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Author Topic: Bruce, Our Knight in Shining Armor? Stocksy Co-op  (Read 77666 times)

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« Reply #175 on: February 08, 2013, 22:55 »
+3
Interesting news.... I don't like exclusivity though, even image one. Will be a tough sell unless they are planning to bring in enough customers to make it work right from the start.


« Reply #176 on: February 09, 2013, 00:47 »
+2
It's great to see someone starting an ethical company.  Just iStock led the way so many years ago, I hope this becomes the new leader for the industry to follow over time.  That would be good news for all of us, regardless of whether we're part of Stocksy or not.

vlad_the_imp

« Reply #177 on: February 09, 2013, 02:08 »
+9
Quote
At this point, does anyone care if their relationship ends with IS?
A lot of people still make a lot of money at IS, whatever your experience may be. Many people rely on their IS income to pay their rent and mortgage and feed their family. If my income from there was cut off with 30 days notice it would be a disaster, so perhaps a little more empathy wouldn't go amiss.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2013, 02:22 by vlad_the_imp »

« Reply #178 on: February 09, 2013, 03:19 »
+4
I must be tired to find this so amusing, but I checked out the Christmas Tree (6900 dls) they spoke of on FB by Silvanworks and IS suggests to also look at another one... when I clicked their suggestion it was no longer available for purchase!  ???  A D-day deactivation perhaps?   Haha, they've lost their bestest Christmas trees.

« Reply #179 on: February 09, 2013, 03:36 »
+1
I am not so sure the big IS players will be that ready to move since most are getting 40% commission now and an extra 10% to move to a new micro site (or mid tier) with little awareness and momentum may not be appealing. Sure, we all hate Getty but it comes down to money in most cases.

I would love to know what Stocksy's business plan is regarding content ingestion. This is not 2001 and the landscape has changed. But I feel that there is a strong momentum for something like this to flourish -- but it will take time and a nurturing mindset by all.

vlad_the_imp

« Reply #180 on: February 09, 2013, 03:54 »
0
Quote
IS suggests to also look at another one... when I clicked their suggestion it was no longer available for purchase!

I think you misunderstand how those links work, that is a link provided by the photographer, not IS.

« Reply #181 on: February 09, 2013, 05:43 »
+2
I thought Stockfresh might get a lot of the old Stockxpert buyers but that hasn't happened.  Having exclusive images only might be more attractive to buyers.  I don't think it's a good idea to only have high quality from the start.  It would take a long time to get enough exclusive images to attract buyers.  Who's going to upload high quality exclusive content to a site that doesn't have many buyers?  So I think they will need all of us from the start and they will have to keep their acceptance rates similar to the big sites.  They can always start their version of Vetta when they have enough images.

As istock was open to everyone that could pass their contributor test, I don't see why Stocksy wouldn't be?  I think they will need as many contributors as possible because we don't all have vast amounts of exclusive images and I doubt the big exclusives with istock could take the risk until Stocksy is established.

How many exclusive images will they need to get buyers interested?  I would think at least 500,000.  That's not going to be easy to get quickly and sites that don't get going fast seem to drift to the bottom of the earnings poll here.

« Reply #182 on: February 09, 2013, 05:54 »
+3
Many people rely on their IS income to pay their rent and mortgage and feed their family. If my income from there was cut off with 30 days notice it would be a disaster

Then why do you insist to have your "all eggs in one basket" ? Why not want to secure your income and spread the risks if you are depending on microstock income?
« Last Edit: February 09, 2013, 05:57 by Perry »

« Reply #183 on: February 09, 2013, 06:01 »
0
I thought Stockfresh might get a lot of the old Stockxpert buyers but that hasn't happened.  Having exclusive images only might be more attractive to buyers.  I don't think it's a good idea to only have high quality from the start.  It would take a long time to get enough exclusive images to attract buyers.  Who's going to upload high quality exclusive content to a site that doesn't have many buyers?  So I think they will need all of us from the start and they will have to keep their acceptance rates similar to the big sites.  They can always start their version of Vetta when they have enough images.

As istock was open to everyone that could pass their contributor test, I don't see why Stocksy wouldn't be?  I think they will need as many contributors as possible because we don't all have vast amounts of exclusive images and I doubt the big exclusives with istock could take the risk until Stocksy is established.

How many exclusive images will they need to get buyers interested?  I would think at least 500,000.  That's not going to be easy to get quickly and sites that don't get going fast seem to drift to the bottom of the earnings poll here.

I agree, to a certain point.  I agree with the all exclusive library.  They have to distinguish themselves from the other agencies.  But, I believe they need to keep the quality high, but draw from a large pool of contributors, not just the top earners.  You're right, in that they won't get enough images from the top earners alone to attract buyers.  They need all of us, just not all of our images.

vlad_the_imp

« Reply #184 on: February 09, 2013, 06:19 »
+5
Quote
Then why do you insist to have your "all eggs in one basket" ? Why not want to secure your income and spread the risks if you are depending on microstock income?

