Author Topic: Shutterstock News Terms - September 5, 2023 (Read 4177 times)

Uncle Pete · « **on:** August 04, 2023, 12:39 »

These are usually "exciting" news. This time not so much. Lowering the payout to $25? How big is that? Just can't wait to read the new terms that offer no choice, but fine, web and data distribution.

Dear Shutterstock Contributor,
We’re updating our Contributor Terms of Service to make it easier for you to earn more and get paid faster.

On September 5, 2023, the following key changes will take effect:

Lowering the minimum payout threshold from $35 USD to $25 USD
Further explanation of how Shutterstock distributes content, including through our web and data marketplace
Confirming that Shutterstock can not distribute Content from any person who is a target of economic sanctions

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #1 on:** August 04, 2023, 13:18 »

The reason I would be nervous about that is it potentially signals lower earnings overall.

If you used to earn $250 a month, a $100 payout isn't an issue. When earnings drop to $99 a month, you're unhappy for two reasons. So they drop the payout to $50 so at least you get paid every month. Repeat the cycle as earnings drop to $49 a month etc. etc.

Especially if they see a future with lots of contributors getting data licensing only payouts - ones that come infrequently - having a lower threshold means they don't get people having to wait 6 months (or whatever the data licensing contributor fund interval is) to get paid.

Unamas · « **Reply #2 on:** August 04, 2023, 13:54 »

I speculate that Shutterstock has observed a trend where the new contributors are quickly losing their enthusiasm while waiting for $35 and disappearing

Camillo · « **Reply #3 on:** August 04, 2023, 14:38 »

Shutterstock is so bad since this 2020 that I reach a payout maybe twice a year so yeah I upload systematically to adobe and have avoided shutter since they reduced my pay cut.

Brasilnut · « **Reply #4 on:** August 04, 2023, 15:31 »

Quote from: Unamas on August 04, 2023, 13:54

I speculate that Shutterstock has observed a trend where the new contributors are quickly losing their enthusiasm while waiting for $35 and disappearing

Soon they'll reduce the threshold to $10 and make payments weekly to please the newbs! Joke agency.

Pacesetter · « **Reply #5 on:** August 04, 2023, 21:53 »

The problem with many, even most, newbies is that their initial inspiration likely came from a silly make-thousands-every-month-by-uploading-3-to-5 photos-from-your-cell-phone-no-experience-necessary Youtoob video... Only to find out it doesn't go as planned and quit. By dropping said minimum payout will hook in more to keep uploading thus building a bigger data library.

gnirtS · « **Reply #6 on:** August 04, 2023, 22:46 »

Its good for the image thieves who can get their money faster before their account gets closed.

Also suspect its down to lower overall earnings from people.

Mine is still at the default of whatever . it was in 2010.

kuriouskat · « **Reply #7 on:** August 05, 2023, 02:19 »

A lower threshold means lower expectations - it isn't a good sign.

And yes, great for the thieves who get payment before being rumbled.

cobalt · « **Reply #8 on:** August 05, 2023, 02:33 »

Or, perhaps the overall business is growing, look at their enthusiasm for data sales, but the producers won't see any of that.

Now...how long until they announce a new totally exciting royalty system?

Contemporary Dave · « **Reply #9 on:** August 05, 2023, 05:51 »

My hunch is that the lower payout figure is to butter people up in preparation for an 'exciting' announcement, where they are going to lower the commission rates, again.

Brasilnut · « **Reply #10 on:** August 05, 2023, 06:50 »

Quote from: gnirtS on August 04, 2023, 22:46

Its good for the image thieves who can get their money faster before their account gets closed.

Apparently, there is a wait period for contributors from "high-fraud" risk countries.

kuriouskat · « **Reply #11 on:** August 05, 2023, 09:01 »

Quote from: Brasilnut on August 05, 2023, 06:50

Quote from: gnirtS on August 04, 2023, 22:46
Its good for the image thieves who can get their money faster before their account gets closed.

Apparently, there is a wait period for contributors from "high-fraud" risk countries.

90 from opening the account, I think. So the fraudster starts by uploading his his mediocre shots of back yard plants. After a couple of months he realises that he hasn't sold anything, or the only sales he has made have only been to the mates he persuaded to open a 10 free downloads trial account, so he starts gathering better images from free sites, and uploads those. By the time he's earned his $25, the 90 day wait period has long expired.

dragonblade · « **Reply #12 on:** August 05, 2023, 19:30 »

Quote from: KuriousKat on August 05, 2023, 02:19

And yes, great for the thieves who get payment before being rumbled.

I remember when the old SS forum was still running, we would get thieves posting - asking questions about how to increase sales with their stolen content. The nerve of those people.

gnirtS · « **Reply #13 on:** August 05, 2023, 23:55 »

Quote from: Brasilnut on August 05, 2023, 06:50

Quote from: gnirtS on August 04, 2023, 22:46
Its good for the image thieves who can get their money faster before their account gets closed.

Apparently, there is a wait period for contributors from "high-fraud" risk countries.

