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Author Topic: Exciting news from Shutterstock HQ!  (Read 27508 times)

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« Reply #50 on: January 17, 2015, 14:26 »
0
I remember Oringer saying once (maybe 3 years ago) something to the effect that they are a technology business vs their competitors (stock photo agencies).


« Reply #51 on: January 17, 2015, 14:35 »
+2
- but I can't get all that excited about taking the profits from that to grow new businesses. It feels to me a bit like the first wife who works to put her husband through medical school only to have him leave her for someone younger once he's graduated and all the tuition bills are paid....

and who are we? not the first wife, but more the first wife with whom he left the 12 children he mate  made with her, and ran off with the younger wife, leaving wife1 without any financial support.
microstock's first deadbeat father

No Free Lunch

« Reply #52 on: January 17, 2015, 14:37 »
+2
This news is as 'Exciting' as my yearly physical  :-[



« Reply #53 on: January 17, 2015, 14:38 »
+4
Reading this whole thread, I don't see anything at all for contributors to be excited about.  The whole 'exciting news' angle when really it is no benefit to contributors but only more money in  SS pockets feels a bit deja vu to me. Do they have Kelly Thompson writing their announcements for contributors now?

wait for it, headlines of a big sell-off and owner running off with the big cash .
and maybe come back in 3 years to start a new agency too with contributors interest in mind ;D

sounds all too familiar..

« Reply #54 on: January 17, 2015, 14:40 »
+2
This news is as 'Exciting' as my yearly physical  :-[

ya, like the finger of your GYN stick into you ;D

« Reply #55 on: January 17, 2015, 14:48 »
+15
Oringer saying he thinks Adobe is their competition is a good indication that SS is now sailing away from reality.  Microsotock doesn't really ring their chimes anymore, they want to play in a bigger space. Watch for SS to start spending huge amounts of money on crazy acquisitions and schemes, while pointing to these grandiose plans to "grow the business" as a reason they can't afford a royalty increase. 

If the standard script is followed, the wild acquisitions result in huge losses, followed by a stockholder kickback, and eventually the familiar speech about "refocusing on our core competencies.".

Flame me if you want, but I've seen it all from the inside and I'm sure some of you have too.   
« Last Edit: January 17, 2015, 20:38 by stockastic »

No Free Lunch

« Reply #56 on: January 17, 2015, 15:37 »
+12
Oringer saying he thinks Adobe is their competition is a good indication that SS is now sailing away from reality.  Microsotock doesn't really ring their chimes anymore, they want to play in a bigger space. Watch for SS to start spending huge amounts of money on crazy acquisitions and schemes, while pointing to these grandiose plans to "grow the business" as a reason they can't afford a royalty increase. 

If the standard script is followed, the wild acquisitions result in huge losses, followed by a stockholder kickback, and the standard speech about "refocusing on our core competencies.".

Flame me if you want, but I've seen it all from the inside and I'm sure some of you have too.

I remember Alamy claiming the same stuff in why they had to cut our pay - to better market our images and get more sales. Yeah, right! My sales on Alamy suck big time and I get paid less! I would use some very colorful metaphors towards Alamy but Leaf would remove my real thoughts  :-\


 


« Last Edit: January 17, 2015, 15:41 by No Free Lunch »

« Reply #57 on: January 17, 2015, 17:18 »
+8
I couldn't read the Seeking Alpha article - it faded after a few seconds with a request to register.

I found it interesting that Variety wrote a short piece on this - with a logo for Shutterstock I don't recognize (IOW I don't think it's ever had that logo)

http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/shutterstock-acquires-premiumbeat-rex-features-1201407572/

There's also an interview with Oringer in this blog from Yahoo Finance including this quote about Adobe as a competitor "...In the bigger picture we compete with Adobe in the field of work-flow..(and will do so) over the next 25 years.

http://firstadopter.tumblr.com/post/108210540999/interview-the-ceo-of-shutterstock-says-adobe-is

It also includes a quote that says no raise for you lot: "The 30% rate is fair to the contributor and lets us invest in marketing and the technology..(30%) is the right spot.

Not an ideal situation in the first place, however Jon conveniently forgets to mention that shutterstock has long employed the strategy of keeping buyer pricing in the dumpster with the end objective of gaining market share via ultra low pricing. His fine strategy has been and is, funded by his contributors as the cost to produce, upload and keyword content does not come out of Jon's or Shutterstock's pocket; but our own!

