Level two should be reached in another week.   

I was at level 5 until December 31st not that it made any difference to the
piss poor royalties. 

My new years resolution was to cease submitting to these ass hats I've even started to submit to Depositphotos once more because at least their royalties are better than scumstock

Level two should be reached in another week.   

I was at level 5 until December 31st not that it made any difference to the
piss poor royalties. 

My new years resolution was to cease submitting to these ass hats I've even started to submit to Depositphotos once more because at least their royalties are better than scumstock

ROFL. depositphotos lowered commissions today. But okay, still better than sh-it-terstock

I don't even know where is my level 

I don't even know where is my level 

Probably 1, since it's the new year, but if you do well, then wonderful, maybe higher.

Dashboard -  https://submit.shutterstock.com/dashboard

Then scroll down, if necessary, just below the downloads and earnings map Etc.

    Lifetime earnings          Monthly earnings           Level

Click Level    (know that part was obvious, but just to have complete instructions?) 

We will never level up to 15% or hypothetically beyond and will remain at 0% because we pulled our portfolio with SS.

Dear contributors,
As an international community, we must align with global market standards and adapt the changes taking place in light of 2020. We have had to make adjustments as a company and would like to inform you about updates to the Depositphotos contributor royalties that will be effective from January 18, 2021. You can view details about the new rates by following this link
It has not been an easy year, however, we do plan to continue investing in the success of the Depositphotos community to help you build on your portfolios and increase sales. This year, we also plan to further invest in improving our platform with new features and introduce updates to our search engine. Our aim is to make your work easily discoverable and ultimately help you sell more. In addition, we are constantly working to expand the Depositphotos customer base as part of our commitment to create more opportunities for all our contributors.
In case you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

Kind regards,
The Depositphotos Team

Level two should be reached in another week.   

I was at level 5 until December 31st not that it made any difference to the
piss poor royalties. 

My new years resolution was to cease submitting to these ass hats I've even started to submit to Depositphotos once more because at least their royalties are better than scumstock

I started uploading to DepositPhotos again, for the same reason you did. I got the email about the rate change, but it was so ambiguous I couldn't make sense of it. If they have in fact lowered our royalties, I'll remove my portfolio. 

Quote from: Bad Robot on January 11, 2021, 07:43

Level two should be reached in another week.   

I was at level 5 until December 31st not that it made any difference to the
piss poor royalties. 

My new years resolution was to cease submitting to these ass hats I've even started to submit to Depositphotos once more because at least their royalties are better than scumstock

ROFL. depositphotos lowered commissions today. But okay, still better than sh-it-terstock

So this is the point micro has reached. "Hey we just got screwed. But it's so much better of a screwing than we got from the other company."  These companies must study psychological warfare.

Quote from: hellou on January 11, 2021, 09:21

Quote from: Bad Robot on January 11, 2021, 07:43

Level two should be reached in another week.   

I was at level 5 until December 31st not that it made any difference to the
piss poor royalties. 

My new years resolution was to cease submitting to these ass hats I've even started to submit to Depositphotos once more because at least their royalties are better than scumstock

ROFL. depositphotos lowered commissions today. But okay, still better than sh-it-terstock

So this is the point micro has reached. "Hey we just got screwed. But it's so much better of a screwing than we got from the other company."  These companies must study psychological warfare.

In my case I've got no money coming in from anywhere at the moment due to various calamities in 2020.

Either make money or starve 

​
I just reached Tier 2 and on my way to riches!

First 100 images earned me a whopping $24.25.

Compared to my first 100 images in 2020, 52.7% drop ($51.64)

Compared to my first 100 images in 2019,  46.9% drop ($45.55)

Can't wait to report on my first 250 downloads (beginning of Tier 3)!

On my way to have a steak-lunch courtesy of SS

​

Hopefully a $1 vid download will speed that up. Its a whopping 10X of photo royalties. Maybe a steak with a coke

Quote from: hellou on January 11, 2021, 09:21

ROFL. depositphotos lowered commissions today. But okay, still better than sh-it-terstock

other than personal animus, how better when they COMBINE low royalties with worse sales??

