Quote from: alias on September 24, 2009, 14:22
I never looked at BigStock before. This is interesting:

QuoteTruly Royalty-Free
Additionally, our royalty-free licensing agreements cover usages that other so called "royalty-free" agreements fail to offer - such as use within web design templates. If you are a creator and seller of web design templates most services like Getty and Photodisc, etc. limit your ability to resell your templates with their so called "royalty-free" photos in them - but not at BigStockPhoto!

Is that the same at Shutterstock?

No, it most certainly is not.

At SS, and most other microsites, such use requires the purchase of an extended license.

That's a very interesting (and disappointing) quote, if it really means that the standard license allows use in a web design template. If so, I hope one change that SS makes immediately is to the terms of BigStock's standard license.

Good catch!

I  have  pics  on  BigStock  but  not  on  SS.  Could  it  be  possible  to  upload  the  first  10  submissions  from  BigStock  to  SS?  In  other  words  -  if  they're  acceptable  on  BigStock  would  they  be  acceptable  on  SS? 

Quoteif  they're  acceptable  on  BigStock  would  they  be  acceptable  on  SS?

It seems that for now the two sites are still running as individual entities, so I would think that they still have different reviewers.

Just a guess...

Quote from: Dan on September 24, 2009, 18:09
I  have  pics  on  BigStock  but  not  on  SS.  Could  it  be  possible  to  upload  the  first  10  submissions  from  BigStock  to  SS?  In  other  words  -  if  they're  acceptable  on  BigStock  would  they  be  acceptable  on  SS? 

NO! Just because one approver liked them, the next may hate them. Every submission to nearly anysite will get a different approver and you never know what they are going to like or dislike.

Just submit your 10 best. (and a small prayer may help)

-Larry

Quote from: KB on September 24, 2009, 15:47

Quote from: alias on September 24, 2009, 14:22
I never looked at BigStock before. This is interesting:

QuoteTruly Royalty-Free
Additionally, our royalty-free licensing agreements cover usages that other so called "royalty-free" agreements fail to offer - such as use within web design templates. If you are a creator and seller of web design templates most services like Getty and Photodisc, etc. limit your ability to resell your templates with their so called "royalty-free" photos in them - but not at BigStockPhoto!

Is that the same at Shutterstock?

No, it most certainly is not.

At SS, and most other microsites, such use requires the purchase of an extended license.

That's a very interesting (and disappointing) quote, if it really means that the standard license allows use in a web design template. If so, I hope one change that SS makes immediately is to the terms of BigStock's standard license.

Good catch!

pretty sure they werent referring to the standard license:

http://www.bigstockphoto.com/licensing-buyers.html

BigStock has over a dozen special licenses that photographers can opt-in for - the costs are more in line with ELs elsewhere

Quote from: cascoly on September 24, 2009, 19:49
pretty sure they werent referring to the standard license:
http://www.bigstockphoto.com/licensing-buyers.html

That's good to hear. But in that case, I'm not sure the rest of their point is accurate. AFAIK, all other microstock sites also offer extended licenses to cover using the image in a web design template. Perhaps they were referring to macro sites when they wrote that.

Quote from: elvinstar on September 24, 2009, 18:15

Quoteif  they're  acceptable  on  BigStock  would  they  be  acceptable  on  SS?

It seems that for now the two sites are still running as individual entities, so I would think that they still have different reviewers.

Just a guess...

Every agency has their own guidelines for reviewing it seems. New reviewers VS. seasoned reviewers makes a difference I believe.
If a picture is good and there are no technical problems and good compositions no matter if a reviewer likes it, it should be passed. There are some things reviewers are not to pass because the agency is too flooded with that subject and again, all agencies are different on what those things are.

I agree with leaf, I do not think that it is saturated and I too think alot of people do not realize what microstock photography is.
Sure there are new contributors all the time but it doesn't mean all their images are accepted. Their images have to live up to the guidelines and alot of the newbies get alot declined till they get the hang of what the agency wants and expects from their images.

Quote from: lephotography link=topic=8971.browsor g116953#msg116953 date=1253851909
<...
I agree with leaf, I do not think that it is saturated and I too think alot of people do not realize what microstock photography is.
>...

A lot of potential customers will never find microstock as they will never look, but they would become customers if the delivery and payment method was different.

There is lots of software out there where you can add your own image but only point to your hard drive for the images , the agencies need to get thier act together and plug this gap and open the marketplace with pay-per-download from the application or browser.

Shutterstock's will likely keep the two entities seperate but streamline the cost side of the business, this is normal practice with aqusitions, cut and streamline the staff, servers, premises, marketing, development, R&D and other costs, this increases profits, then tweek the software to make the business viable.

David 

Has anyone observed any increase in sales at BigStock after this announcement?  Some people in their forum have, but I have'nt sold anything in the past days. 

