It would be interesting if they had image exclusivity, nominated by the reviewers, allowing us to opt out or in if an image is nominated.  That would keep it highly selected and targeted but still give contributors the option of whether they want to be included.  I would certainly consider specific image exclusivity at SS or BS but am very leery of total exclusivity.

speaking of the devil- I just got an email from CREStock telling me I had a sale (.25 cents) thus no way I am going exclusive to SS...

I'm beginning to wonder if this is what Bigstock will come to be used for.  That way SS could continue to function 'as is' and Bigstock could become their premium outlet.

The certainly weren't thinking that way six months back when they introduced the "bridge to bigstock" that just copies everything on an SS member's account into BS.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is what Bigstock will come to be used for.  That way SS could continue to function 'as is' and Bigstock could become their premium outlet.

Hahahahaha....they better shut down my account at BigStock then  

I upload the same micro portfolio to all the micros.  Shutterstock has less than 1/3 the portfolio of what Bigstock and DT have.


Coincidentally, I found an agency that offers image exclusivity, 50% royalties, and an agency "profit sharing plan" where your portfolio size determines what percentage of the net profit you get at the end of the year from all sales.  It's similar to a co-op.  It's a macro/traditional agency and one of it's photographers was featured pretty heavily in February when one of his images went viral.  They have image editors, they keyword your images, and (surprisingly), they communicate with you very well.  I'm not telling which agency it is...appears to be a jewell in the rough.

Same old story about independents and dependants.

If the customers want exclusively so badly, they can buy the rights.
Exclusivity is only in the interest  of the agency, not the costumers and certainly not the contributors.

Same old story about independents and dependants.

If the customers want exclusively so badly, they can buy the rights.
Exclusivity is only in the interest  of the agency, not the costumers and certainly not the contributors.

"buying rights" is an absurd dreamstime invention.

It would be interesting if they had image exclusivity, nominated by the reviewers

SS Reviewers choosing which ones they like? No thanks. They are currently "nominating" potential bestsellers with rejections.

Quote from: Tabimura on May 23, 2012, 07:35

Quote from: JPSDK on May 23, 2012, 07:14

Same old story about independents and dependants.

If the customers want exclusively so badly, they can buy the rights.
Exclusivity is only in the interest  of the agency, not the costumers and certainly not the contributors.

"buying rights" is an absurd dreamstime invention.

Well maybe the wording is dreamstimish, but not the concept.
But it is heard of that a microstocker has sold the rights and has taken the picture offline for a period of time.
Anyway, exclusivity and microstock conflicts heavily by the nature of both concepts.
Microstock is about selling masses of pop images.
The customer must search elsewhere to find a unique picture.

Compare it to books or music. People want copies of the same picture, book and music, so that it is the same. If they want unica, they buy Mona Lisa or Gutenbergs bible.

Buying rights means exactly what it sounds like - you sell the rights, relinquish the copyright, the image is not yours anymore, basta.
I don't have knowledge of any agency besides dreamstime, macro or micro to practice this license mambo-jambo.
You're probably confusing selling rights with limited time exclusivity, which is available in RM license.

I must be misunderstanding "Exclusive Image."  I think this thread is about an image being exclusive to an Agency.  That doesn't make it Exclusive to a  buyer;  wouldn't it take an RM license for an image to be exclusive to the buyer?  Isn't Exclusive Right restricted to ... say a region, country, continent ... for a stated period of time?

The only advantage I see to Exclusive Image is to the agency.  Am I missing the point?

im not getting things confused.

They say that...if you are selling your images exclusively, you get more per image.

That sounds good enough.
Sounds like an advantage.
Sounds like you earn more.
But do you?

Think again, why would they want to let you earn more. Because they get something much more valualbe in return.
And that is a trapped photographer getting 16% shares who cannot say no.

Its a honey trap. Its dependancy.

Exclusivity has to do with convincing the customer that they have to pay more for something because they cannot get it at other places.
Exclusivity has a lot to do with customers and wallets.
Problem is, that on microstock exclusivity is not needed or possible. Its a fake beakon.

Quote from: JPSDK on May 23, 2012, 11:32

Exclusivity has to do with convincing the customer that they have to pay more for something because they cannot get it at other places.
Exclusivity has a lot to do with customers and wallets.
Problem is, that on microstock exclusivity is not needed or possible. Its a fake beakon.

Yes, however, your earlier quote concerned "buy the rights" which has nothing to do with an image being available at one agency, but instead, being only available (not really) for one buyer.

Actually, it isn't a fake beacon.  If you control the availability of the item, you can control the price.  Unlike the iPad, for example, which is the same price everywhere because Apple sets the price, we cannot set the price, so putting the same content everywhere only enables the buyer to pay the lowest price they can find.

One of the reasons I never turned exclusive ( although thought about it many times), is just your statement " control the availability",  Im afraid with gazillions of similars, today thats an impossibillity.  Yes, an image might be exclusive but just down the road the buyer will find a 99% similar image, non exclusive and for a pitten of the so called exclusive image.
Unfortunately this is what micro has come to.
Buyers, thanks to forums, bad press, the internet, are very much aware of this and its beginning to take its toll.
I am sure one of the reasons my RM sales are about 100% up, is that the serious buyer knows full well that any real time exclusivity can only be bought at a higher price and not in the micro world.