Well this news doesn't surprise me.  If the massive decline in Getty's share price reflects falling demand for 'traditionally priced' stock images, then surely the photographers who supply Getty (and other agencies) must be suffering too.  And the price reductions at those agencies can't be helping much.

Good job Ron had the foresight to diversify into Microstock a year ago, but I cannot imagine the income generated from that is enough to replace income lost elsewhere (not yet anyway).

This story reminds me of Yuri's situation.

How is everyone doing at StockXpert?

I was interested to see the comment by andresr that his sales are running at only 50% of November levels.  My own sales are down 30%, but in money terms the drop is 40%.

The first week of February continues the 40% reduction in income.

I see an increase in subscription sales at the expense of L and XL sales, and this probably explains the drop.  I have to say I'm not happy about this.

On present evidence I feel somewhat 'baited and switched'; a year spent uploading based on good sales and 50% commissions, only to find the agency then 'switches' at the expense of my own income.

I hope I am wrong and that this is just a dull period for StockXpert.  But my gut feel is that for photographers the good times at StockXpert are over...

Fabulously creative portfolio.

Years too late.

With many microstock agencies now paying an average of $2 to $2.50 for a high rez file, this 'dollar a shot' concept won't attract any images from microstock professionals.

And even though prices have risen up to 50% in recent weeks, microstock prices are still underpriced by at least 50%.

Doomed to failure, or doomed to attract only the stuff rejected elsewhere.  Sorry.

Chode, please be warned that StockXpert doesn't like too many 'similars'.  They will accept some similars and duplicates so long as there are distinctions in the set, but if you try to upload your complete 'tape measure' series, for instance, they will almost certainly reject the whole lot.

In my experience the people at StockXpert are professional and accommodating but they are also strict on what they will and will not accept.

No professional designer, magazine or newspaper in the entire world will even be tempted to look at something called snapvillage.  These are professional people and they don't buy snaps.  And they certainly wouldn't want the risk of any of their customers finding out that they'd bought an image from a snap village.

In my view Corbis have attempted to degrade the microstock market by deliberately called it 'snaps'; trying to give the impression that all microstock contributors snap away with a mobile phone.

As they continue to lose large buying customers from their mainstream business to microstock (and microstock develops into midstock as we are seeing with the large price increases) they risk losing those customers NOT to snapvillage but to iStock and others.

Over the last year the registered customer base at iStock has increased from 1.5 million to over 2.7million and none of those are going to even pay a snap village a glancing visit.

If they were serious they would have come to microstock with a bang in order to create a 'sit up and pay attention' impression.  In fact they've come with a web site that is the slowest and lacks any development, and within their first three months were being laughed at as a joke.  They didn't understand the need for IPTC, and they only added a watermark after pressure from contributors.  That is NOT what you do if you want to be a success.

And the Bill Gates thing is just a red herring.  He is a multi billionaire currently involved in a $50 billion bid for Yahoo.  Surely you don't think he's in the slightest bit interested in a two bit photo agency?  He probably doesn't even know it exists.

Good luck to those who decide to stay there, but I will NOT have my work associated with Snapvillage.

Even more positive.  iStock is the jewel in Getty's crown; any venture capitalist buying the business will probably strip Getty and reinvest for pain and gain in iStock.

Interesting time ahead.  With iStock's prices up 50%, Fotolia's new prices/sizes producing price rises of anywhere between 100% (small) to 25% (XL), BigStock having increased prices by 50/100% last November, it will be interesting to see what Shutterstock do in April.

My feeling on the matter is that the subscription sites have much less flexibility and are going to find it hard to implement price rises without losing customers.  Dreamstime and StockXpert clearly introduced subscriptions to try to capture SS's market, and now they are all pricing at or around $199 waiting for someone to 'make the first move'.  All eyes are clearly on SS.

So what will happen?  Any guesses?

My own view is, firstly, that SS will try a price rise to either $229 or possibly $259.  In doing so they will lose customers to ppd agencies, but the price rise might offset that loss.

If they can get a price rise I think the basic commission will stay at 25c.  The higher level might rise to 35c, but my feeling is that they will introduce another trigger level, possibly at $1,000, giving a 25c, 30c, 35c ladder; in doing this they will reap more profit from the thousands of small contributors whilst rewarding the photographers who make most of the sales.

What I'd REALLY like to see is a two tiered system giving standard subs terms to images below 8mp and a 'double price' system for higher rez.  But I don't think we'll see that this year, if at all.

That's reassuring sharpshot.  BTW I saw your earlier comments that sales for you have recovered from the Christmas/January slump.  Mine have also recovered apart from StockXpert which for some reason is languishing nearly 50% down from October/November levels.  This was my first experience of the Christmas 'lull' and whilst I expected a large drop I didn't expect that to continue as far into January as it did.  Hopefully that period is now over and done with (sigh of relief).

I hope and pray that FT are able to implement these price changes without the disruption caused by V2.

However, I usually sell ten to twelve pictures a day at FT......

...... and today I have sold only one (at the old price).

I hope this is a 'one off' or they are late in reporting sales.  But I have a feeling in my bones (and they are very old bones).

How are you doing with your DT monthly target Dan?

I will probably upgrade to the D300.  I am not expecting any improvement in low ISO noise, but as I get very good results from my D200, so long as the D300 is as good as that I can then supply XL images to iStock.

For microstock the D3 has the wrong image size/price point.

All my Nikkor lenses are full frame so I shall be able to utilise a Nikon 5D equivalent when it is launched, but unless that camera is 16mp I'll stay with a D300.

It seems that a new FX will be launched before the olympics, but that will probably not be a medium price point camera; for that we'll have to wait at least another year.

Yep - they appear to be launching twenty new compact cameras...

... but more importantly THREE new tilt/shift lenses.