forget the whole istock...do not support their business and make the good deed for the photographers and the industry.

Hi!

I have done iStock since 2009. I have more 10 000 images online. I've spent a lot of time for keywording and what I saw now. They have lost 20-40 keywords of six thousand images.
I think this happen because they updated their keywording engine. I am very angry because my income has drop like few thousands.

This was the worst one. There were 50 keywords but now 4.


Really iStock!!!!!!! How much we have to suffer this?

Quote from: Mantis on September 04, 2017, 14:51

Quote from: ShadySue on September 04, 2017, 14:44
To be fair, although they're a bunch of foetid dingoes' kidneys, my rpd is much higher than it was in 2007, but vastly lower than it was subsequently up to 2015, when they chose to join the race to the bottom.
However, downloads are far, fewer.

But why now? What's changed? What has changed is how they report $$. Given the defection of artists, a highly probable defection of buyers, I can only conclude that the reporting was very inaccurate in the 'older days'. My personal evidence is that when this ESP reporting started in Jan I more than doubled to almost tripled my income from about $200 a month to $500-$600 a month with doing NOTHING.  This happened only after they transitioned to the new reporting system, so it was quick, not gradual over time.  Leads me to believe there either is or was very inaccurate reporting.  I bet IS/GETTY would CR_AP their pink panties if their royalty system was audited for the last 10 years.

@mantia I think we are in a different series. My best month has been almost 14 000$ and after all the updates and messing in (2013-2016) up my income fell more than half to somewhere 3000$. Since 2014, I have uploaded photos ten times the amount it was in 2013 and mean thousands more photos...but my income is still only half of what it was at its best. SO THAT WHY iStock is crap COMPANY THESE DAYS...They wondered just how to get the best winnings for themselves!

Quote from: namussi on September 04, 2017, 11:03

Quote from: Photostocker on September 04, 2017, 10:48


They must pay us more like the old times! This is ridiculous!

What "old" times do you mean?

When I started contributing to iStock twelve years ago, I got 10c for every download. Now I get a lot more.

Are you exclusive or non-exclusive?

Hi everybody!

I suggest that all of you contributors STOP uploading photos in iStock until they start to appreciate us.

They must pay us more like the old times! This is ridiculous!

And the quality of the service is SO BAAAAAAAD!!! 

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on August 30, 2017, 13:27
There is nothing about the upload page or the keyword entry area that would help you with the call to artists.  CTA doesn't involve uploading to the site. That said it's one of the most functional and best portfolio managers I've used.

I don't need any help. I just want to know how it looks like.

and why is it so * good?

Hi!

Can someone who is already contributor in Stocksy.com post a screenshot from uploadpage and how keywording works?
I would like to make an application when call to artist page 2017 will opens, but first I need to know something about the stocksy 

Thx!

iStock is a BIG JOKE these days. I have been a contributor like 8 years. I have seen the good years and now the bad years. After Getty bought the iStock it's been only downhill. It's so fun watch how they trying get there crap toghether but never get anything done. And this has lasted three years...There is always an explanation from iStock to every F**** problem. Plaa plaa plaa. In Shutterstock you have all the good and stuff to upload images, handel your data, etc. But in iStock you dont have nothing! Only some incorrectly calculated diagram. All I can say that...They have  screwed up!

And by the way...After 2013 my income has droped something like 90%. My best month was something about 13 500$ and it realy, realy, REALY far from there!

Quote from: X9D7CE84A2B5Y on June 04, 2016, 17:49
Thank you all for voting so far. Please vote if you are presently an iStock contributor. The more votes we have the better we may be able to see a pattern and understand which people have been effected/hurt the most.

Can you post this to getty/iStock forum so we can get mores aswears?

Quote from: sweetgirll on June 03, 2016, 18:23
Did you start in 2013?
Is this for photography or vectors?

This drop is significant...how is this possible? You went from 100K  to 14K in 3 years?

Just trying to make some sense...

Quote from: Photostocker on June 03, 2016, 12:57
Getty Image updated iStock credit pricing in 2013 and also introduced their great and amazing new subscription plans.

