dollar Photo Club have been heard and Ive been told that soon an option for contributors to choose will be made available to all Fotolia contributors. In the meantime if you do not want your images sold through Dollar Photo Club send your request via a Fotolia customer support ticket and you will be manually removed.
A couple of points of interest. Contrary to what has been posted earlier in this thread, every dollar spent by a Dollar Photo Club member goes towards a download. Every image downloaded at DPC is paid to the artist through Fotolia immediately. Monthly members pay $10 per month and receive 10 downloads. Annual members pay $99 and receive 99 downloads. Each of those downloads pay a commission to the contributing artist.
Something you may not have considered is that the Dollar Photo Club membership actually is more beneficial to the contributors than traditional subscriptions. In a traditional subscription if the sub expires, unused downloads also expire. As a result, no commission is paid. At Dollar Photo Club, even after a member cancels their subscription they can use their unused downloads. As a result, a higher percentage of money spent goes to the photographer.
Another misconception is the license. The license sold via Dollar Photo Club is a Standard license. Members that need Extended licenses are referred to Fotolia to purchase them. Soon an Extended License will be made available to Dollar Photo Club members at rates similar to those at Fotolia.
The simple truth of the matter is this. The only way for Fotolia and/or Dollar Photo Club to be successful is for the contributors to be successful. Regardless of what has been written in msg, the interests of FT and of the contributors are aligned. The goal for all parties involved is to drive sales. Dollar Photo Club has already proven to be successful and has resulted in many sales paid out to contributors. The site will continue to grow and to push sales in a positive direction for all of us.
-Mat Hayward
1422
« on: April 27, 2014, 12:27 »
Hi All,
I can tell you with 100% confidence that the Fotolia team cares very much for the photographers and respects your opinions and feedback. Your concerns about being in Dollar Photo Club have been heard and Ive been told that soon an option for contributors to choose will be made available to all Fotolia contributors. In the meantime if you do not want your images sold through Dollar Photo Club send your request via a Fotolia customer support ticket and you will be manually removed.
A couple of points of interest. Contrary to what has been posted earlier in this thread, every dollar spent by a Dollar Photo Club member goes towards a download. Every image downloaded at DPC is paid to the artist through Fotolia immediately. Monthly members pay $10 per month and receive 10 downloads. Annual members pay $99 and receive 99 downloads. Each of those downloads pay a commission to the contributing artist.
Something you may not have considered is that the Dollar Photo Club membership actually is more beneficial to the contributors than traditional subscriptions. In a traditional subscription if the sub expires, unused downloads also expire. As a result, no commission is paid. At Dollar Photo Club, even after a member cancels their subscription they can use their unused downloads. As a result, a higher percentage of money spent goes to the photographer.
Another misconception is the license. The license sold via Dollar Photo Club is a Standard license. Members that need Extended licenses are referred to Fotolia to purchase them. Soon an Extended License will be made available to Dollar Photo Club members at rates similar to those at Fotolia.
The simple truth of the matter is this. The only way for Fotolia and/or Dollar Photo Club to be successful is for the contributors to be successful. Regardless of what has been written in msg, the interests of FT and of the contributors are aligned. The goal for all parties involved is to drive sales. Dollar Photo Club has already proven to be successful and has resulted in many sales paid out to contributors. The site will continue to grow and to push sales in a positive direction for all of us.
-Mat Hayward
1423
« on: April 23, 2014, 14:31 »
1424
« on: April 19, 2014, 17:19 »
I recently came across a dead sheep in a field - it had been savaged and killed by wolves - an increasing problem round here. Fairly generic dead sheep, green field, no buildings, nothing special. And FT wanted a property release!!!
Will you please upload a copy of this image to the thread? It is all speculation at this point. Thanks, Mat
1425
« on: April 16, 2014, 16:21 »
What comes next....??
PR from Dolce & Gabana if a model wears a D&G coat?
Yes, if your model is wearing a D&G coat and it is obviously a D&G coat you would need a property release. Same with any trademarked brand of clothing. Shoes most often create the biggest problem in this area...recognizable logos are not OK to sell commercially. -Mat
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