Thanks for the input. I understand. I was just quite surprised. I can do it since I am the artist. But it's a pain. Especially that SS accepted this one without a sketch   http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-23121785-various-bacterium.php

It's new for SS. I haven't encountered this yet myself, as I don't often do hand-drawn stuff, but I've heard of it happening more and more.

I think it's a good policy. Keeps people honest. It's no big deal for me to upload the sketch, and if it helps the company keep out stuff that is based on other people's work and infringes on copyrights, I'm fine with it.

Not sure. But I say try it. You only live once. 

I have been reading a lot of the forums and started thinking about how to improve our lives as Micro Stock Submitters.

The only answer I could come up with is a Co-op, type agency.

This is how I see it working.

Submitters have to be a member of the Co-op.  To be a member you need to buy at least one share ( $50? a share)

Commission would be set by the members ( 40%? ) and dividends paid based on shares.  Dividends would NOT be a proirity, with most of the funds being re-invested into marketing, technology, marketing, search optiimization and marketing.

There would be no "reviewers" but paid photo editors.
All images will be accepted, but rated and "placed" by the editors
Image submission will be charged per image submitted ( .01? .10?) to pay for the editors
Your will work with the same editor for all submissions unless you ask for a change, so you can converse with them.

For this to work buyers are needed, so the systems have to set up to make it easy for them, which may mean strict controlled vocabulary, and

Anyone interested in pursuing this?

Glenn

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admin edit: edited the title to be more descriptive.

It's a strange species. However I think it's worth it. Sales can be as much as $5+ down to pennies. Makes no real sense. Simple upload and release process. No running tab of total sales. Easy to connect with support.

I know if I am asking if it is worth joining it probably isn't right? 

I sent mine. Not as eloquent as yours. Good one thanks! 

Here's the e-mail I just sent:

Mr. Pfeifer,

I'm not sure what you're thinking in implementing the schedule of contributor compensation outlined in your e-mail earlier today.

You must be aware of the low-earning status BigStock has for most contributors . Bottom-tier sites get supplied by contributors - in spite of their low earnings - as long as they meet several criteria. One is ease of upload; two is that they don't undercut a higher-earning site; and three is that they have decent royalty rates and a low payout threshold.

In the past, Big Stock has just about met all three of those (I have been with BigStock since 2005, with a hiatus from 2008-11 as an iStock exclusive and a new account when I returned in 2011). Your e-mail this morning has shot two of those three criteria in the head and the uploads are only OK - nothing like the easiest out there.

With the low earnings, it makes it very easy for contributors to walk away from BigStock, and with a recent rash of bad behavior by agencies, existing contributors are significantly on edge. Realistically, 50,000 downloads a year - even subscription downloads - isn't something that most of your contributors will ever reach. Many never will on Shutterstock, where the volume of business is much, much larger. And for heaven's sake don't even consider making some argument that you'll double, triple (or whatever) sales at BigStock in the next year or two. Not realistic.

Perhaps you aren't concerned about losing existing contributors and feel that there is an endless supply of willing participants with a nice point and shoot who'll supply you with content when the current crop of malcontents leaves. If that's the case, you're certainly making sure we head quickly for the exit.

If you have any concern about keeping your existing contributors, I strongly urge you to promptly reconsider this move. It is strongly reminiscent of the moves airlines made a few years ago for a two-tier pay system for pilots - one for the regional jets and one for the long-haul ones. From that, they tried to move jets classified as "regional" to the longer routes and move the pay scale with it. The real worry here isn't BigStock, but that you're looking to try this compensation scheme out and then move it to Shutterstock.

In the IPO documents, amid all the flowery words about a virtuous cycle, was a note of risks for the business. One was that contributors would no longer want to continue supplying you with content. You have the storefront but contributors own the content. Do you really want to start alienating your contributors when in general you are one of the respected agencies? Why just throw away all that goodwill you've spent so long building?

regards,

Jo Ann Snover (jsnover on both sites and contributor 249 at Shuttersock)

Did they get this frustrating "last 12 months" idea from 123?

Agreed. These people are ridiculous. Maybe they're trying to wreck Bigstock with the hopes of closing it and send all customers to SS.

Typical routine for me. Almost two weeks on the average. They pile up. I won't complain much because I have haven't had any rejections thank heavens

Hello everybody  . Is it normal for illustrations to wait to be reviewed for more than a week now? My photos uploaded together with the illustrations were already reviewed. Thank you in advance.

O.K. I am a lone business like all of you, when my files are pulled from iStock I am looking for a place with a higher price point then SS. It makes no business sense for me to just deactivate files with no place to put them just because I am pissed. I am looking at GL and thinking lets start this New Site with one that is already up and running. I think Kelly will work with us and this will add a one two punch to iStock at the same time. We can launch a massive campaign for GL and feel great about where our images are. I think its a win win for us

GL is a good place. I think everyone should follow their heart. That said, we need to back the smaller folks to give them a chance to take the place of eyestuck. That's easy for me to say as an illustrator since I hardly ever need to use releases, pay models, etc.

I want to let the folks know that CanStockPhoto is really reviewing fast- less that an half hour! Great work CanStockPhoto!

Tom

Yes, I like their review times. 

 :)This really makes me happy. I think THIS is the site microstock illustrators have been talking about supporting all these years. The site is connected to real illustrators and the pay is excellent. Now that you've confirmed the connection to Cory, I vote that all of us consider supporting ToonVectors 100%. I've only had a few correspondences with Cory, but from what I can tell his work ethic and thoughtfulness is top notch. I'm sure his brother, the owner of ToonVectors is similar. Keep in mind I don't even know if they'll accept my work, as I haven't yet applied  .

Regardless, I plan on giving them a chance. Sending some exclusive illustrations to them should also be in everyone's plans. If enough of us get behind them and the good words spreads, ToonVectors could be a big turning point for the illustration side of microstock.

I would like to add that GLeftovers and the other smaller sites are decent payers too. So I don't want to sound like I might be putting them down.

Chris is Cory's brother. In my opinion this helped him out a lot because Chris has managed to avoid all of the start up mistakes. At least that is how it appears, I'm sure he has made plenty of mistakes but none that would affect us as contributors. The upload is one of the best out of the 20 or so sites I upload to. I love it and it serves as backup at the same time. This site works and for me it is outselling all of the low earners except GL, and outselling BS and DP as well. Not all that hard to do with $14 royalties and $70 els. Doesn't take a whole lot of sales to get your numbers up there in a hurry. Not a ton of sales yet but been fairly consistent for the last 3 months.

This site is a winner- you need to give it a shot.

Confirmed: "At the end of every month, a Contributor�s total credits from all downloads in the previous 12 months shall be summed"

I hope it's that simple. I gave up trying to understand it.

Looking at all the giddy responses makes me think iStock is a cult.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=349765&page=1

I agree. Maybe if they had a normal ftp upload and submission process, they could gain a few points of sympathy for caring about the time we put into working with them and dealing with their arbitrary rejections. 

They have lost too much ground to Shutter thus will probably never be the number one again even with changes...

The Mighty iStock has no shoes. 

I happened upon this write up from some Getty IT employees when I was looking for something else. Can't say I'm surprised to hear some negative comments. Interesting to hear that they're outsourcing some software work to South America - stretching the communications lines like that can be pretty tricky