And how soon people forget that DP was trying to cheat us out of commissions, and has done a number of underhanded things to artists, but people still have accounts and upload there?

So this is the point micro has reached. "Hey we just got screwed. But it's so much better of a screwing than we got from the other company."  These companies must study psychological warfare.

Maybe so, what's the other one? "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Maybe there are so many new people in Microstock that they don't remember the long line of contract alterations, which took away past agreements, change our rights and percentage, realigned levels, and through whatever means, were ways to lower our income. Best part of each of these changes has always been someone blowing smoke up our asses about how this will be better for us. (that's a historical term, not just a vulgarity)

Who's left and who's next? Not much concern from me, I'm down to two agencies that I actually care about. As angry as that makes some people, those are SS and AS. I work for the people that pay me, not the ones with the biggest promises and lies.

17 video downloads: 48$ . RPD: 2.82. Usually, my monthly RPD is 12-20$. I'll wait for the rest of the month and see...
Now at level 2, I'll need another 6 months to get back to level 4

This is where im being killed.

Normal video RPD = $21
January 21 RPD = $5.50

Its not just the level cull, its all the sales are the tiny subscription/web embedded on top of that.
Even when i get to my previous level it'll still be half as the type of sales seems to have shifted.

My worst start to the year since 2016.
Not only on SS but on all sites.
We'll see.....

I feel the same way. The only outlier is Adobe Stock.

I think some companies canceled their stock subscription plans at the end of the year to save money.

Many smaller companies are struggling right now, so let's hope for a semblance of normalcy later in the year.

TOo much 15 cents and less this years. sell 110 photos in a day and make 30$ this is very bad. Adobe stock is great this years and istock seem to have lot of sale too but too much 3 cents loll

The sad part is that I'm already at level 4 but doesn't seem to make a difference.

slow month so far over all agencies - ?? combination post-holiday, continuing economic downturn, covid ??

buyer are there the probleme is 45 sell on night and :   12.18$$$ i am level 4

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 12, 2021, 15:34

Maybe so, what's the other one? "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
 

�History Doesn't Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes� � Mark Twain.

History repeats itself, " first as tragedy, second as farce " - Karl Marx (a slight misquote)

Good! Great minds...

I'd say you are more or less precisely correct.
Werner Heisenberg

    Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future
    Neils Bohr




There's a quote from someone, or found in the Bible to support any possible agenda or argument. (if you twist it hard enough)

Uncle Pete

Quote from: H2O on January 15, 2021, 07:20

I realised a few years back, that as soon as they bought outside shareholders on board, the writing was on the wall

You realise a few years after they bought outside shareholders on board, that as soon as they bought outside shareholders on board, the writing was on the wall?

Told you so: "The writing is on the wall"

A bizarre and somewhat disturbing passage happens mid-way through the book of Daniel. During a party, thrown by the grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar, a large hand appears and inscribes four words on the wall.

These four words written on the wall declare the end of the Babylonian Empire and the oncoming invasion from the Medo-Persians that very night.

Another detail for those who want to start up with blaming the shareholders, the boards and the fact that SS is a corporation. Which means in all cases a business, designed to make money for owners and investors.

All states require that corporations form a board of directors elected by shareholders, hold at least one annual meeting, and maintain meeting minutes that document topics discussed and actions taken.

I'm not sure how public these minutes are? I don't care. But someone could do more than make claims, or vague generalized attacks, and go see what actually happens at these meetings. I've been on boards, they are terribly boring and mostly about legal matters, budgets, or business functions, I've never heard a word about how to screw employees. Just costs, rent, expenses, income and how the investments of the company and the future are progressing.

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on January 15, 2021, 12:55

Quote from: H2O on January 15, 2021, 07:20

I realised a few years back, that as soon as they bought outside shareholders on board, the writing was on the wall

You realise a few years after they bought outside shareholders on board, that as soon as they bought outside shareholders on board, the writing was on the wall?

