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Messages - Pauws99

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26
General Stock Discussion / Re: European Union suing Apple
« on: May 06, 2021, 02:17 »
The European Commission said the tech giant was in breach of its rules by charging high commission fees in its App Store.

Could this be the thin end of the wedge, and help the Microstock creative sector fight back against the likes of Shutterstock and Getty.

Yeah, fight while ignoring the law of unintended consequences, which is teaching us that a potential royalty increase, definitely passed on to end-consumers, will lead to a price increase, then to a reduction in sales, and very likely, to a global earning reduction.

So... as they say, be careful what you wish for...  ;)
Its not definite that Royalty increases will be passed on...many industries absorb cost increases and maintain prices to consumers to retain or grow market share....thats how the market you keep talking about works.

27
Shutterstock.com / Re: Anyone get paid (April)from SS yet?
« on: May 06, 2021, 00:39 »
Not yet

28
Interesting read

To be honest Alamy and Adobe have both knocked that turd shitterstock in to the long grass for months now.

Alamy is always 1st now then Adobe 2nd and shittystock now a dismal 3rd (they used to be far and away 1st above all others) .  ...
as someone said:  Proof of this statement? - or is just your ONE datapoint? alamy barely shows up on the monthly poll

I know this is hard for you but do try to keep up  ::)

My datapoint is just that a single datapoint unlike the sweeping generalization based on nothing more than supposition.
  Data or rather a statement from a single user is completely useless though. If you look at SSs published figures which are audited and would land them in deep trouble if they were wrong its clear that despite what people would love to believe they are doing ok. I know its hard for you but wishing it were otherwise is a waste of energy. https://investor.shutterstock.com/news-releases/news-release-details/shutterstock-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2020-financial

29
Shutterstock.com / Re: Shutterstock just became iStock 2.0
« on: April 19, 2021, 00:52 »
I wonder who's gonna be iStock v3.0?

Fast forward to April 2021 and Adobe have just thrown their hat in the ring for that title  ;D
Why do you say that?

30
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: April 10, 2021, 01:43 »
The value of anything is what someone is prepared to pay for it. If someone can't make a profit from that then indeed if its their living they should do something else. It is true that if huge numbers of people stopped submitting to free or microstock sites and withdrew images then the value would increase. There is simply no evidence that this is happening.  Just as with books the market for images has many segments which will fare differently. I can get a copy of Nicholas Nickleby for 1.50. A first edition is several hundred pounds. Microstock is a market for low production cost or mass appeal simple images for emphemeral marketing/blog purposes. If you are producing expensive ultra high quality images that are in demand then selling them on Mstock is the equivalent of selling first edition books in a car boot sale.

31
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: April 08, 2021, 00:32 »
There have always been crazes now more than ever maybe https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/the-viral-sea-shanty-trend-sweeping-tiktok-we-explain-the-phenomenon/. These are short lived and by the time most people have jumped on the band wagon they are on the way out.

yes, the classical music fad is fading after 400+ years (Bach - Glass)!  (i do take your point tho)

as yogi said, "nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded"
Gorecki....symphony no3. Lisztomania.

32
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: April 06, 2021, 01:51 »
There have always been crazes now more than ever maybe https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/the-viral-sea-shanty-trend-sweeping-tiktok-we-explain-the-phenomenon/. These are short lived and by the time most people have jumped on the band wagon they are on the way out.

33
Shutterstock.com / Re: Worst month on shutterstock
« on: April 04, 2021, 11:47 »
Hard to believe that people from the western EU could move to the USA, sounds weird. Maybe from the new eastern countries do, because they move to Germany, UK, France and Spain too. But in a few years (15 or 20) they will not need to move anymore, that is the good thing about the EU and the reason why all these countries want to be in. With all our s.h.it the countries are constantly improving.

Can't imagine why a british or a french could prefer the USA to his own country. It's not possible in my opinion.

(no offense, none of the americans would change their country for another one)
If you are succesful and talented the US has lots to offer. If you are ill or disabled not so much. For the affluent the US has a great lifestyle.

34
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: April 04, 2021, 11:44 »
Folk music is not coming back  ;),
It never went away, and it's thriving, at least here.
E.g. the Celtic Connections festival in Gasgow has been growing by the year and their virtual series this year was hugely popular, and of course attracted a much more international audience than can usually attend physically.
As with many towns we have a regular Folk club in normal times....I wouldn't say people are flocking but it has a decent regular following.

