It's likely buyers have shifted over to Pond 5. Seems like a large number of us have gone exclusive there for the 60% commissions and ability to set your own pricing.

This will be related to the problems at Shutterstock and their refusal to negotiate with their contributors.

Find out more on the Crafted Shutter videos on YouTube - he has a good handle on this.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwoU327B927MD49NNf16gxw

Then head over to The Stock Coalition and join up. www.stockcoalition.org

Sorry if sales are down at SS - but * you are going to make so much more at Pond 5 and Adobe if we all keep this up.

The Stock Coalition site beta is now live. Please head over to the front page and join up on the membership form. Thanks for all of those who have submitted images. Please bear with us as we add more images to the front page slider and build a gallery for all of them.

Thanks also to those who have seen the site already and pointed out errors or constructive criticism. It's been a very busy few days so I've not got back to anyone or had much time for fixes. I will send on our site developer for fixing though. If you do experience any problems, please email us directly at [email protected].

https://stockcoalition.org/

Saturday, 20 June, 2020 � In what appears to be yet another example of big tech stifling free speech, Facebook has gagged an Inside Imaging journalist�s article relating to a media industry organisation, The Stock Coalition, and their call for artists and media buyers to boycott online creative stock giant Shutterstock, after the New York-based agency cut contributor compensation to as low as $0.10 per download.

Media industry specialist online title, Inside Imaging picked up a press release issued by The Stock Coalition this week, and journalist William Shipton approached the organisation for further comment.

In his article, Mr Shipton asserted that �Shutterstock is waiting for all of this to blow over. And while the backlash was likely expected, it�s doubtful Shutterstock�s new management, including recently-appointed CEO Stan Pavlovsky, anticipated contributors would form a lobby group.� Mr Shipton further balanced his article with comment from a representative from a competing agency, Dreamstime.

Yet mysteriously, almost as soon as the piece was published, Facebook placed a gag on sharing the news article. Reader, Elijah Lovkoff, provided a screenshot of a message from Facebook that read: �Your message couldn�t be sent because it includes content that other people on Facebook have reported as abusive.� Stock Coalition representatives from around the world soon began reporting the same problem.

More here: https://stockcoalition.org/2020/06/20/facebook-gags-industry-article-on-shutterstock-shutdown/

Quote from: beketoff on June 16, 2020, 07:07

Quote from: Shelma1 on June 16, 2020, 04:56

It�s now clear to me that when we opted out of DPC Shutterstock bought boycottshutterstock.com and immediately set about doing whatever they could to limit damage contributors could inflict to their numbers. That�s why they were so obsessed with building a huge library without a care for quality.

What's the story about this boycottshutterstock.com domain? It's funny that it redirects to the main Shutterstock homepage instead of showing some neutral placeholder not connected to SS itself.

Yes...Shutterstock bought the domain and pointed it to the Shutterstock site so contributors couldn't buy it.

Good grief. I had no idea until reading this post that they did that. What kind of paranoid lunatic buys that domain thinking the world is out to get them?

Website is in beta and not officially really launched. will check this.

Thanks for the heads up. Our next PR will get even more traction, I'm sure. The coalition is gathering here for now: https://www.facebook.com/groups/261369748434285/

I would really like to help the cause although i am a pessimist.
Consider this constructive critisism.
You launched a campaign online without a frontpage.
No images. No logo. No, that is not a logo, sorry. Don't ask for image donations.
Contact some contributors with well known and used imagery.
Clients must find somethign familiar to identify with.
Even if it is "common" isolated or "fake" smiles. This is stock after all.
Ask for hosted posts from known or large contributors.
What was the person that deleted 150000 images? Interview him.
Catch my eye, give me a reading. Tease me.
Make a card other than red no 10 cent sign.
Yes we now strike but we are creatives, a beautiful image a catchy slogan whatever.
Have you ever thought that the shareholder gets 7cents more per item than you this month?
There you go.
Future forums bells and whistles mean nothing without visitors.
It is a site for microstockers but as everything must first be client oriented.
Best of luck CommuniCat. Hope to join someday.

Oh and please, don't treat us as friends. Friends ask for favours.
Define clearly what will our relationship be and how we take part in desicions.

You have some very good ideas. I hope you join someday too.

Yes, that is right. Our server is at Xneelo in Germany, but the build is being done in South Africa.

What you are looking at is a holding page. It even reads "Website" in bold followed by "Our community website is currently under construction."

As I mentioned to someone else, we can make a much prettier holding page - but that would take resources away from the actual task of a rapid-build website for the community.

The subtle changes were made to the live press release, not the holding page.

The Stock Coalition has now grown to 3418 group members on Facebook and has new members joining all the time.

Thanks for your participation and contribution to the effort so far.

In the meantime, join the conversation here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/261369748434285/

The "stock coalition" would be better served by fleshing out their website, listing goals, members, etc.  Because it comes across as "some guy made bought a domain and is pretending to speak for everyone".  That it has "joined the call"  comes off as somewhat meaningless.

Some of your comments have now been addressed with some minor changes. Although to be fair, the call to boycott SS was a community action before the group officially endorsed it. So while we could make ourselves look better by saying it was our idea all along, it would not be factually accurate. Better-positioned or not, I don't think that's the way to act for the community.

Excellent! How will it be distributed?

We have full bulk distribution up and running on the site already. We have also asked for those in the community to share titles and email addresses of media that we can distribute to.

I ask the same here. We are looking for photography, design and marketing-related titles.

We are looking for volunteers to scour the net for appropriate titles and journalists that may cover this kind of news worldwide. Please supply the title and email address if you can.

This is what our team has accomplished in five days:

- Purchased and set up a domain for community
- Installed the necessary CMS and themes
- Procured images from the community for use on the site
- Built the first pages and look and feel (first drat to organisation steering committee ETA close of business tomorrow)
- Installed a fully-functional forum system. (Testing now, ETA for review by the team also tomorrow).
- We ETA the first site launch by close of business on Wednesday (just one week after we took this on)
- Drafted, approved and published the organisation's first press release
- It would be very helpful if those that can assist could help us with finding journalists and titles as above
- The next time we sent out a press release, the distribution should be fully automated

What is far more likely is that all the other agencies follow suit, reducing the overall value and spend on stock globally to the point where it's no longer commercially sustainable. Right now the only thing protecting you and your portfolio of images from that happening are a bunch of other contributors brave enough to take a stand.

While you are probably right, I feel it's important to win people over by addressing their concerns and objections directly.

We are a suspicious bunch because we have all been screwed over before. I understand that.

But we won't win widespread support by alienating people and their concerns. Each public concern is a valid concern because maybe a few others feel the same way too. Your most difficult customer is often your best customer because if you can win them over, you know that all the rest are pretty much satisfied with your efforts.