Told you so: "The writing is on the wall"

A bizarre and somewhat disturbing passage happens mid-way through the book of Daniel. During a party, thrown by the grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar, a large hand appears and inscribes four words on the wall.

These four words written on the wall declare the end of the Babylonian Empire and the oncoming invasion from the Medo-Persians that very night.

Another detail for those who want to start up with blaming the shareholders, the boards and the fact that SS is a corporation. Which means in all cases a business, designed to make money for owners and investors.

All states require that corporations form a board of directors elected by shareholders, hold at least one annual meeting, and maintain meeting minutes that document topics discussed and actions taken.

I'm not sure how public these minutes are? I don't care. But someone could do more than make claims, or vague generalized attacks, and go see what actually happens at these meetings. I've been on boards, they are terribly boring and mostly about legal matters, budgets, or business functions, I've never heard a word about how to screw employees. Just costs, rent, expenses, income and how the investments of the company and the future are progressing.

You make the mistake that this is a vague generalized attack, it isn't, it is specific to the Microstock business in that shareholders are a cancer that eat away at our business in the name of capitalism using shareholder dividends, taking away our cash created by our hard work over many years, if it was capitalism, it would be about creating money, innovation and moving forward, what SS have done is legalised theft.

You may never have heard a word about screwing employees . . . when you have been on boards, but somethings don't need to be said, you sound more like an accountant than a creative, did you ever discuss giving your employees pay rises?

As for your assertion that shareholders are to blame, I never said this, I said "I realised a few years back, that as soon as they bought outside shareholders on board, the writing was on the wall;

The problem you have is a rigid mindset in thinking that the microstock contributor is a employee, they are not, they are 'contributors' and the stock agencies are the agents selling our work.

It is exactly the same relationship as an actor has, they represent us and our creative work, I don't see Tom Cruise's Agent bringing in outside shareholders to take three quarters or more of his earnings.

SS is a business for it's contributors, not for any old bod who happens to come along after the business has been built and start to take money off the people who have helped build the business.

These underhand tactics by SS and other Microstock agencies give Capitalism a bad name.

Quote from: H2O on January 16, 2021, 10:34

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 15, 2021, 16:22

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on January 15, 2021, 12:55

Quote from: H2O on January 15, 2021, 07:20

I realised a few years back, that as soon as they bought outside shareholders on board, the writing was on the wall

You realise a few years after they bought outside shareholders on board, that as soon as they bought outside shareholders on board, the writing was on the wall?

Told you so: "The writing is on the wall"

A bizarre and somewhat disturbing passage happens mid-way through the book of Daniel. During a party, thrown by the grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar, a large hand appears and inscribes four words on the wall.

These four words written on the wall declare the end of the Babylonian Empire and the oncoming invasion from the Medo-Persians that very night.

Another detail for those who want to start up with blaming the shareholders, the boards and the fact that SS is a corporation. Which means in all cases a business, designed to make money for owners and investors.

All states require that corporations form a board of directors elected by shareholders, hold at least one annual meeting, and maintain meeting minutes that document topics discussed and actions taken.

I'm not sure how public these minutes are? I don't care. But someone could do more than make claims, or vague generalized attacks, and go see what actually happens at these meetings. I've been on boards, they are terribly boring and mostly about legal matters, budgets, or business functions, I've never heard a word about how to screw employees. Just costs, rent, expenses, income and how the investments of the company and the future are progressing.

You make the mistake that this is a vague generalized attack, it isn't, it is specific to the Microstock business in that shareholders are a cancer that eat away at our business in the name of capitalism using shareholder dividends, taking away our cash created by our hard work over many years, if it was capitalism, it would be about creating money, innovation and moving forward, what SS have done is legalised theft.

You may never have heard a word about screwing employees . . . when you have been on boards, but somethings don't need to be said, you sound more like an accountant than a creative, did you ever discuss giving your employees pay rises?