35
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: April 04, 2021, 10:48 »
I can't agree about Folk music. Live music as a face to face experience will always have a following I think and Folk music especially as an "authentic" experience. Before lockdown some artists were making a small living by playing private gigs in people's houses. Things that can't be mass replicated on the internet will do well  which is why if I wanted to make a living at photography I'd be looking at workshops/coaching/events rather than web based activities...other than marketing. If you have good interpersonal skills and live in a photogenic location it seems you can charge very good money to "teach" photography which with todays equipment is hardly challenging.

36
Shutterstock.com / Re: Worst month on shutterstock
« on: April 04, 2021, 06:57 »
Immigration from the EU? Does it exist?

Of course it does they all moved to the UK  ::)
In fact a lot of Eastern Europeans are now returning to Poland etc. Since the UK left the EU there has been little immigration. Theres a lot of movement between countries within the EU.

37
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: April 03, 2021, 00:59 »
Books are physical entities you can download a lot of kindle books for free and there are other sites that allow the download many "classics". People seek out individual authors or books. This only applies to a tiny number of photographers so I don't think its a very parallel comparison. People also pay to have their books published.

Okay, have it your way. There is zero hope and anyone who gives a reason why there might be is wrong because you desire that everything they say to the contrary to be wrong because you want it that way, and will dig as deep as you need to to find a way to argue about it.  Geez! Some people's children! ROFL!
Wishing the world was different doesn't make it so.

38
Shutterstock.com / Re: Worst month on shutterstock
« on: April 02, 2021, 13:42 »
Does anybody know how we can apply for reviewer job on SS, now when americans are gone? Is there a link you can point me to?
https://careers.shutterstock.com/  Whether the assertion that any reviewers in America were got rid of is true is questionable in my view without actual evidence.

39
Shutterstock.com / Re: Worst month on shutterstock
« on: April 02, 2021, 04:48 »

People always vote with their feet when deciding where life is better. ...
Agreed and here are the actual numbers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_net_migration_rate

USA comes in below Germany, Sweden, UK, Norway, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Great Britain, Denmark and on and on. A large number of immigrants to the US are fleeing problems in South America, as in the US is not a virtual war zone and can be reached on foot, as opposed to going there because it is the land of milk and honey. For the same reason as a lot of middle eastern countries that are not at war are at at the top of the table. It is more to do with instability forcing people to flee to the best nearest option. It's not like most poor South American refugees and asylum seekers have the option of fleeing to a European country.
The irony being that those in Central America are fleeing from Countries whose problems are largely caused by US activities.

40
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: April 01, 2021, 01:16 »
Books are physical entities you can download a lot of kindle books for free and there are other sites that allow the download many "classics". People seek out individual authors or books. This only applies to a tiny number of photographers so I don't think its a very parallel comparison. People also pay to have their books published.

41
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: March 29, 2021, 01:52 »
like any non-fungible, it's worth what someone will pay for it - what's the intrinsic value of an oil-stained canvas? why is it worth more if Picasso applied the oil[paint] to the canvas?

most photos are worth less because they're now commodities in the context of buyers of stock.  it's not that stockagencies are giving artists so little (a different discussion but one that many keep conflating), it's that the worth of photos has declined precipitously - in the 70s-80 agencies sold  images for $300-1000+ for the same purposes they're  used now when they only cost  $1


I think its a bit more than that. While I agree with what you say, I also think that the idea of selling your Picasso for the same price, and in the same place, as my 30 second breakfast eggs photoshoot was and continues to be a contributor to the decline.

I wonder if a hybrid would work? I remember back in the day my ideal agency had tiers, where the better the work (subjective and hard to measure, I know) the higher the sell price. I wonder if some agency will simply have a permanent free section where the vast majority of product is exactly that. All the stuff every shooter starts out with and doesn't cost extra to produce.

It would give artists something to aim for, increasing their quality and creativity to a point where it generates earnings. Much as I love this industry and have for the past 15 plus years, so much of the collections are, in my opinion (and including some of my own stuff), not even worth the 1-10 cents that are charged for them. It could also train buyers into recognizing that quality should cost more, compete with the free agencies already out there, and maybe get some of those talented people onboard to sell work instead of giving it away...