As we well know our price to produce continues to go up each and every year and our margins continue to grow thinner annually.

At some point in the near future 30% of 0% is a Big Fat Zero for the actual producers of the content which shutterstock will ultimately "Require To Continue To Operate As A Business".
« Last Edit: January 17, 2015, 21:10 by gbalex »

« Reply #58 on: January 17, 2015, 17:56 »
+3
This news is as 'Exciting' as my yearly physical  :-[

ya, like the finger of your GYN stick into you ;D

LOL!  Or as exciting  as Bill Cosby having your wife over for coffee...

« Reply #59 on: January 17, 2015, 21:43 »
+17
In an ideal world every contributor would delete their account in unison, and the SS would have absolutely nothing. That way they may respect that contributors are their only asset. One day stock photographers/videographers may find a way to use their collective power in a way to gain control or at least respect from the agencies.

« Reply #60 on: January 18, 2015, 23:17 »
+13
The most exciting news are that nothing will change in the near future for contributors...
Wrong, I think.

Soon Shutterstock will have an "Explore Rex Features" button on the Shutterstock landing page beside the "Explore OFFSET.com" button, to steer editorial image buyers away from the SS contributors who sell editorial. (There will be no "Explore Shutterstock" button on the Rex Features site and SS contributors will never be allowed to contribute to Rex Features.)

Semmick Photo

« Reply #61 on: January 19, 2015, 02:22 »
+13
Quote
Exciting news from Shutterstock HQ!
 



What this mean for our contributors:

In the immediate future, nothing will change for our commercial and editorial contributors.

Thanks,
Paul Brennan
VP, Content Operations

« Reply #62 on: January 19, 2015, 09:15 »
+3
Quote
Exciting news from Shutterstock HQ!
 



What this mean for our contributors:

In the immediate future, nothing will change for our commercial and editorial contributors.

Thanks,
Paul Brennan
VP, Content Operations

Then doesn't this mean it is only exciting for SS but bleh for contributors? Just busting your balls.  Even so, I've been thinking about how SS could answer the part about what's in it for contributors and all I can think of is brand strength. The stronger SS is the longer we will get commissions from them that are the best in micro stock.  But that has its pitfalls once SS becomes a micro stock monopoly or duopoly kinda of industry.  Like someone else in here said, its very risky for SS to become a dominant player that leads to monopoly-type behaviors. Yes they are dominant now, but I mean dominant to he point where we start to see them chip away at our commissions "because they can".
« Last Edit: January 20, 2015, 08:54 by Mantis »

« Reply #63 on: January 19, 2015, 10:35 »
+6
Quote
Exciting news from Shutterstock HQ!
 



What this mean for our contributors:

In the immediate future, nothing will change for our commercial and editorial contributors.

Thanks,
Paul Brennan
VP, Content Operations


Hilarious juxtaposition.   Thanks for the laugh, Semmick!

[update]  Still laughing at this - a classic corporate-speak meltdown.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2015, 13:02 by stockastic »

« Reply #64 on: January 19, 2015, 11:48 »
+2
Its exiting as counting the white lines on a highway drive

« Reply #65 on: January 19, 2015, 13:15 »
+2
Every red carpet contributor just got really happy :) Especially those living in hollywood, beverly hills, and NYC.  For the rest of us, we'll just say congrats and cheer from the sidelines.  ;D

Rinderart

« Reply #66 on: January 19, 2015, 13:58 »
+2
Every red carpet contributor just got really happy :) Especially those living in hollywood, beverly hills, and NYC.  For the rest of us, we'll just say congrats and cheer from the sidelines.  ;D

there already Talking about it.


Rinderart

« Reply #67 on: January 19, 2015, 14:38 »
+1
In an ideal world every contributor would delete their account in unison, and the SS would have absolutely nothing. That way they may respect that contributors are their only asset. One day stock photographers/videographers may find a way to use their collective power in a way to gain control or at least respect from the agencies.

One of the ALL TIME best Posts ever in My 10 years reading Micro forums. We gave the farm away when we could have done something and we didn't because of the vast majority of Hobbyists willing to take whatever they handed out and this is not about SS. it's all of them. The day before Micro was heard of. 2/300 dollars was a normal Commission. My issue has always been why so cheap to begin with at 20 cents. going from a few hundred dollars to 20 cents started a war back then. If some of you remember that, Buyers caught On and we had to join up to crowd sourcing or not do this.

