Just want to wish everyone and every subber contributor a very happy reset.

May you be excited and incentivized on happy reset day. 

For me, the way back to level 5 is taking longer and longer every year. I hate this new income structure!

In my opinion, the problem with shutterstock is not the percentage for the author. Its problem is the constant decrease in the number of buyers. Buyers are leaving this stock.

In my opinion, the problem with shutterstock is not the percentage for the author. Its problem is the constant decrease in the number of buyers. Buyers are leaving this stock.

I think it is both.

It would be a happy reset if they would reset this crap they are doing since 2020. I would love to reset my account to 2019 when I used to earn almost four times more for the same images 

It bothers me they reset it every year but honestly I reach back to level 4 in maximum 2 weeks and back to level 5 by end of February, its not that bad, at least for me.

In my opinion, the problem with shutterstock is not the percentage for the author. Its problem is the constant decrease in the number of buyers. Buyers are leaving this stock.

Do you have evidence to support that? This chart below would say otherwise. In my opinion (although it's pretty much backed up with numbers, experience and observations), the number one reason for declining income with microstock is, and always has been, the competition from fellow authors and new authors. At Shutterstock and everywhere else. Sure, there's plenty of other issues that can affect it... levels, commissions, changes to searches and other features, new agencies, people using cheaper agencies, subscriptions, the rise of AI, the rise of free sites... and all of those combined probably affect earnings more than competition, especially of late... but as a single factor, competition is the one. We don't hit 'the wall' due to a reduction of buyers, we hit it because we can't produce a year on year percentage increase on our portfolio numbers that exceeds the percentage increase of competing content.   

I see SS dropping in royalties but AS continues to be strong. This is backed up by the "Poll Results".

Quote from: stoker2014 on December 31, 2023, 10:16

In my opinion, the problem with shutterstock is not the percentage for the author. Its problem is the constant decrease in the number of buyers. Buyers are leaving this stock.

Do you have evidence to support that? This chart below would say otherwise. In my opinion (although it's pretty much backed up with numbers, experience and observations), the number one reason for declining income with microstock is, and always has been, the competition from fellow authors and new authors. At Shutterstock and everywhere else. Sure, there's plenty of other issues that can affect it... levels, commissions, changes to searches and other features, new agencies, people using cheaper agencies, subscriptions, the rise of AI, the rise of free sites... and all of those combined probably affect earnings more than competition, especially of late... but as a single factor, competition is the one. We don't hit 'the wall' due to a reduction of buyers, we hit it because we can't produce a year on year percentage increase on our portfolio numbers that exceeds the percentage increase of competing content.

Interesting numbers and I don't want to be too argumentative, but SS revenue, is that from Stock or all revenue? Microstock could be going down and flat, but some other area could be bringing the numbers up. I don't read annual reports, but I think the specific number for what is paid to us, or what the stock images gross sales are, would be what matters?

I don't know if they are gaining or adding customers, just saying, the specific area we care about is, Microstock Customers. We don't get paid more if some other segment is doing well.

The amount that we get paid is absolutely the most important thing... but Stoker stated that 'buyers are leaving this stock' when the numbers would indicate that they're not.

Yes that's true and yes that's true. (both parts) but if revenue reported, is for the entire company and not only Microstock, we can't know if SS income for the part we care about is up or down?