I know, pipe dream..

Edit: Oooh, and do a plan like 10-5-1. Ten freebies, 5 paid, 1 Premium, all for the low low price of xxx. That way you don't have harvesters soaking up all the free stuff.
You have a point but its in the hands of artists to choose their sales channels. If you can get your painting in an art gallery you wouldn't be selling others on a street corner as the value would plummet.

42
General Stock Discussion / Re: Reviewers Please read
« on: March 28, 2021, 11:03 »
Why did that reviewer reject $$$? If they don't want their cut, I am happy to take it!

Reasons for rejection: storage space, upholding the overall quality standard of their collection, preventing oversupply.
And if you're so happy to keep their cut to yourself, all you need to do it sell it on your own website. Good luck getting traffic and paying customers, though.
I'm not aware any Microstock site rejects images for those reasons these days unless the quality is extremely poor. I used to get LCV rejections from a few, normally images that went on to sell elsewhere.

43
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: March 27, 2021, 02:44 »
The question I rarely see these days is, given the over supply of quality images, plus the growing popularity of free sites is this:

What is a photo actually worth these days? And why?
In the end its worth what people will pay for it. There are many factors in this mostly unrelated to any definitions of "quality" a photogragpher might give it. Supply and demand is the bottom line....if you have the first image of a Martian walking into the Whitehouse "quality" is immaterial. Also how much it cost is only relevant in so far as it affects supply. If I spend 10,000 flying to get a picture of a Polar Bear it doesn't make the image worth more than one by someone who got one walking into his garden. I've long felt in terms of what might be considered standard stock anyone thinking this will generate a retirement income for more than 5 years is optimistic. The photographers reputation at the top end is also hugely important.

44
General Stock Discussion / Re: Our dream agency!
« on: March 25, 2021, 13:42 »
I've long thought one of the many weaknesses of agencies is the data they provide us with. This proves they could do much better.

45
Surely the thing to do is ask Shutterstock rather than trying to guess. The site looks legit but it seems no one here knows.

46
<<< name one high paying agency as there are none around anymore.


so why all the vitriol spent on SS when 'everbodys doing it'?
I would say its particularly irksome when they do it because they don't really need to and as market leaders they set the trends.

47
As a "part timer/hobbyist" I am rarely producing any new content but still unploading to the usual suspects when I do. Actually this month is showing signs of picking up and overall my income has not declined as much as I deserve considering my lack of effort. In the UK we are still not allowed out of our local area when we are I think I might do a bit more of stuff I enjoy.

48
Good photos sell, bad photos don't...I have good photo's from 15 years ago that sell today and bad photos that never sell. I have bad photos that I shot yesterday that most likely will never sell. Most of us know what is good and most likely will sell. I still make good walking around money from stock. I still have fun with stock. When the magic of a good photo happens it always puts a smile on my face. It is really easy to shot bad photos and really hard to shot good one... We all became photographers to show our work to the world. That is what stock dose , you just might publish ever once in a while a good photo to the world. I am a photographer and will always be a photographer, how about you....
In Microstock the definition of a "good photo" is something that sells nothing else.......

49
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: March 23, 2021, 02:21 »
The only reason why one of the two would buy each other is to eliminate competition. Now, I'm anything but an economist, but from my point of view both of them seem be too big to buy, and there's no real benefit or added value for them as both are more or less doing the same. None of them needs extra content, they are fed more than they need.

What I do see happening is Getty/Istock or Shutterstock buying a company or startup that actually has something to offer.
This can be a technology (AI?) or a userbase (social media or creative software) with strong engagement towards images and video's covering trends outside regular stock.
Shutterstock quite frequently acquire businesses mostly leading to failure. Remember "Flash Stock"? I would expect them to continue to invest/gamble on newly emerging companies.

50
Shutterstock.com / Re: Will Getty buy Shutterstock?
« on: March 22, 2021, 07:40 »
This is really just a thought, all these moves by Oringer smack of cashing in, shareholders, commission cuts and really now he has shown his hand, I don't expect these commission cut to release as much cash as he wants.

So what are the alternatives for him?
Shutterstock are in a very healthy financial position despite any wishful thinking otherwise. A more plausable question would be "What are Shutterstock going to acquire next"? They have liquid assets of over $400m.

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