I just received the following email from Getty/IStock:

"One part of the Unification project is to move contributor tools from iStock.com to shared back office systems across Getty Images and iStock. Once Unification is complete towards the end of the year, you will have new tools available to you to view sales, download and account information, and upload content (DeepMeta and qHero will still be available as well).

In the meantime, between August 20th (or shortly thereafter) and until contributor tools are fully unified, there are some important changes to let you know about:
When you visit the ADP for one of your files, you will no longer see the �Manage File� toolbar.

Instead, you will be able to view your download history, number of views and number of downloads on your My Uploads page, located under Contributor Tools, as well as third-party applications where supported.
 
You will also be able to edit titles and descriptions from your My Uploads page (by selecting the file ID), as well as third-party applications where supported. Please note that select files may be �locked� for editing due to various SEO initiatives.

You will no longer be able to edit your keywords via iStock.com or other third-party applications once submitted. Please ensure that your files are properly prepared and edited prior to uploading them to iStock.com and note that the option to edit keywords after submission will be removed from third-party applications shortly, prior to August 20th. (The functionality for editing keywords may still appear on the file edit page, but it no longer supports updates to iStock.com. In fact, you may have already noticed that keyword updates are not being reflected on the ADP and/or do not surface in search results.)

Starting August 20th (or shortly thereafter), and after Unification, you will need to submit a request to deactivate a file. Please note that we will only consider deactivating files for legal or similar justifiable reasons as it provides a negative experience for customers when files are suddenly unavailable for license.

Once our systems are fully unified, you will not be able to edit your metadata (keywords, titles, descriptions) after submission. You can request metadata changes via the ticketing system, but these will be made at our discretion and only where the metadata could not reasonably have been entered correctly at the point of submission. We strongly encourage you to ensure your files are properly prepared and edited prior to uploading them to iStock.com..."

I find the whole email disturbing, but the bolded part (by me) is really scary. Am I reading this wrong, or won't it be possible in the future to control my files one by one (or only if IS/Getty deems the reasons to be "justifiable")?

...at Alamy, check it out 

Shouldn't we have been paid by now?

Or, to ask a different question: Has anyone received money from 123RF this month?

For anyone who is wondering why their editorials are in SS's queue forever, I just got the following e-mail laying down the law for future editorial submissions. I received this two weeks after I complained to support that my photos were in the queue for more than 20 days (more than 35 by now). I sent them what I had from the events in question but haven't heard back from them...

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Please follow the instructions below for your future submissions and make sure you follow the new procedures for every event you submit. This is simply an added layer of assurance for us as well as for yourselves that you are allowed to license the content appropriately.

Images submitted for editorial use that have been taken of the following require proof of credentials before they will accepted:
● Sporting events (including those taken at non�collegiate schools or recreational, non�professional events)
● Concerts
● Festivals
● Trade shows
● Theatrical performances (including those taken at school performances/theater)
● Conventions
● Openings
● Ticketed events

Credential requirements: Images shot at any event requiring credentials will only be accepted if the submission is accompanied with either of the following documents proving photographer credentials:

I. An event badge (a sticker will not suffice) that indicates your authorization to shoot the event and includes the following information:
1. the name of the event;
2. the date of the event; and
3. your name (if possible)

OR

II. Correspondence (e.g., email chain, letter) with the venue, performer�s management, or other authorized representative of the event having the authority to grant you credentials to shoot the
event. Such correspondence must include the following information:
1. the name of the event;
2. the date of the event (if not, then the date of the email);
3. your name;
4. the authorized representative�s name and company; and
5. the email must be sent from the representative�s company email account.
Please note that we will evaluate credentials on a case by case basis.

To submit images with credentials, please email [email protected].

Send the credentials to [email protected] and then wait for further instructions from us. We will review the credentials, determine if they are appropriate, and then reply asking you to submit your images with a note to the reviewer at Shutterstock. If your images are of a timely nature (i.e.: a big news or sporting event), add a note to the reviewer explaining this to us and send an email after you have successfully uploaded to [email protected]
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I just received the following e-mail from SS:

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Dear Ploink,

For your future editorial submissions that are taken at events, we will need credentials from the event organizers that allow you permission to take commercial photography at the event.  You can email these credentials to "[email protected]" prior to submitting your images.  Let us know if you have any additional questions.  Best Regards, Shutterstock Content Operations

If you have any questions, please contact support at [email protected]

Thank You.

--ShutterStock Support
----------------------

Anybody else got this? 

I just received this e-mail from my dear friends at Fotolia:

<<We've been hard at work for the last few months adding features to make the site more convenient for both contributors and artists. With this latest release, we're also revising our subscription plans to align with what's happening in the marketplace. As a result, prices and commissions have been adjusted accordingly. Please see details here. Here are some of the highlights:

- To streamline the product offering for customers, we've merged standard and premium subscriptions into one product.
- Vectors now count as 1 download in subscription plans
- HD videos are no longer available in subscription plans, but web resolution videos are available, and count as 5 downloads.

We encourage you to create and upload HD quality videos to maximize your revenue stream. That's because HD resolution videos will only be available for purchase through the credits system.

Amongst the features you'll find in this latest version of Fotolia are powerful search faceting and filtering, which will allow customers to find the latest and greatest content, faster than ever before.

Fotolia contributors have contributed over 14 million images to date, and we look forward to you continued support in our collective quest to become the #1 stock photo agency in the world.

Sincerely,
Team Fotolia>>

The link to new commissions is here: Click

I haven't found out what the "streamlined" subscriptions are worth...

Edit: Darn, beaten by seconds -   and jm73

Edited again: Okay, now i got it: These are the new subscription prices - wow, lowered the standard prices and removed the "premium subscriptions" altogether. Way to go, Fotolia!

Is it just me, or is Dreamstime down (I'm on a Mac with Safari)?