Must be they feel threatened by Getty's plan for forcing contributors to Thinkstock, and this is their 'preemptive strike'. I don't think they have the earning power to threaten contributors like this, I wouldn't hesitate to pull my account if they shoved me back to white.

But the independent boycott of Thinkstock was working, that's why they raised commissions early on! It's also why they resorted to forcing participation in TS. I think we underestimate our collective power, and we give up and give in way-y-y too easily.

I don't get it, independents are reporting declining, dismal sales at IS - so why are so many willing to accept their unreasonable ASA and give up control of their images in the process??! You're giving up so much to invest in a sinking ship!

I'm leaving - the only decision I have left to make now is whether I close my account completely, or disable most of my portfolio. I may leave a couple of old images active to keep my account open, just in case iStock management changes for the better someday (dream on). I expect that if I stay things will keep getting worse - earnings will continue to decrease over time, and the terms of the ASA will become even more unreasonable. I'm jumping off the sinking ship now, and plan on working very hard to create my best new images for iStock's competitors. I see it as sacrificing short term gain for long term stability, both for myself and for the industry as a whole. The alternative is to give in to hopelessness and let iStock kick me around to the bitter end. Call me deluded, but I'm casting my vote in favor of hope.

I hadn't thought of that - but if I don't close my account, won't I have to manually deactivate every single image? I have around 1,000 images on iStock. They can't be placed on PP sites if they're deactivated, can they?

I hate being forced into this position, but I will most likely leave iStock over this. I felt like a sellout when I stayed in spite of the commission cut and now they want to force me into having my work on The Abomination Known as Thinkstock? I have to give up control of my work just to have my images on their site! I will be giving up few hundred a month over this, so it's been a very difficult decision to make. If their intent is to drive Shutterstock out of business, they'll have to do it without my help.

Things are only going to get worse for independents at IS. Now they want to force us into supplying a bargain basement ghetto that will ultimately devalue our work. And if they succeed in crushing SS, we are all screwed, and that includes exclusives. If we allow this to happen, we have only ourselves to blame. I know what the right thing to do is, I just don't know if I've got the courage to leave.

Does anyone have any experience with The3dStudio?

Quote from: redo on July 27, 2011, 15:00

I'm sorry, but I can't say to anyone:" Please, buy at an agency where I get maybe 16% of the price!"
There are agencies with much better conditions.
Better for me and better for the buyer.

This sums up my feelings exactly. 

My feelings, too.

Found this on CNN:

http://cnnmoneytech.tumblr.com/post/7542258463/when-the-cloud-crashes

Don't they know other agencies exist?

Personally I'd like to see IS and FT buyers go elsewhere since they are the leaders in low and dropping commissions.

+1

Interesting that they are at the bottom of the top tier and still sinking. I wouldn't be surprised to watch them drop to middle tier in the near future...