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Messages - Shelma1
Pages: 1 ... 110 111 112 113 114 [115] 116
2851
« on: August 11, 2013, 14:42 »
They already bumped up commissions, at least for some people (like me), and it doesn't seem to have helped. They tried the half-price sale for a day and got feedback from contributors that while downloads were up, earnings were down, and they rolled the darned thing out anyway. And by promising "forever," they're now locked in to a bad decision.
If I were them, I'd look at what my successful competitors were doing and emulate that....along with hiring away some of the people that spearheaded that success. At the very least they need someone new to oversee and revamp their IT department, because everything about the site is painfully slow and always chock full of glitches.
But I'm not sure the investment corporation that owns them is particularly interested in their success.
2852
« on: August 07, 2013, 11:53 »
August is kinda slow for me so far, but the thing that's really odd is the sudden drop in non-sub downloads since the middle of July. The first two weeks of July were fabulous, and then right after the "maintenance," sales of my new files and non-sub DLs dropped off a cliff. Can someone turn that feature back on?
2853
« on: July 26, 2013, 00:04 »
Having to really nail them is trivial when there are 20+ million images in store.
Due to Pareto's Law only 20% of those 20 million images are selling well and compensating for the remaining 80% of low sellers.
That means 2 millions of top sellers and of those 2 millions 100,000 are Yuri's, that means his portfolio alone impacts an agency like SS for around 5% of their sales but as far as we know it could be even 10-15% !
Of course random buyers will quickly grab the clones but some buyers could go back to istock if they're fans of Yuri and his team.
Why do you assume all of his images are top sellers? Didn't I read in another thread that half his images have never sold at all?
2854
« on: July 25, 2013, 23:50 »
Yuri, from your experience and knowledge,
1. do you believe there will be any raise of .38 SS subscription royalty bar, maybe at quite high sales level, in the nearest future (let's say 12 months)?
2. do you believe prices for credit sales on major microsites will go any higher than current level in next 12 months or you believe we will see exactly the opposite?
3. now you obviously see a new horizons in raising income for YAP, comparing to horizons you've seen on micros, how big it is? the number you expect to have in 2014 and 2015 financial years now, how does it relate to the numbers for 2014 and 2015 you would expect to have if would stay on micros?
thank you!
1. No. Absolutly no. I would expect the opposite from a company that spends 30% on google addwords and is public. Where will they get the money from? What will happen if they spend 25% next year? Stocks will drop.!
2. Ask me in 6mth. There is a gameplan.
3. I have been very fortunate in business and yes we continue to grow. In 2013 we are forecasting to be awarded as the fastest growing corporation in Denmark! 
Unfortunately, "fastest-growing" may not mean much. A corporation could sell, say, 1 photo in 2012 and 3 in 2013, which would mean 200% growth (amazing!). Lies, damned lies and statistics, and all that.
2855
« on: July 25, 2013, 16:33 »
But they're owned by Getty...a U.S. corporation. Wouldn't a class-action suit in the U.S. be doable?
We signed that our contract is governed under Alberta/Canadian law.
ASA 15a:
The Site is controlled, operated and administered by iStockphoto from within the Province of Alberta, Canada. The Site can be accessed from all provinces and territories of Canada, as well as from other countries around the world. As each of these jurisdictions has laws that may differ from those of the Province of Alberta, you acknowledge and agree that this Agreement will be governed under the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein (without reference to conflicts of laws principles). You hereby irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of the Province of Alberta, Canada with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement. This Agreement will not be governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, the application of which is expressly excluded.
In any case, (1) we don't all live in the US.
In any case (2) How long would it take for a class action suit to be heard, and how much would it cost? No doubt they would manage to pony up the day before the court case, even if they hadn't done it before.
I was looking for something completely different in the ASA, but I found this in the Indie ASA, point 15b, ironically just below the above and I didn't notice:
"You agree to waive any right you may have to (i) trial by jury; and (ii) to commence or participate in any class action against iStockphoto related to the Site or this Agreement."
Presumably that is a valid waiver under Canadian Law - you can bet your bottom $Can that iStockLawyer has been all over it with a fine toothcomb. It would be legal in Scotland (maybe the UK?) as we can't sign away our legal rights.
I cannot believe there is no legal recourse if an artist's representative does not pay the people it represents. But now that a dozen or so people have piped up about missing payments on the same days, I'm hoping iStock takes a serious look at the PP sales for June again. In any case, there are extra-legal recourses.
2856
« on: July 25, 2013, 15:28 »
Lobo has now stated in writing that the June PP stats are complete, but I'm still missing sales for four days in June and other days are abnormally low.
I have no problem with spending some of my discretionary income on suing them for transparency in their data reporting and for the royalties they owe me. If possible, I'll also sue to be reimbursed for my legal expenses as well.
I hope Lobo changes his mind about sales for June being complete.
I think when it reaches the point in one's relationship with an agency that lawsuits are being considered it's time to leave that agency. Life's too short; there are alot of other choices out there.
Why leave? I still make money there. I just want to be sure I get all the money I make. Update: It looks like everyone else is also missing sales from the same four days, though Lobo seems to feel there isn't any problem.
2857
« on: July 25, 2013, 13:29 »
Lobo has now stated in writing that the June PP stats are complete, but I'm still missing sales for four days in June and other days are abnormally low.
