This whole thing is just one more step with the integration into Getty. This step seems to be putting iS images onto the Getty servers (for "unification" as they call it). Efficiency is the corporate buzzword when combining companies. Unification is efficiency in this case. Another step is to make it a Getty collection and remove the iS web site. With the removal of descriptions, recent locking of edits and deletions, I think they want to make this just a "clip art" collection. It will be further linked to many external web sites and photo outlets. Anything with specific details are no longer of their interest in this collection.

I do not have images on SS. However, I have had numerous contacts over the last 13 years which originated from a viewer of my photos in a microstock site. For example:
- Humane Society wanted to be sure my animals in a live trap were a real capture and not a staged shot (internal rules of use). A few images were sold via microstock site that otherwise would not have sold.
- Buyer wanted slightly customized image backgrounds which I could provide because I had the Photoshop files with the clipped images already. About 20 customized images came out of this deal not at microstock prices.
- Travel site wanted to confirm my skylines were current and included any recent construction. Good for a few images I suspect.
- Saw my microstock images and wanted custom travel and tourism shots for a city related book. Made a good deal on 6 images that ended up in the book. Additional later sales as stock images followed.

So I think contact info is a good thing if allowed. There is the occasional inquiry that won't like your pricing quotes. They are expecting custom work at microstock prices so have your defensive arguments ready.

I am in about the same position. iS Exc since about 2004. I don't have an answer but wish I did. I'm at 30% so I figure I would lose a significant portion of an (decreasing) income. My dilemma is that I suspect many of the big push of files i submitted in 2003-2005 may not be of size and quality for submission to other agencies today. So loss of percentage is not my only concern in spreading out non-ex files.

Quote from: StanRohrer on June 04, 2016, 07:51

Interesting to note, that even with all the subs and low priced apparent sales, my income per sale calculation shows a steady rise. Now running in the $10 per sale range. It had risen to the $4 range in late 2010, fallen to $3 in late 2011, and started moving up again. I'm iS Exclusive at 30%.

I am not sure but I have a feeling that you are looking at the wrong numbers somehow. As subs and partner downloads (so basically all the cheap ones) are being reported with a month delay, it seems easy to only see the average regular sale. My partner is also still exclusive with iStock at the 40% level but her average download value has dropped to $3 this year (from $4 last year and $12 in 2013).

I couldn't see a reason why your average sale would still be in the $10 range as with the exception of EL's and the very few large GI Sales, the $10 is what you can get for single image sales but all subs are paying only $0.75/2.50, so the average must be lower than $10.

(yeah, for the record: $3 average per sale is still four times more than what I make as a non-exclusive in microstock, so iStock exclusives are still at an advantage despite all the negative changes)

My Credits income runs roughly $7.80 - $9.90. PP sales are a lot of $.40 via Thinkstock but I get the occasional Getty sale: $2.82, $17.50, $15.00, $15.29, in recent months. The occasional GI sales ($78.33, $44.77, $2.00, $2.00 $60.00) can help out the averages.  I get the usual Subs at $.34 - $.75 but with fairly regular $2.50 thrown in. It's been over 3 months without an Extended License. But during the prior year I've had a few months with $50 each and one at $126.

So I may have to go back and check my spreadsheet calculations (I've found errors before) but I expect they are on track. Maybe I miss-stated the reading of my charts. I'm not at the charts at this moment so that will have to be later.

Hmmm.... Using the iS charts for 2015, dividing total income by total downloads I get $3.37 per download.

I've often wondered where is the break point to exit iS Exclusivity and spread independently across multiple sites. Your 4x comment helps me noodle those considerations. I'm afraid some of my older stuff may not be of quality to pass inspections today - even though it still sells.

Quote from: fotoVoyager on June 03, 2016, 12:30

I'm down 50% from 2013 too.

I can't imagine what the plan is for Exclusivity, other than the current one of slowly suffocating it until it becomes meaningless. I'm betting they'll put the knife in come September, making it attractive only to a very few token insiders and occasional contributors who know no better.

This is the big question, what will they do when they finally address the long time obsolete "RC system". If they really do think exclusive content is important and IF they are losing exclusives..will they provide a better deal for exclusives?...hard to imagine, but who knows.

"They" are bankers at heart. Just another cut for contributors while they take more money. Seems to be the result of every other change to the compensation packages at iS.

The linked article is old news. However, the second reader comment is a very interesting insight into the workings of Getty management. Anonymous worked at Getty as a mid-level manager.....

http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.no/2015/02/getty-images-downward-spiral-approaches.html#comment-274962064295328885

So, as I read, the Getty management cares nothing about the business (and us at the bottom). It's all a game of converting Getty book value into cash in a few peoples pockets.

As I understand the chart at the right of the MSG page is a 3 month moving average. The graph is real month by month numbers.

If fully automatic is not good enough, I set up an Action that takes the opened file, opens the tool (curves) an lets me adjust, then after clicking OK opens the next tool (saturation) which I can adjust, then saves the file (generally to a new folder to not damage the source). I do this when I shoot something like a street festival and come back with 1500 images for the day to prep for the directors. Using my photo manager I delete the junk and later come back with the Photoshop Action to tune up the keepers. Learn about Photoshop Actions to make this work. Feed the folder of images to PS as a batch and you sit there making adjustments while the computer opens and closes files.

I was under the impression that the poll kept IS as Exclusive if Alamy was the only other entry.

OLD THREAD ALERT!

I'd give this a serious thought if I had already retired from my day job and decided some travel would be interesting. I'd consider doing travel stock photography to and from the site as well as in the site city. I'd be interested in how this works out so I could make plans in a few years.

Last I heard was that Alamy now sells much more RF than RM. Taking them from Micro RF and into Alamy RF should be quite OK.