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Author Topic: Where did OD/SOD go?  (Read 14772 times)

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objowl

« Reply #25 on: April 11, 2015, 16:54 »
+2
It's a bit amazing to me that I get minus-ed for my previous post.  Are there that many people here who actually think subscriptions are good for contributors?   Or who still believe that SS's intention is for microstock to be profitable for photographers?   

The will to believe is strong.

You hit the nail on the head with that one.

you will get a minus if you don't like SS and their subs model, i get them all the time. and yes, sadly there are that many people who rave about subs. i don't get it at all.

If I was starting out today I wouldn't touch subs with a bargepole, but few people were complaining about them in 2008.  I don't see the many people raving about subs that you do, but there are enough complaining to make the newbie think twice.   The minus you get may be because this is a thread about where the OD/SODs went and you don't appear to have thrown any light on that unless you are saying that they turned them into subs, which to be frank is a ludicrous suggestion.  What advantage would that be to Shutterstock?


Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #26 on: April 12, 2015, 07:36 »
+10
It's a bit amazing to me that I get minus-ed for my previous post.  Are there that many people here who actually think subscriptions are good for contributors?   Or who still believe that SS's intention is for microstock to be profitable for photographers?   

The will to believe is strong.

You hit the nail on the head with that one.

you will get a minus if you don't like SS and their subs model, i get them all the time. and yes, sadly there are that many people who rave about subs. i don't get it at all.

I haven't seen anyone "rave" about subs. But for most of us SS makes the most income by far. Do I love getting 38 for a sale? No. But IMO that sale would probably not have existed before subs. I was on iS for a couple of years and was going to quit doing illustrations because I was making so little. And iS was arrogant, rejecting a lot of work they felt was "not suitable for stock" and telling people not to complain when they rejected files that sold well elsewhere.

Thanks to their attitude I started looking around, found SS and uploaded my "not suitable" images, and lo and behold they started selling immediately. SS quickly became the place where I make the most, and has remained there. The gap between them and iS has steadily widened; my earnings per sale there have risen while falling at iS.

Despite paying me lower royalties, which leaves them more to spend on marketing, iS continues to flounder. That's due to poor management, not subs.

« Reply #27 on: April 20, 2016, 22:50 »
+9
After a continuous run of 126 SUBs, I got an OD today. ODs and SODs have been disappearing after SS introduced their new SUB plans last year.

SS, are you happy now?  >:(

« Reply #28 on: April 21, 2016, 00:48 »
0
OD/SOD makes up anywhere between 5-12% of my downloads.

OM

« Reply #29 on: April 23, 2016, 15:24 »
+2
Or maybe the lack of SOD sales is due to a successful Premier Select Trial and many of the SODs are going to the selected high lifetime earners?

That was my thought, they have directed sales to select contributors.

Drop in dls and SODs does correlate with their announcement time frame....few SODs worth a sod after that. I guess I'm not in their select club.  :(

« Reply #30 on: April 23, 2016, 17:33 »
+7
Shutter is a sinking ship.
I bet they will start a new price war before they die.


« Reply #31 on: April 23, 2016, 18:09 »
+1
Or maybe the lack of SOD sales is due to a successful Premier Select Trial and many of the SODs are going to the selected high lifetime earners?

That was my thought, they have directed sales to select contributors.

Drop in dls and SODs does correlate with their announcement time frame....few SODs worth a sod after that. I guess I'm not in their select club.  :(

As a high lifetime earner, I can promise you jack-all has been directed to high lifetime earners.  This month looks to be my lowest on SS since my first year, when I had less than 1k images.

OM

« Reply #32 on: April 23, 2016, 19:01 »
+3
Or maybe the lack of SOD sales is due to a successful Premier Select Trial and many of the SODs are going to the selected high lifetime earners?

That was my thought, they have directed sales to select contributors.

Drop in dls and SODs does correlate with their announcement time frame....few SODs worth a sod after that. I guess I'm not in their select club.  :(

As a high lifetime earner, I can promise you jack-all has been directed to high lifetime earners.  This month looks to be my lowest on SS since my first year, when I had less than 1k images.

Interesting and sorry to hear that. Poof goes that theory too....must be in algorithms...only they know.

« Reply #33 on: April 23, 2016, 20:06 »
+1

Do I love getting 38 for a sale? No. But IMO that sale would probably not have existed before subs.

Why do you say that?

People who buy subscriptions obviously need images for their work, on a regular basis.   I'm guessing that whatever business they're in, it existed before subscriptions; and it would continue to exist even if all subscription plans ended tomorrow.  They might have to pay a dollar or two for those images, but doing so wouldn't put them out of business. 
« Last Edit: April 23, 2016, 20:11 by stockastic »

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #34 on: April 23, 2016, 20:39 »
+3
You're responding to a post I made a year ago?

« Reply #35 on: April 23, 2016, 20:48 »
+2

Do I love getting 38 for a sale? No. But IMO that sale would probably not have existed before subs.

Why do you say that?

People who buy subscriptions obviously need images for their work, on a regular basis.   I'm guessing that whatever business they're in, it existed before subscriptions; and it would continue to exist even if all subscription plans ended tomorrow.  They might have to pay a dollar or two for those images, but doing so wouldn't put them out of business.

Yes, they existed, but they wouldn't be so liberal when it comes to downloading. I used a subscription and I still do. I download images I don't need sometimes, because I'm using them for comps. If subscriptions didn't exist, I would just download the watermarked images until I find the right one and only download the one I need instead of multiple.

Subs are also great for contributors. For the contributors whose work has a lot of commercial value, subs are a great way to help them get their images up the search results. Without subs, new uploads have little chance to rise up the ranks.

« Reply #36 on: April 24, 2016, 04:17 »
+3

As a high lifetime earner, I can promise you jack-all has been directed to high lifetime earners. 
Same here !

« Reply #37 on: April 24, 2016, 08:15 »
+2

As a high lifetime earner, I can promise you jack-all has been directed to high lifetime earners. 
Same here !

So can we take it that you and PixelBytes are not one of chosen ones in the Premier Select bracket, because logic would suggest that those that did not make the cut would be see highest loses.

« Reply #38 on: April 25, 2016, 00:03 »
+2

As a high lifetime earner, I can promise you jack-all has been directed to high lifetime earners. 
Same here !

So can we take it that you and PixelBytes are not one of chosen ones in the Premier Select bracket, because logic would suggest that those that did not make the cut would be see highest loses.

I don't know.  How do you find out if your in premier select?  Somebody shows up at your door with  a camera crew, balloons and a giant cheque?

If me and some others I know are high lifetime earners aren't in it, then I wonder what other criteria are in play.  Maybe unusual or rare subject matter?  Maybe factories, portfolio size, or........?

Does anyone here know for a fact that your in PS?  If so, how'd you find out?  Were you invited, notified, or just found your work there?
« Last Edit: April 25, 2016, 00:17 by PixelBytes »

« Reply #39 on: April 25, 2016, 09:53 »
+3
I just watched the Premier video and it mentioned - separately from access to Offset images - among the benefits "...as well as new content exclusively available to premier users"

What does that mean and where does that new content come from if not from submissions to Shutterstock?

I assume this has something to do with Premier Select, but does this exclusivity just last for a short time or is it permanent? There'd have to be a lot of business from Premier users to be willing to give up entirely income from "regular" SS customers. Giving them a 3 month window would be a lot easier.

As I don't recall anything here from anyone about being in Premier Select, I have to assume part of the deal is that people aren't allowed to discuss it if they are included.


 

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