I have no problem with spending some of my discretionary income on suing them for transparency in their data reporting and for the royalties they owe me. If possible, I'll also sue to be reimbursed for my legal expenses as well.
I hope Lobo changes his mind about sales for June being complete.
2858
« on: July 24, 2013, 14:47 »
I have a few holes: June 7-9, 19-21, and the 30th. Combine that with the 19 missing days in May, and it's still almost a month of royalties missing.
2859
« on: July 22, 2013, 12:52 »
Me too. This does not bode well for June. Why is it starting on the 10th instead of the 1st? Looks like the same "glitch" they had for May.
2860
« on: July 22, 2013, 12:47 »
I am impressed depressed with TS ( I mean PP)
I can only speak for my own numbers. I am sure long time IS contributors think differently about the PP program.
When the PP program started, my sales at iStock dropped. But when the PP data came in the following month, I made more $ overall than I would have with just iStock. It's actually the reason I started uploading to iStock again. As angry as I am with their incompetence, for me it's about money. If they get the PP data going correctly again, I'll start uploading there again. I make more per DL there that I do at Shutterstock, but I have a much larger port at SS because they accept more of my work and uploading is much easier.
2861
« on: July 21, 2013, 18:27 »
Nothing's changed in several hours. Did it stall again? Can they not get one dev person to check in over the weekend?
2862
« on: July 21, 2013, 14:34 »
I appreciate that Shutterstock tells people in advance that they'll be down for maintenance. Unlike some other sites experiencing PP anxiety.
2863
« on: July 21, 2013, 14:30 »
I see they've now modified the headline, so that the files are half price "with credits." So if you buy without credits they're not half price? I don't see any legal disclaimers on the page.
I can't believe this wasn't reviewed by Getty's legal department before it went live. (I write this as a person who creates advertising headlines for a living.)
2864
« on: July 21, 2013, 11:53 »
Only about 25% of my sales are in so far. The first 2/3 of the month...and a couple of days at the end...are still missing or way under reported.
2865
« on: July 20, 2013, 07:06 »
"June's PP payments are still on track to be delivered on schedule." -Lobo
Oh yeah? I don't see any yet. And maybe 10% of my May payments so far. You think the other 190% are gonna come in this weekend? About as likely as me riding a unicorn.
2866
« on: July 17, 2013, 21:01 »
Are you sure it's from Shutterstock? What sort of "proof" are they looking for? It could be a scammer trying to get your SS# or credit card # or something.
2867
« on: July 17, 2013, 12:30 »
I must say, if "Lobo" is in charge of contributor communications, he does an incredibly unprofessional job. People have legitimate concerns about not being paid and not getting accurate data about PP sales for the missing months. "Apples and fish sticks," "run on a treadmill" and other responses...are they supposed to be funny? "We sincerely apologize for the delay and are working our hardest to remedy the situation" is more like it.
Perhaps their ad agency or PR firm could take a shot at fixing iStock's IT issues (if that's what this is). Ads about half-price files and press releases about the new general manager are professionally done, well written, and ON TIME. Oh, apples and fish sticks, I know, I know.
2868
« on: July 16, 2013, 14:23 »
I wrote PAY ME.
2869
« on: July 16, 2013, 14:22 »
What about marketing? How does someone find your site?
2870
« on: July 15, 2013, 16:47 »
Exactly how much right do they have to withhold our money for so long? When can we consider it a breach of contract and is there anything we can do about it in terms of legal action?
Of course. They have to pay us the money they owe us.
They seem to have wriggled out of a time scale in the ASA, so maybe this delay is not breach of contract.
ASA 5b
"In response to a written request, iStockphoto will endeavor to make payment of royalties in respect of purchased downloads of Accepted Exclusive Content on a monthly basis on or about the 15th day of the month following the purchase of Accepted Exclusive Content, except when sales reporting from a Distribution Partner is delayed, in which case payments will be made in the month following the date such sale is reported, provided such royalties aggregate a minimum of US$100, failing which royalties owing will be retained until they exceed such minimum."
The sales reporting was not delayed. Remember, lobo said last week that they'd be pushing through the royalties for both May and June. That means they already have the reporting for both months.
2871
« on: July 15, 2013, 16:37 »
A quick Google search tells me that class actions are paid for out of the proceeds of the settlement (like personal injury lawsuits) and are indeed possible in Canada. Beyond that--for example, whether people outside Canada could join the suit-- probably would need an attorney to answer.
2872
« on: July 15, 2013, 15:53 »
But they're owned by Getty...a U.S. corporation. Wouldn't a class-action suit in the U.S. be doable?
2873
« on: July 15, 2013, 15:40 »
Exactly how much right do they have to withhold our money for so long? When can we consider it a breach of contract and is there anything we can do about it in terms of legal action?
Of course. They have to pay us the money they owe us.
2874
« on: July 15, 2013, 11:40 »
My sales at shutterstock continue to rise every month, while my sales at iStock dropped by almost half this month (if the month continues as badly as it started).
2875
« on: July 15, 2013, 11:37 »
I think I havent sold anything on thinkstock those two months. I see nothing yet. I cant even find the thread on IS to ask a question.
People reporting PP sales through the 9th of the month, does that mean up to the 9th, I had no sales because I see none?
It means the staff at iStock are incompetent. I have one sale around May 6th and I should have many dozens.
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