Being exclusive with iStock for 7 years, I'm also curious about the answers. Is it better to go indie with all other agencies? Subs are going up, which can't make up for the low credit downloads yet, and it's a long long way to go...

I just have this feeling about iStockphoto during recent year or so. I am wondering if it make sense to upload new vectors on iStock at all? I mean they have most horrible uploading mechanism among all microstock websites, longest approval period, permanent technical problems on the website and what is most important - constantly decreasing number of downloaded files. It seems like wasting of time for me - contributing for iStock.

Any thoughts or feelings about that, guys?


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Toonstyle.com - Unusual Cartoon Style Vector Stock Images

It's getting worse month by month, I'll either quit exclusivity or focus on design projects.

Quote from: Holmes on October 21, 2014, 18:55

Quote from: Shelma1 on October 21, 2014, 11:56

I think they should sit down and talk to a bunch of the clients who are defecting and ask them what they can do to make things right. Stop tossing pasta at the wall to see what sticks, to put it very nicely. I hate to see them collapse, but honestly all it means for me, as an indie, is that those sales move elsewhere. SS earnings are now up 32% for me over this time last year.

They have conducted tons of surveys and research and even had Yuri fly in and advise them -- and they STILL MESS IT UP...

And it's so easy to get things right, all you have to do is sit down and think through how your customers and suppliers will react to a change. If the reaction is going to be positive you're on to a winner if it's going to be negative you're going down the drain. If you think it through like that, then when your new MBA-holding manager rushes in and says "Hey boss, I've just worked out that if we double the prices and halve the commissions we'll make  four times as much money" you don't swoon with delight over the brilliance of the conception and award the MBA an annual bonus, you kick her up the backside and tell her to get real.
I once met a high-flying business consultant who had worked in Margaret Thatcher's private office. She told me that the secret of consultancy was to get people to tell you what everybody in the business already knew and then tell it back to the boss, who knew it anyway but didn't like it and wasn't willing to listen to anybody else who told him.  It does seem that ever since Bruce left wishful-thinking management has been in place, and the only thing being listened to is "we can squeeze them here", "they won't notice if we do a deal behind their backs", "we can hide the true percentage we'll pay them like this", "the customers will swallow the price rise...", "they've got nothing to gain by quitting if we cut commissions" ....

Exactly!!!

Yeah, you're probably right about that.

Another thing iStock hasn't mentioned yet is if they're gonna change the RC targets. The targets used to be higher for vector artists because our images are usually sold for a higher price than photos, but now everything will cost the same... and yet we have to sell for 55000 credits to reach 35% while the photographers only have to sell for 35000 credits. Hopefully that will change when they announce the new RC targets though... just wish they could have presented those new targets now instead of letting us wait.

Another thing that's worrying is that "previous Vetta and E+S+ images will have strong search positioning"... I don't have a single file in those collections. So the really complex former Vetta vectors will now be in top of the searches, and at the same price as everything else...

So to be able to compete from now on, everybody will have to create Vetta quality vectors... and sell them for for a measly 24-45 bucks...

They haven't fixed the bugs let alone come up with new RC targets, only good thing is that they've locked it for 2014 so nobody will drop in 2015.

I have few vetta illustrations in my port but I think I'm gonna deactivate some of them since they're gonna devaluate, might as well turn these files into prints and other products, and sell them elsewhere. Whether or not we the contributors are gonna create and upload more complex, Vetta type of illustrations really depends on the sales and royalties rate. What's the point of spending so much time and effort to create a masterpiece and sell it cheaply at the same time not getting much sales?

There are some exclusive vector artists who really target and rely on Vetta sales, more than 50% of their port consist of Vetta illustrations. Imagine what's gonna happen to their income after the change? It looks like to me that it's just another way to further slash the payout to contributors.

I think I'm on the brink of putting down the crown or might as well let it die and focus on design projects, unless there is miracle~

I'm an exclusive vector artist at iStock, and I have no idea what to expect from these changes. Luckily I have mostly 15 credit files, and they will cost about the same after these changes, except for people who buy the most expensive credit packs. So hopefully my files will still sell.

