Thanks for posting the update, Jo Ann.  It's good to hear things are still rolling behind the scenes.  That Stocksy has received such an overwhelming response already shouldn't be a surprise.  It's a sign that we contributors have been in need of something better for a long time. 

Why getting 2 mins for thanking someone? What is wrong with that?

Thanks Jo Ann. I didn't actually apply for anything, just gave an email addy for more info, and didn't hear back.

You cant find any portfolios by simply an email. The email is to get a newsletter of some sorts. SOmeone is making an assumption about cherry pikcing

As for Facebook, to join the facebook group you need a facebook account. To join the site, you most likely do not.

Well, we know very little details on this one and it's a long way to your first payout. Forgive me if I'm intrigued but nothing else at this stage. Click of the fingers and everyone wants to send in all the images they have spent years creating. Fair enough it may promise a better deal than some of the bad news at the moment, but it's going to take a huge effort to compete with what is out there.

Back to working for the less equitable agencies who are in a position to pay me my slim percentage of something....Knights died out in the Middle Ages...

Rob Sylvan at Stocksy United just reported that iStock/Getty is canceling  his account in 30 days and only referred to the  ASA stating they can do so.

Great, I'll Stocksy to the list of exclusive clubs I can't join.   Fun reading about them though.

Rob Sylvan at Stocksy United just reported that iStock/Getty is canceling  his account in 30 days and only referred to the  ASA stating they can do so.

I don't find this all that surprising, really. If he's going to have a role in the competition at (I assume) some administrative level, then it seems perfectly reasonable they'd delete his account. I can think of others that have had the same circumstances.

Warmpictures, Blend images, various photography groupings on Photoshelter come to mind. Also all the smaller webshops were two or three artists pool their content to sell together but also send content to other agencies.

A coop of course will have people working in administration, but why would they have their portfolios deleted from other sites?

Are images uploaded to stocksy more dangerous than images uploaded to shutterstock?

You would think istock/getty are concerned by losing all the marketshare to Shutterstock. I mean there are even customers on the forum openly talking about it.

Why would they be so scared of a coop that is not even open for business?

Bruce is a clever man, but he can�t create miracles.

stocksy will take years to build and might never ever become a real threat to anyone.

I don't have any choice but to take a wait and see attitude, but I'm not all that excited about Bruce's new venture.  I wasn't all that thrilled with iStock even before the sale to Getty.  Getting 20% as an independent was hardly good treatment, their upload process was somewhere between tedious and agonizing, and their upload limits meant it didn't take all that long for my iStock income to fall behind Shutterstock.  Bruce's iStock treated most of us like poor stepchildren.  I appreciate what he did in giving microstock life, but wonder what fresh hell he'll unleash on whomever he decides to make second class citizens.

Of course, I could be all wrong about this.  We'll see.

I think it's all image exclusive and all 50% royalty rate so no exclusive/nonexclusive issues.

Quote from: blackwaterimages on February 08, 2013, 20:17

Quote from: oxman on February 08, 2013, 19:47

Rob Sylvan at Stocksy United just reported that iStock/Getty is canceling  his account in 30 days and only referred to the  ASA stating they can do so.

I don't find this all that surprising, really. If he's going to have a role in the competition at (I assume) some administrative level, then it seems perfectly reasonable they'd delete his account. I can think of others that have had the same circumstances.

Rob has been independent for a long time. A number of us independents who are part of WarmPicture, including the guy who started it haven't been kicked out. What's the difference between WarmPicture and any other new cooperative? At this point I don't see anything other than arbitrary and personal reasons versus rational policy applied across the board.

Give it time, it will happen. I doubt our co-op is on anyone's radar in Canada. I'll give 100% for our contributors, but I'm not Bruce Livingstone. He's a real threat, obviously. And anyone who stands next to him at Stocksy will be a prime target for release from IS. At this point, does anyone care if their relationship ends with IS?

Here is what I think will happen:

1) Black Diamonds, Diamonds and Golds at IS or other sites that apply will have open gates to upload only exclusive images but also their very best.  So a Portfolio of 3000 images will get to upload 1/10th or 300 images at first.  This will of course have to be done by breaking exclusivity or being non exclusive already.

2) Since it will take some time to get traction it will be pertinent for contributors to spread around and upload their non Stocksy worthy content elsewhere for the foreseeable future. It will lessen the impact while the site grows and will create a system that will be sustainable as it grows.  God knows almost no-one will cease to contribute on other sites until Stocksy is huge.

3) They will build an initial library of a million or so files that will be outstanding and only available there.  The inspection will be brutal and probably will create some discontent but this is a way of attracting customers that only want the best and will not waste time wading thru 99 generic shots to get to that truly special one.

4) Once the site is running and oiled it will probably start accepting more contributors with less track record of sales and will also only accept outstanding files. Silvers, Bronze or Grey canisters will be able to give it a try.

5) By Only accepting the outstanding stuff it will be a one stop shop for clients who want the very best exclusive images. Now That will leave gaps for more generic stuff which might be partially filled in time as they create collections that are lower priced, but there are tons of other sites that will carry these files in the meantime.

6) Vector and Video might be available as options a couple of years after it generates enough traffic. It will need different inspection and much more storage space. Audio maybe in the future too.


My Hopes: Is that contributors will be able to prove their case for images by the download number on other sites and or peer review. We all know what files in our portfolio are the gems and which are the run of the mill stuff.  And we want a good home for the best files, and one that wont give them away on the net.

I also hope that contributors are able to set a tiered price per image which will create a better open market system that earns more for the best files and offers opportunity for buyers to also get files at a lower price. Placing of course a minimum and maximum price by Stocksy so it doesn't scare away buyers or creates a race to the bottom for prices which some contributors will try to exploit by lowering the stuff to get sales.  Maybe a % of slots in low mid and hi price to allocate as the contributor see fit with no chance of unbalancing the sales potential for everyone.

We'll know more soon enough, being based in Victoria BC Canada is a plus, since it will be a better fit for international contributors for tax purposes.

I'm excited and expect to be surprised many times as this progresses.