As for your assertion that shareholders are to blame, I never said this, I said "I realised a few years back, that as soon as they bought outside shareholders on board, the writing was on the wall;

The problem you have is a rigid mindset in thinking that the microstock contributor is a employee, they are not, they are 'contributors' and the stock agencies are the agents selling our work.

It is exactly the same relationship as an actor has, they represent us and our creative work, I don't see Tom Cruise's Agent bringing in outside shareholders to take three quarters or more of his earnings.

SS is a business for it's contributors, not for any old bod who happens to come along after the business has been built and start to take money off the people who have helped build the business.

These underhand tactics by SS and other Microstock agencies give Capitalism a bad name.

Correct we are not employees. They aren't our agents either. Yes, I'd like to get paid a fair return for my work. Correct, I don't think a CEO is worth $4.7 million either. Unless they can make the company $20 million more under their leadership of course.

You'll have to read the board meeting minutes if you are going to say they have targeted us because of shareholder demands or officers designing changes to take away income from artists as individuals. I haven't so I make no claim except from past experience. You need to look for facts and come back with some proof or evidence to support your allegations, not just, generalized attacks.

I think all of us are ahead of the 4th quarter report that might show us how they are doing. I don't own SSTK and I don't have insider knowledge. I'm waiting to see what comes out.

If you were the company owner, how long would you keep paying people over 300% of what you earned on many large package downloads? Or on others, more than you make. What kind of business sense does it take to understand you can't operate at a loss, and make a profit?

In my opinion they are our Agents, just because you assert they aren�t doesn�t make it so, where is your evidence to prove otherwise? a employee has, certain rights like overtime, holiday, sick pay etc. .

As for reading board minutes, this maybe because you are an accountant, creatives don�t read minutes.

If I was a company owner I would never have go into the position of paying more than something costs, and I never did when I was running a business, if SS have been doing this then more fool them, but they still seem to have been making money overall, which of course is what it is about, maybe they consider these packages to be �lose leaders�.

If they are making a loss, then why bring in shareholders, this would only compound the loss?

Your reasoning doesn�t make sense.

They are in fact our appointed agent! they use our assets in order to make money!  when SS declares they have 200 million assets ( images), they don't really since these 200 million assets are our assets our pictures.
Had SS been an old style stock-agency our pics would have been in the form of trannies something you could physically touch and therefore a signed agency-contract and everything. Its not though its all digital and can be wiped out in seconds!..SS is playing on this one all the way and treat us like complete noobs!

oh I couldn't work out why my earnings were so low this month, Level 1. bah.

Quote from: Horizon on January 16, 2021, 14:12

They are in fact our appointed agent! they use our assets in order to make money!  when SS declares they have 200 million assets ( images), they don't really since these 200 million assets are our assets our pictures.
Had SS been an old style stock-agency our pics would have been in the form of trannies something you could physically touch and therefore a signed agency-contract and everything. Its not though its all digital and can be wiped out in seconds!..SS is playing on this one all the way and treat us like complete noobs!

You have a contract you agreed for all the micro agencies but you don't understand what that said? https://submit.shutterstock.com/legal/terms#:~:text=Terms%20of%20Service%20Shutterstock,%20Inc.,%20and,%20where%20the,content%20from%20the%20Shutterstock%20websites%20(collectively,%20%22Shutterstock%20Websites%22).

The terms say #18 The relationship of the parties is that of independent contractors. There is no relationship of partnership, joint venture, employment, franchise or agency created hereby between the parties. You're wrong.

After 25 years in the stock-photography business and assignment photography! YES I think I understand what it means!

So you understand that they're not your agent, as stated in the Shutterstock legal terms, but you're also stating that they are in fact your agent? 25 years or not... it would appear you're slightly confused.

In a contract or not, it is implied that they are an Agent, plus their business model is that of an Agent.

'#18 The relationship of the parties is that of independent contractors' - A contractor by definition, is someone asked to do something by someone else. You are contracted to undertake work, you cannot sign up to be 'contracted', as this implies, it simply doesn't make sense; SS don't specifically ask people to undertake work.