So, What is your annual income lose between 2013 - 2015 (2016).

I had 3000 images 2013 and now 5500 images.

My Income 2013 = 115 000 $
My Income 2014 = 110 000 $
My Income 2015 =   50 000 $
My Income 2016 =   14 000 $ (about)

I think this is NOOOT a good way

I strated on 2010 and only photos. It not make sense me either...and I don't know how someone can be so stupid that ruins a good business. 

Quote from: StanRohrer on June 03, 2016, 17:23
The linked article is old news. However, the second reader comment is a very interesting insight into the workings of Getty management. Anonymous worked at Getty as a mid-level manager.....

http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.no/2015/02/getty-images-downward-spiral-approaches.html#comment-274962064295328885

So, as I read, the Getty management cares nothing about the business (and us at the bottom). It's all a game of converting Getty book value into cash in a few peoples pockets.

Who are those few peoples? We need to kick them ass!!

Quote from: panicAttack on June 03, 2016, 14:17
are you or were you exclusive and abandoned exclusivity in meantime?

Yes! I was Exclusive but I will cancell it...there's no sense anymore! Waste of time!

iStock is SOOOOOO F**** UP!!! LOL!

Getty Image updated iStock credit pricing in 2013 and also introduced their great and amazing new subscription plans.

So, What is your annual income lose between 2013 - 2015 (2016).

I had 3000 images 2013 and now 5500 images.

My Income 2013 = 115 000 $
My Income 2014 = 110 000 $
My Income 2015 =   50 000 $
My Income 2016 =   14 000 $ (about)

I think this is NOOOT a good way

Just come to my mind today that when was the last time when you saw that the iStock ask you the customer satisfaction survey? I mean the buyers and the contributors.

Before Getty Images take the control of iStock and before Bruce Livingstone leaves the company, they ask customer satisfaction survey like a few times a half years.

So this is one proof that they are not interested in what we contributors think about their actions what Getty have made. So why is that? Arrogance? Money greed?

Quote from: NewStocker on March 29, 2016, 22:47

Quote from: MichaelJayFoto on March 29, 2016, 20:01

Quote from: Photostocker on March 29, 2016, 19:49
We contributors should set up our own stocksite where the royalty rates are something like 90%. 10% is only for the runing company and the website. And we need webtool for the copy and paste all the photos and keywords from the iStock if contributor wants to leave from the iStock.

Sure. Because customers are just waiting for that. And the site obviously is going to run flawless once set up because it is run by photographers who know what they're doing. 

Eh-Hem, I am a photographer, I have set up my own stock site selling purely my own content, it looks far more professional than iStock's site ever did/does. It has very simple pricing, it is easy to navigate, was built on a free and open source CSS platform, nothing is broken, the site can accept both credit card and PayPal payments, and it runs smoother and faster than the iStock site ever does/did.

Granted I don't have a sizable collection when compared to an agency that crowd sources from millions of potential contributors, or the traffic to be successful with it (yet), but it isn't hard to run circles around iStock's web programmers in order to build a stock site that works and people find easy to use, yet I still consider myself very much a coding hack at best. I set it up over only a few month period, on a part time basis, whilst tweaking and working the bugs out. Imagine what one could do if all they did all day was develop a stock site as a full time endeavor?

When I think of the iStock site programming team though I imagine a bunch of children with mental disabilities who can't control their bowels sitting in a bathtub together, whilst floating amongst their own turds, squeezing them like Play-doh, and giggling away as if they haven't a worry in the world.

What is your stockwebsite? We can make same kind of program what Qhero is to help people upload photos more easily and also make the webtool that contributors can upload all their stuff in other stocksites in the new site. Because of exclusive contributing the web site must be the first only for the showing photographers portfolio...but also there should be a button add this photo for sale...as 500px have! Whe should gather together few powerfull contributors and make this happen!

Lets make a site what is only the portfolio site at first and contributors can upload (copy and paste) their all the photos in there from every stock sites. Later when there is a lots of users and stuff we launch the site! Perfect plan! 😊👍🏼

We contributors should set up our own stocksite where the royalty rates are something like 90%. 10% is only for the runing company and the website. And we need webtool for the copy and paste all the photos and keywords from the iStock if contributor wants to leave from the iStock.

