Sean is 100% right.  "Royalty Free" images are in essence just "Rights Managed" images with a VERY broad license.  You're saying "You can use this file where ever you want, under certain conditions" which is still managing them.

Poster above is getting confused about photographic exclusivity arrangements.

Traditionally, when it all kicked off, rights managed images were generally cheaper than royalty free because you were paying for LESS rights.  Then it all went tits up somewhere along the lines - I think with the advent of the photo disc type collections.

I'm not making up my own rules, but if you like, I'll put what I've said on my website.  Would you believe it then, since it's on a website instead of a forum?

... and I'll use the Alamy page as "proof"
http://www.alamy.com/help/stock-photography-licensing.asp

Non-exclusive:
    *  The buyer pays a licence fee each time they use the image, but another buyer can also purchase and use the image under the same licence.
    * The buyer must specify, each time: intended use, media, territory and duration.
    * Pricing is based on intended use, media, duration and territory. The territorial pricing will be matched to the specific country.

Nothing at all about knowing the history, or guaranteeing the history or anything.  Nope.  At it's simplest, RM is selling an image for a specified use.  Kind of like renting a car.

I also see nowhere on Photoshelter that guarantees knowledge of an image's history.

Oh, by the way, here's a bit from Getty:
"Rights-managed products are licensed on a use-by-use basis. The fee for using the product is calculated from several factors including size, placement, duration of use and geographic distribution. At the time you order a rights-managed product, you will be asked to submit information that will specify the usage rights to be granted. You can use our price calculator or contact a sales representative to determine an exact price."

Except, please note: "Exclusive rights are available for purchase for some rights-managed products."  So, on some RM, exclusivity can be guaranteed.  That's an extra service, see?

And here.

Mind you, I haven't had any sales for days there, I've been wondering if something was up.  Someone said yesterday it's harder to buy a file now they've changed the layout.

Personally, from my own research, I think the market for editorial work is better in traditional stock.

Many editorial photos will only sell a few times before they are out of date, and if they are truely newsworthy you'll get more money with a traditional agency.

I would be curious if there is anyone out there that has gone exclusive and then opted back out at Istock.  It seems that anyone that goes exclusive stays exclusive, which seems to speak for itself.

I went exclusive and then opted out.  Exclusivity wasn't for me, at that time.

Things are changing though.  Shutterstock is seriously losing footing for me at the moment - my main competition to iStock.  Also hopefully in September I will be heading off into the forces, so I'll be looking to just stay with one or two sites, and I'm seriously considering the possibility of going exclusive to istock just to keep my current portfolio earning, but focusing entirely on uploading RM to the big boys.

I too wish there was an option for image exclusivity.  And no, the business cards aren't worth it.  I'm so ashamed of mine, the crop was done badly.

I think I'll go to NY and buy it from there. I'll get a free ticket and some money to spend there if I buy the equipment there. The prices are almost the same, only that we pay in euros

You don't get a full warranty when you buy from abroad...

Today same story - 1 sale so far (normaly should be at least 15 by afternoon). Plunged even further - 169 rank. lol!

Here is an idea - what do you think we make a petition at petitiononline.com and if many users sign it (including some emerald members) we will email it to Fotolia Mangement and perhaps they reverse search relevance order as it was before 1st may? What do you think about that?

Noooooo!  My sales have picked up since May 1st!  Keep it how it is!

It strikes me that if you don't know anything about audio production, then perhaps you shouldn't be looking to make money off of it?

If you think it's something that you would enjoy then why not take classes in it or take it up as a hobby for a while before thinking about submitting?

I can't wait to get into iStockAudio, my qualifications are in Music Technology, Physics and Maths, so this is right up my street!

Shame I won't be around for a good few months from September!

I charge considerably more, and I sell them under a rights managed license.  Check out Alamy for some ideas of fees.

What sort of a situation are you in?

If it's family members or friends, tell them you'll buy them a beer in return for them signing.  (I have an easy going social circle!)

If it's a professional model, they will expect to sign a release.

If it's a person you don't know, think long and hard.  I wouldn't sell RF pictures of someone I didn't know.

Perhaps it's different for the Getty spec shooters, because an acquaintance of mine from when I was an assistant in a studio never had to register with the US government.  Perhaps they pay their spec shooters something other than "royalties".

Whatever.  I think I'll support the British agencies for now. 

Because they are the only one to follow US laws, LOL!!!

I really don't understand what the problem is here.  You make money, you have to pay taxes, end of story.  Photoshelter is a US based company and it falls under US laws.

30% is just the default tax rate if you don;' take the time to fill out the IRS form.  As explained on their website, most countries have a Tax Treaty with US and the wthholding rate is actually very low, 0 to 10% on average depending on which country you live in, see table at: http://www.ofii.org/docs/Withholding_Rates.pdf

Well, that's all well and good.  But the form can take around 18 months to go through to US government and you can only put it through once you've sold a file there.  You have three months from the date of sale to claim the money back, so essentially for up to 15 months, you're being cheated out of money.

I phoned the accountant in the family, and he told me NOT to fill the form in and NOT to go with that company.  He said that the US shouldn't be keeping any of the money because as a contributor/freelance artist artist to the company and NOT an employee, I'm responsible for paying my own taxes in MY OWN country of residence.  He said that the US get their taxes from the 30% of the money that I'm not paid, and that in this situation, Photoshelter should NOT be withholding that money.

The Tax Treaty apparently should not apply in this situations, and is primarily designed for those working and living in the US under contract but having their primary residence somewhere else in the world.  Basically, if I went and working for Microsoft in the states on a temporary visa, I would pay 30% taxes on my pay each month to the US government, because that covers my temporary right to be there - my police, fire service, roads, other public services.  It's the US's way of making sure I'm paying for myself while I'm there.  If I was there for longer, then I would apply to the government to NOT pay that 30%, but to get a social security number or whatever you guys have, so that I could pay normal taxes.  It's like emergency tax.  It doesn't apply to those who aren't actually working in the US.  Therefore, because I am not residing in the US then I do not need to pay the 30% and I do not need to apply under the tax treaty.

DISCLAIMER: This is what my relative told me who is an accountant in London.  He says he's dealt with a similar situation before with a musician.

Does anyone here submit to Fotolibra?  I'm seriously contemplating buying the �6 a month membership and uploading all my grandfathers slides, negs and prints.

Any thoughts?

More importantly any sales?

I'd really like to support them, being a British / Welsh company and all that.  It would be nice to see earnings in my own currency!

It is not unusal for an image to be considered by a buyer for weeks, and if it does not fit in the final product, there is a chance of the image being returned.

Just wanted to highlight this point.

Last week I made a good rights managed sale to a designer.  He downloaded the comp from an agency this time last year.  It took his client a year to decide that they wanted to go ahead with the campaign.