Quote from: Dan on September 23, 2009, 13:56
Just  sold  my  first  pic  on  BS  Sept  4th.  Just  hope  this  won't  go  like  Snapvillage   when  they  did  thier  thing  with  Veer.  My  pics  were  gone  for  good  on  that  one.

I had the same experience but send them an email and got my pics back.....but not that $.5 of the single sale I had:)

Quote from: madelaide on September 25, 2009, 21:53
Has anyone observed any increase in sales at BigStock after this announcement?  Some people in their forum have, but I have'nt sold anything in the past days. 

No, no sales for me since the announcement - certainly could do with a boost!

Quote from: madelaide on September 25, 2009, 21:53
Has anyone observed any increase in sales at BigStock after this announcement?  Some people in their forum have, but I have'nt sold anything in the past days. 

I did. I sold few images in last 3 days, including one for $2 today.

I had a very good day on the 23, the day the announcement was made.  But yesterday and today are back to being average. 

I expect the real sales boost will be in a few months after they get organized and do an advertising blitz.

Quote from: madelaide on September 25, 2009, 21:53
Has anyone observed any increase in sales at BigStock after this announcement?  Some people in their forum have, but I have'nt sold anything in the past days. 

10 downloads in the first 24 hours. Like Lisafx now back to normal.

What will the new normal be next month or so?

-Larry

Quote from: takestock on September 26, 2009, 00:07

Quote from: madelaide on September 25, 2009, 21:53
Has anyone observed any increase in sales at BigStock after this announcement?  Some people in their forum have, but I have'nt sold anything in the past days. 

No, no sales for me since the announcement - certainly could do with a boost!

I have a better than average month so far but no sales since the announcement.

wow...now that is news

Interesting I'll keep an eye on BigStock to see how it goes .

  Sept  4th  -  my  one  and  only  sale  on  BigStock! 

I don't get excited about SS.  My perspective is this - in the last few months I've built up a portfolio of about 100 shots.  My acceptance rate is good, and they all sell.  But new ones no longer sell enough to make it worthwhile.

As I've gone from 20 shots to 100, my sales haven't increased, in fact they've gone down. In the early months I got occasional OD sales but since the start of August it's been 100% sub sales at 25 cents.  On IS and DT, my sales have increased along with the size of the portfolio.  On SS, it's a flat line.

So, SS buys another microstock, to me there's no good news in that announcement because the SS 'model' isn't working for me.

Quote from: stockastic on September 26, 2009, 21:03
I don't get excited about SS.  My perspective is this - in the last few months I've built up a portfolio of about 100 shots.  My acceptance rate is good, and they all sell.  But new ones no longer sell enough to make it worthwhile.

As I've gone from 20 shots to 100, my sales haven't increased, in fact they've gone down. In the early months I got occasional OD sales but since the start of August it's been 100% sub sales at 25 cents.  On IS and DT, my sales have increased along with the size of the portfolio.  On SS, it's a flat line.

So, SS buys another microstock, to me there's no good news in that announcement because the SS 'model' isn't working for me.

Yep SS sales have been on the slide for a very long time. They are nothing like as good as they were one or two years ago.

given the overall state of the world economy, and how that affects the primary USERS of microstock, i think just staying even is a reasonable achievement



steve

Quote from: cascoly on September 27, 2009, 19:55
given the overall state of the world economy, and how that affects the primary USERS of microstock, i think just staying even is a reasonable achievement
steve

Some truth to that. But what really discourages me is that I was making more money on SS in March - with 20 images - than I am now, with 100.

Quote from: stockastic on September 27, 2009, 20:00

Quote from: cascoly on September 27, 2009, 19:55
given the overall state of the world economy, and how that affects the primary USERS of microstock, i think just staying even is a reasonable achievement
steve

Some truth to that. But what really discourages me is that I was making more money on SS in March - with 20 images - than I am now, with 100.

I think you need to, in part, put this down to 'new portfolio' honeymoon period.

Quote from: massman on September 27, 2009, 21:05
I think you need to, in part, put this down to 'new portfolio' honeymoon period.

Well the honeymoon is over, that's for sure.

Quote from: stockastic on September 27, 2009, 20:00
But what really discourages me is that I was making more money on SS in March - with 20 images - than I am now, with 100.

Well maybe your first 20 images were the most saleable? Your portfolio is still tiny and therefore sales are bound to be less stable than with a portfolio of a few thousand. I'm on target to sell a few more this month than I did in March but during which time my portfolio has grown from about 3100 - 3500.

I wouldn't disagree that it is getting tougher though __ much tougher. When you have 90K new images coming on-line every week then there's going to be a lot of competition for sales and only the very best images will get noticed. Quality is becoming everything, volume is pointless unless the quality is there.