The price difference between non-exclusive and exclusive material is my biggest concern... that can't be good for us exclusives. You can get a super complex, big set of design elements from the Essential collection for 8-15 dollars, while one single icon from Signature will cost 24-45 dollars.

iStock always brag so much about their exclusive content, like it's automatically so much better than the non-exclusive. Which it isn't. The quality standards are exactly the same. You don't need to be extra talented or pass some tests to become exclusive. So I wonder if buyers are really willing to pay so much extra for exclusive material...

I'm getting very close (income-wise) to the point where it's not worth being exclusive any longer, so this change will be critical for me. It could either push me out of exclusivity, or boost my income and make me stay... I guess we will be able to tell quite quickly once the change is implemented.

I'm one of the exclusive vector artists too, and agree with what you said above. If iS still care about exclusive artists, they should just sell everything with same price, promote exclusive contents in the search results and pay exclusive artists more.

It's like worst months after worst months after wo...... . .  .   .    .    .

My recent weekly stat looks like my daily stat in the good old days... Can't find a word to describe that feeling.

New files will basically "disappear" after 1 or 2 downloads, uploading is getting meaningless, so now I'm taking design projects again~

Just Joined iStock - Should I stay or Should I go know?

Stay as non-exclusive

Quote from: runeer on February 26, 2014, 12:16

Yes, I'm still iS exclusive, sales still going down, the website is still full of bugs, landing pages haven't been updated for weeks...
and I'm back to agency to take up projects XD

Quote

So, I have to ask... why are you still exclusive then?

Sorry. I'm just kind of tired of these posts complaining about exclusivity. It's been years, several years actually, of this company taking shots at exclusives, lowering pay, reducing/removing benefits, making it harder and harder to earn, etc. And now you're taking on extra work to make up the difference?

Erm... I wasn't complaining actually (sorry if I sounded I did :-p), things can't get any worse at iStock especially for exclusive artists. I'm kinda numb with it now... But I have to admit that I've been a "frog in the boiling water", no one to blame but myself XD

While finding words to describe how I or us (most exclusives I've talked to) feel, I saw this very good reply from another fellow istock exclusive:

"My sales are so low now that it may be worth going back to independent. The problem is that it's impossible to predict how much the income would drop here at iStock... and I have no idea how the other agencies are doing nowadays, so maybe they wouldn't compensate for the lower income from iStock.

Going independent and then make even less money than I am now would be pretty depressing... "

That pretty much sums up my (or us) feeling now.

I just don't get it. I guess some people just like to stand in the rain and complain about the weather.

Well, before making up my mind to drop the crown and start anew as independent, taking projects from clients and agencies like I used to is the immediate way out. Some of the exclusives I've talked to are still holding on, creating and uploading like no tomorrow trying to make up for the declining sales, some stopped uploading for more than a year and doing something else already, and few finally dropped their crown and feeling dreadful to upload to multiple sites.

Knock knock... anyone in the iHQ? 

Considering this was my dropping-crown-year, I think it was a decent one. Sales weren�t great, and I would like some other site to step up and get closer to IS and SS sales.
On the bright side, I�ve managed to learn a lot about the rest of the agencies... also, I like to think my skills improved a bit, and finally, got my symbiostock site, so I have great hopes for 2014.

Is it worthwhile to drop the crown and uploading to multiple agencies?

My sales are down quite a bit.  The most discouraging thing is the low performance of new files. I'm still uploading in reasonable numbers but sales on new images are fairly rare.

Is this a vector market trend or iStock only problem? Is iStock getting too crowded or losing too many customers, or both??

2013 was good. I did a little worse than 2012 in total revenue. I grew at some sites and shrunk or eliminated others, so it was sort of a transitional year. I'm looking to 2014 to be a big growth year, so I guess that will be the real test.

*oops wrong quote
Michele, have you been exclusive to iStock before, or you've been exclusive to none all the while?

Currently exclusive to iStock