Is there any option to shut off this distributor channel? 

If there isn't I will probably just close the account.  I don't need to be insulted with 4 cent sales, I get enough putdowns in my daily life :-)

Yes but they only allow you to opt out once per year in April.

Doesn't make any difference as I was opted out of Chinese distributor sales years ago and they still have my images selling through a distributor.

Quote from: Mimi the Cat on December 20, 2021, 07:04

...after Envato effectively withdrew the bonus scheme in 2019, then shutterstock cut rates and Alamy chopped 20% off royalties.

The greed of stock agencies is now beyond the joke.

You make it sound like they did withdraw the bonus scheme when they didn't. If they did then sure, we could put that down to greed. But they didn't withdraw it, they just changed the way its distributed. They still pay it out, and the total amount they pay out is still calculated the same way... and as subscribers have increased a lot since they changed the way it was distributed, they're also paying out a lot more than they used to.

So yes, the bonus may have been 'effectively withdrawn' for you, but the bonus scheme hasn't gone anywhere... and as a result, it has nothing to do with greed.

The only thing I have to say to you is

Envato
July 2019 $290.89 Total Earnings  Content Bonus $266.09

August 2019 36.82 Total Earnings Content Bonus $10.63

Total Envato earnings for 2018 $2715.74 in 2020 $244

So there you go

Quote from: Mimi the Cat on December 20, 2021, 01:04

I used to make $200 to $300 per month with Envato

Now I'm lucky to make $15 per month

I used to make similar amounts with shutterstock now I'm lucky to make $100

I used to make decent amounts with Alamy until they cut rates

I used to make a reasonable living but now I don't and finding a job at my age is next to impossible.

So now I go hungry a lot of the time and use my dwindling savings to pay the bills

Thats my impact statement 

So I'm not the only one......my biggest regret was staying past April 1 2019 when sales imploded on that very day at Pond5, now I am facing bankruptcy.

I won't ask your age but that's an issue and it's getting worse, they want under 25 with the looks, fitness and face of a 16 year old and it's like this for everything from the local car wash to fast food places to grocery stores to cleaning and building maintenance to high tech and if you have the slightest health problem you're unemployable for good.

It's been one heck of a wake up call for me this fall as my sales ended in stock and I started looking for work, I love driving, put a steering wheel in my hands and I'm happy and can easily go for 18 hours and I love working around cars and trucks but I got told by the boss at a local car rental shop that "This job isn't for you buddy....you need to find something in your field" (video) and when I told him that my field, stock video is basically gone away his response was "you can find something in your field just keep looking". "you don't want this job".

I'm too young to get the pension and too old to even get interviews for simple jobs.

Though I've turned my hand to volunteering to beef up my CV as well as casual work.  I even applied for shop work but never get interviews even though I have a good CV as I don't have relevant experience.

My sales dropped 60% from 2019/2020 and the whole try harder thing is negated by 10 cent sales and a few bucks here and there from Alamy.

As to the other agencies Adobe is on track to make $1000 this year exactly the same as last year and the smaller agencies no longer even make payout in 12 months.

However the bills keep going up 

I used to make $200 to $300 per month with Envato

Now I'm lucky to make $15 per month

I used to make similar amounts with shutterstock now I'm lucky to make $100

I used to make decent amounts with Alamy until they cut rates

I used to make a reasonable living but now I don't and finding a job at my age is next to impossible.

So now I go hungry a lot of the time and use my dwindling savings to pay the bills

Thats my impact statement 

When someone is drowning most people would throw them a life preserver but in this case I would toss them (Getty) a cinder block and walk away saying --"Good riddance!" 

Or to paraphrase an old lawyer joke "how do you stop Getty from drowning? ~ take your foot off its head" 

I know that many accept it except SS and BS. My concern is the property release. I know that they accept image if I tick off that I own it. Which is not correct, but on other side there is noone else who can rightfully claim ownership. I speak about really very old images and my own scans. I always own the original source item and I always fill the correct information about the source book.

I tested various ways how to fill the property release, but it was always rejected on some websites (and accepted on other, where probably noone was reading it).

So I just ask if there is other way how to fill the property release/upload without property release. Tick the ownership works. Just I'm not completly sure about it.

SS & BS generally don't take public domain images so you can't submit out of copyright material to them.

See next answer below

I just started to upload there and it accepted 60 images from 400. Most of them are because of technical issues. Typically Dreamstime acceptance is 70% for me. It makes me wonder if it's like shutterstock thing or they normally accept better quality photos.

Dreamstime have very low standards these days.

Shutterstock are nuts

Adobe do at least try to apply some kind of quality standards.

If you have 60 out of 400 accepted you need to rethink your photography standards.

Hi all, some agencies accept vintage content, let say illustration from 18th century book. It's public domain for ages. I believe that some of you have experience with that. Do you send the standard property release for such illustrations?

If you submit to Alamy you need to apply for a Reportage/Archival submission route usually you need to supply examples (you can do this with a selection of images in a Dropbox link).


This is a separate submission process withing your standard account and doesn't go through quality checks. You will see the application link in "Additional Revenue" option on your dashboard.

It doesn't require a property or model release but you do have to mark it none exclusive and public domain.

You make the same royalties as your standard account.

Okay, maybe I've been under a rock too long. When did SS start this Asset Data thing for buyers to see?

Months ago and its all garbage I've plenty of images showing "Usage Not used yet" even when the images have sold a number of times 

I make around a $1 per month there if I'm lucky 

Total revenue after 10 years $202

Not worth the effort.

Just more corporate woke nonsense they want to try and prove they are down with the kids whilst screwing their contributors.

 

thanks for the reminder.  I've removed them now.  They'll disappear from the sidebar shortly.

Thanks Leaf

BTW this months Microstock Poll graph looks incredibly weird with massive upticks for Shutterstock iStock & Envato is someone fiddling the vote?

Hi Leaf could you remove GL from the Microstock Poll Results

Some people seem to be submitting sales revenues which is clearly impossible seeing as they closed down.