This is a ambiguous part of their so called 'contract'. I guess it shows that those as SS are not so clever and basically all the artists who have signed up, are just that artists.

The reality is like so many business, the people at the top are crooks, this is really what it comes down to.

...anyhow when there is a contract between supplier and distributor that contract the contract is an Agency-contract and is exactly the same as if they was your Agent.

Sorry, but that's just not true. While there may be some similarities, these stock sites are not our agents... and while you can draw comparisons or make similarities or make assumptions about what BAPLA would or wouldn't view it as all you like... it says quite clearly in the legal agreement that they're not our agents. 

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on January 17, 2021, 13:04

Quote from: Horizon on January 17, 2021, 10:46

...anyhow when there is a contract between supplier and distributor that contract the contract is an Agency-contract and is exactly the same as if they was your Agent.

Sorry, but that's just not true. While there may be some similarities, these stock sites are not our agents... and while you can draw comparisons or make similarities or make assumptions about what BAPLA would or wouldn't view it as all you like... it says quite clearly in the legal agreement that they're not our agents.

It certainly does say it and it also says many other things, but just because it says it doesn't mean to say that the contract is written right, it also says:-  We are independent contractors - A contractor by definition, is someone asked to do something by someone else. You are contracted to undertake work, you cannot sign up to be 'contracted', as this implies, it simply doesn't make sense; SS don't specifically ask people to undertake work.

The reality is SS is run like the Mafia, I wonder if Trump has any shares in it.

Damned right! and a noob Mafia at that they can't even cover their own silly mistakes or decisions just blatently slap us in the face every time relying on the fact they can replace contributors in 5 minutes time with another bunch of starry-eyed people!

My worst start to the year since 2016.
Not only on SS but on all sites.
We'll see.....

Same here, not since 2016 as I haven't been on that long but certainly since December 2019 when I had almost half the port I do today. 

So far my january on SS is 64% lower than it would have been with the old earning structure 

Is it not a bit early for comparing last January when we are still in January? Im simliar with Dreamtime though, quite a few $4 sales and $1 dollars.....quite unlike them! Non-exclusive iStock still brings me in more money than any of the other top agencies.

I'm 100% down from last January on SS. Last October was the only month DT seemed to do well for me in a while - and that was still pretty sad.

I averaged mine over much more that 'last year', and it's not fact until the end of month obviously, hence an indication.
Lucky old me though (sarcasm), level 3 already. I wonder how many are on level 6 already. Still looking at 50% down if im lucky. Under no illusions, the more its not worth it (anywhere), the less effort i make, the more i do something else elsewhere.

Quote from: cascoly on January 21, 2021, 22:03

ROFL -- comparing Jan 2020 to 2021 as if all things were equal  - US has 400K dead, and a cratering economy from a global  pandemic - might that have anything to do with year to year sales

12+ million unemployed - more than double  2019

Not really when number of downloads remains consistent to last year.

Perfectly possible to compare to last year as a whole, or since June or whatever.

For most of us, sales volumes remain pretty much the same.  Its the commission cut doing it.

Well said, reasonable point but i've no doubt it must have some affect. Big jobs being cancelled so maybe larger commissions are less, certainly ive had many more smaller sale and less bigger ones, regardless of commission percentage.

They are in fact our appointed agent! they use our assets in order to make money!  when SS declares they have 200 million assets ( images), they don't really since these 200 million assets are our assets our pictures.
Had SS been an old style stock-agency our pics would have been in the form of trannies something you could physically touch and therefore a signed agency-contract and everything. Its not though its all digital and can be wiped out in seconds!..SS is playing on this one all the way and treat us like complete noobs!

I think that is part of the problem.
Digital images dont exist physically, so I sometimes think maybe that's why agents can sell them so cheaply.
Getting a few cents for an image is just a joke.
If it was a solid object maybe there would seem to be more value in them.