Yep but as you can see from the FB group, its easily subverted.

Someone opens 3-4 accounts, uploads some garden weeds.

Waits for 2 months or so then piles on a ton of stolen content.

Payout comes before the account(s) get flagged.

gnirtS · « **Reply #14 on:** August 05, 2023, 23:56 »

Quote from: dragonblade on August 05, 2023, 19:30

Quote from: KuriousKat on August 05, 2023, 02:19
And yes, great for the thieves who get payment before being rumbled.

I remember when the old SS forum was still running, we would get thieves posting - asking questions about how to increase sales with their stolen content. The nerve of those people.

The FB group now has that.

Often 3-4 posts a day of "Buy my photo" with a portfolio link which contains almost entirely stolen images.

Its like the old SS forum but 10x worse for it.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #15 on:** August 06, 2023, 10:45 »

Quote from: Contemporary Dave on August 05, 2023, 05:51

My hunch is that the lower payout figure is to butter people up in preparation for an 'exciting' announcement, where they are going to lower the commission rates, again.

While that's a good point, I will remind everyone, especially those with the opinion that there's some hidden agenda. There's an obvious financial point. Money owed is a liability. SSTK can't use it or spend it, because it's being held as commissions. By lowering the debt, they will make their financials look better. The stock will possibly improve in value, because they just paid all the people who had money due, between $25 and $35. I can't imagine it being huge, but I don't know.

And then into the future, the debt will be lower from month to month, making their balance look better.

Sometimes it's not all about us or ways they are trying to bilk us.

ps I still have my payouts set to $100 because I like the nice round numbers, not some dribbles of low returns.

kuriouskat · « **Reply #16 on:** August 06, 2023, 13:13 »

Quote from: Uncle Pete on August 06, 2023, 10:45

Quote from: Contemporary Dave on August 05, 2023, 05:51
My hunch is that the lower payout figure is to butter people up in preparation for an 'exciting' announcement, where they are going to lower the commission rates, again.

While that's a good point, I will remind everyone, especially those with the opinion that there's some hidden agenda. There's an obvious financial point. Money owed is a liability. SSTK can't use it or spend it, because it's being held as commissions. By lowering the debt, they will make their financials look better. The stock will possibly improve in value, because they just paid all the people who had money due, between $25 and $35. I can't imagine it being huge, but I don't know.

And then into the future, the debt will be lower from month to month, making their balance look better.

Sometimes it's not all about us or ways they are trying to bilk us.

ps I still have my payouts set to $100 because I like the nice round numbers, not some dribbles of low returns.

It may be a liability on the balance sheet, but it's also earning interest, which is not paid over to contributors and won't be inconsequential.

However, you may well be right, as they are probably sitting on a large pot that can't be paid out to Russian contributors at the moment, so maybe this is a way of balancing that increase.

Injustice for all · « **Reply #17 on:** August 06, 2023, 18:20 »

The first thing I thought was that reducing the minimum threshold is a bad signal,but i'm not so sure because a lower threshold means paying more every month,which can be an indication of good financial health and/or a sign of an optimistic outlook,or even to attract more contributors for data assets.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #18 on:** August 08, 2023, 15:30 »

Quote from: KuriousKat on August 06, 2023, 13:13

Quote from: Uncle Pete on August 06, 2023, 10:45
Quote from: Contemporary Dave on August 05, 2023, 05:51
My hunch is that the lower payout figure is to butter people up in preparation for an 'exciting' announcement, where they are going to lower the commission rates, again.

While that's a good point, I will remind everyone, especially those with the opinion that there's some hidden agenda. There's an obvious financial point. Money owed is a liability. SSTK can't use it or spend it, because it's being held as commissions. By lowering the debt, they will make their financials look better. The stock will possibly improve in value, because they just paid all the people who had money due, between $25 and $35. I can't imagine it being huge, but I don't know.

And then into the future, the debt will be lower from month to month, making their balance look better.

Sometimes it's not all about us or ways they are trying to bilk us.

ps I still have my payouts set to $100 because I like the nice round numbers, not some dribbles of low returns.

It may be a liability on the balance sheet, but it's also earning interest, which is not paid over to contributors and won't be inconsequential.

However, you may well be right, as they are probably sitting on a large pot that can't be paid out to Russian contributors at the moment, so maybe this is a way of balancing that increase.

That's my point, it can't be invested and it can't earn interest. Money held for commission is similar to escrow, is just money owed. Escrow is when money is held by a trusted third party pending the completion of a deal or transaction. What SSTK owes us is a liability a debt. Reducing that will make the books look better.

There could be other reasons, I'm just pointing out that this isn't always about the artists.

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Author Topic: Shutterstock News Terms - September 5, 2023 (Read 4177 times)

Uncle Pete

Jo Ann Snover

Unamas

Camillo

Brasilnut

Pacesetter

gnirtS

kuriouskat

cobalt

Contemporary Dave

Brasilnut

kuriouskat

dragonblade

gnirtS

gnirtS

Uncle Pete

kuriouskat

Injustice for all

Uncle Pete

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