Remember the times when you sold images through the iStock website with good and fair price. For one credit download you got something like 1 - 35$.

What you think guys... Are those good time gone forever?

What is your opinion, what iStock should do that we can get those old times back?

Now we get 0,75$ for xxxl-large photo if customers use subscription plan. That is ridiculous!!! 

Quote from: anathaya on February 19, 2016, 07:53

Quote from: Photostocker on February 19, 2016, 07:40
So I sayd good bye iStock! I can not accept this kind of abuse.

You deleted your port there or just dropped exclusivity?

All is gone and it's good like that!

I do not understand how iStock destroyed the good business in 2 years.

Hi!

2013 After the summer when iStock change there credit sales policy and when they came up with that "amazing" image subscription plans...Getting sales up has been a really difficult!

Do you know anybody or do you or have you thought to cancel your exclusive program?

I just did it because my sales have been drop something like 80%. My best month 2012 have been 12 500$ and my last in 2015 was something relly bad.

So I sayd good bye iStock! I can not accept this kind of abuse.

My thoughts about iStock! Tell your opinion what you think of these and how you feel? This are my feelings right now, I do not have very good things to say about iStock  , so if you are looking some positivity, DO NOT READ THIS!

I feel like these days iStock is mostly focused on that how much they can get money to themselves. They do not care lot of about the contributors opinions, they are focused on wrong things (interface, etc) and they do not admit any mistakes what they have done and say "we are sorry"!

First about the redeemend credits...iStock decided to introduce redeemend credits because there is lots of contributors who don't have a time or interest to upload photos anymore. Maybe they (contributors) have a lot of downloads but monthly downloads have been drop because they haven't continued uploading. So iStock decided to take off that what they have earned through the downloads (ranking) before, then redeemend credits came and it was just because that way iStock can have more money.
iStock doesn't count G.I, ThinkStock and Image suscribtion sales in total year redeemen credits. Why? Now we have a situation that credit sales has been dropped a lot because of the new 1/3 credit pricing and the image suscribtion plans. Contributors can have less redeemend credits per year and royalty rates will drop.

Image suscription plans to us Exclusives.
iStock still have that essential and signature imagesuscription plans. Essential imagesuscribtion plan blocks away exclusive contributors if the customers choose the essential imagesuscribtion plan. Not good for us (Exclusive). That 1/3 pricing is also unequal! It should be a same price for all photos. Customers do not care why some photos cost 3 credits and some others 1 credit. It is hard understand how much is the 1 or 3 credits if you are new in iStock. This makes it difficult to understand the pricing for the new customers and it is unfair for everyone.

If customers choose the imagesuscribtion monthly plan, iStock will get the entire money per month. The customers do not maybe use they entire downloads per month, so iStock will get the entire money per month but the contributors may not as credit sales.

Then I doesn't understand that G.I / ThinkStock mirroring. Why iStock sell same photos in different (G.I,TS) places at different prices? Why we can't handle ourself which images we want to sell more expensive in getty and what images we want be in thinkstock and iStock. Okey we have that stupid check box "Nominate for Signature+ Collection" is that enough? No!

New payment system! iStock is keeping our money over month to themselves and takes the interest of the money to themselves what they should pay us as when we want them to. Once again, selfish and greedy thinking.

iStock website is realy slow and the new interface do not much help things. iStock is  slower than any other stocksite what I know. iStock doesent have good contributor management page. Everything is here and there at sixes and sevens.

These days iStock accepted all kinds of poor photos in to their library. Where is the good quality check?

All the decisions what iStock has made have done things only worse. iStock is ghost town these days if we compire what was it like 2010. Could iStock start doing things right that things would go better! Sales have just fallen month by month! I'm tired of this bad situation and I am not going to spend my time any more to growth my portfolio. It is waste of time!

We should make a petition that iStock restore to prices back what was it like 2012...restore that small to xxxlarge pricing!!!

http://www.sampletemplates.com/business-templates/petition-template.html