We will never get 200 Bucks again but... we can sure do a lot better than 25/38 cents if we stand up. Sadly I believe it's to late. They have us by the shorties. Do we just gripe and grown? which kills Motivation and attitude or do we stand together?

We got lazy and complacent. There is No one here or on any site that cannot be replaced in 30 Days. Fact, and I see it happening Now. 4,200 tomatoes were added the last 3 weeks and 90,000 Lifestyle Images with the same 3 People having fun  cooking in the back yard or a delivery man with a package smiling. And  a gazillion new portraits of women and men and kids having fun. in every possible ethnic group and a gazillion Instagram pics.....Why?  whats the purpose?

When I reviewed, even back in 2006 I saw the same picture 200 times a day by 50 different submitters. Why? and when will they just say no More. Do the research and give us ideas of what they need, or do they need fresh new submitters with worldwide lifestyle concepts with a lot more ethnically diverse looks.

I don't know anything anymore. Im just ranting...because I can. sorry.

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #68 on: January 19, 2015, 15:56 »
+11
It's never too late. And every revolution seemed impossible before it happened.  ;)

« Reply #69 on: January 19, 2015, 21:50 »
+3
In an ideal world every contributor would delete their account in unison, and the SS would have absolutely nothing. That way they may respect that contributors are their only asset. One day stock photographers/videographers may find a way to use their collective power in a way to gain control or at least respect from the agencies.
We built this city. The images we created are the bricks in the SS/IS/FT/etc billion dollar empire. What if someone created a petition for microstockers whereby we the signers promised that when a total of 5000 of us had signed we would all delete all of our images in unison from the top 3 microstock sites. I would sign it, in blood.

marthamarks

« Reply #70 on: January 19, 2015, 22:00 »
+2
What if someone created a petition for microstockers whereby we the signers promised that when a total of 5000 of us had signed we would all delete all of our images in unison from the top 3 microstock sites. I would sign it, in blood.

I would sign it too, in blood and in a heartbeat. It probably would work if we all stuck to our guns.

But my pledge might not count since I'm one of the much-maligned "hobbyists" who don't make a complete living from this and who (some say) began ruining the business the moment we entered it.

Pointing accusatory fingers doesn't really help any of us accomplish our goals.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2015, 08:49 by marthamarks »

« Reply #71 on: January 19, 2015, 23:45 »
+6
What if someone created a petition for microstockers whereby we the signers promised that when a total of 5000 of us had signed we would all delete all of our images in unison from the top 3 microstock sites. I would sign it, in blood.

I would sign it too, in blood and in a heartbeat. It probably would work if we all stuck to our guns.

But my pledge might not count since I'm one of the much-aligned "hobbyists" who don't make a complete living from this and who (some say) began ruining the business the moment we entered it.

Pointing accusatory fingers doesn't really help any of us accomplish our goals.

it's easy to get everyone to say go ahead and begin the revolution . but experience taught me that when the times comes, you will be standing there alone . much in the same way i was told many years ago to stand up and be the spokesman for my colleagues to tell the boss off. when the times came, the boss asked how many of you are behind this young chap, no one stood up .
this will be the reason why such a revolution will never happen. esp when there is no other agency that can produce sales like ss.

« Reply #72 on: January 20, 2015, 08:01 »
+8
it's easy to get everyone to say go ahead and begin the revolution . but experience taught me that when the times comes, you will be standing there alone . much in the same way i was told many years ago to stand up and be the spokesman for my colleagues to tell the boss off. when the times came, the boss asked how many of you are behind this young chap, no one stood up .
this will be the reason why such a revolution will never happen. esp when there is no other agency that can produce sales like ss.

We in the eastern part of Europe have completely other experiences ;)

« Reply #73 on: January 20, 2015, 08:52 »
+2
There isn't going to be a revolution, neither will there be a mass deletion day and SS are not going to change their minds and hand Rex features their business back.

marthamarks

« Reply #74 on: January 20, 2015, 09:00 »
+2
this will be the reason why such a revolution will never happen. esp when there is no other agency that can produce sales like ss.

You're probably right about that. But if nobody is bold and brave, nothing will ever change and all of us might as well stop bitching and moaning about it.

Since you mentioned that "no other agency... can produce sales like ss"...  I just gotta report this:

This morning, checking overnight sales on SS, I had quite a surprise. In my "singles and other" column (where in the past I have gotten as much as $90 for a download and never less than $7) now I find a sale for $.33. That's 33 US cents.

That never happened before, and I wouldn't have thought it was possible, but I guess it is. So my question is how???


 

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