If only it was that easy! I have been at iStock for 8 years, I have a portfolio of 4000+ images and a weekly income of 4 figures. My income is rising too, not reaching what it was 2 years ago or so, but rising. I know from others experience that giving up exclusivity would mean an immediate large drop in income of up to 75%. That would mean my weekly income might drop by, lets say $750, possibly more. That is a lot of money and an amount I could not possibly afford to lose. I could start to upload at other sites but how long would it take me to (a) upload 4000 images and (b) equal my income at IS? People I know who have given up exclusivity suggest it might take 2 years or more and may never equal the exclusivity income I now have. Some have given up exclusivity and returned to IS within a year, because the income drop is impossible to manage, and then, when they return to IS, have to fight to climb back to their previous figures. If I were starting out now I would definitely choose non exclusivity but I haven't and I continue for the present to reap the financial rewards, but with the negative aspects that come with that too. IS has changed and not for the better, but it is easy to be glib and suggest people spread risks, without really understanding the implications of that statement. Hope my explanation may go some way to explaining why myself, and probably many more people, are stuck with exclusivity for the time being.

Poncke

« Reply #185 on: February 09, 2013, 06:22 »
0
If all the top contribs, with 5,000 images or more each submit 1000-5000 images to Stocksy they need to get about 300 top contributors to get to 500,000 images. And then you will probably only have people in situation images and travel images. That will only attract a very limited amount of buyers and you will be competing with the likes of Yuri's people images.

If you want to make  it attractive, you need all kinds of contributors. But if you make the review process like Istock or Shutterstock you are guarenteed to have a high quality varied library. Which will benefit buyers and sellers.

« Reply #186 on: February 09, 2013, 06:28 »
0
If only it was that easy! I have been at iStock for 8 years, I have a portfolio of 4000+ images and a weekly income of 4 figures. My income is rising too, not reaching what it was 2 years ago or so, but rising. I know from others experience that giving up exclusivity would mean an immediate large drop in income of up to 75%.

Yes, I can definitely understand your side of the story too. Your main problem is that you should have quit exclusivity a long time ago, before you had become too dependent on microstock income (I quit exclusivity back in 2006). Of course thinking about the past doesn't help here...
« Last Edit: February 09, 2013, 06:32 by Perry »

« Reply #187 on: February 09, 2013, 06:31 »
+1
-- double post, sorry --

aspp

« Reply #188 on: February 09, 2013, 06:48 »
+1
I doubt the big exclusives with istock could take the risk until Stocksy is established.

Suppose it is not RF. Or suppose it is not only RF. Suppose they introduced, say, a simplified off the shelf single use non exclusive RM licence. From the customer perspective this would be just as easy to licence.

The Istock exclusive agreement does not restrict people from submitting RM.

Poncke

« Reply #189 on: February 09, 2013, 06:51 »
-1
Quote
Then why do you insist to have your "all eggs in one basket" ? Why not want to secure your income and spread the risks if you are depending on microstock income?

If only it was that easy! I have been at iStock for 8 years, I have a portfolio of 4000+ images and a weekly income of 4 figures. My income is rising too, not reaching what it was 2 years ago or so, but rising. I know from others experience that giving up exclusivity would mean an immediate large drop in income of up to 75%. That would mean my weekly income might drop by, lets say $750, possibly more. That is a lot of money and an amount I could not possibly afford to lose. I could start to upload at other sites but how long would it take me to (a) upload 4000 images and (b) equal my income at IS? People I know who have given up exclusivity suggest it might take 2 years or more and may never equal the exclusivity income I now have. Some have given up exclusivity and returned to IS within a year, because the income drop is impossible to manage, and then, when they return to IS, have to fight to climb back to their previous figures. If I were starting out now I would definitely choose non exclusivity but I haven't and I continue for the present to reap the financial rewards, but with the negative aspects that come with that too. IS has changed and not for the better, but it is easy to be glib and suggest people spread risks, without really understanding the implications of that statement. Hope my explanation may go some way to explaining why myself, and probably many more people, are stuck with exclusivity for the time being.
You need to get out no matter what. If IS falls over this year, you are screwed. Why not get out before its really becomes a disaster. You have no control over what happens to IS, you do have control over your images. Well with Getty you dont, but thats another discussion.

JFP

« Reply #190 on: February 09, 2013, 07:00 »
+2

Until 3 months ago, it definitely made no sense to leave istock exclusivity... but with the drop of at least 50% of revenues since December, it may not be the case anymore.

Further, there is no sign that things will go better, and looking at the massive ban (from Lobo the Psycho) on istock forum that is being rolled over since the beginning of this week, we can expect a big news not in favor of exclusives!


Quote
Then why do you insist to have your "all eggs in one basket" ? Why not want to secure your income and spread the risks if you are depending on microstock income?

If only it was that easy! I have been at iStock for 8 years, I have a portfolio of 4000+ images and a weekly income of 4 figures. My income is rising too, not reaching what it was 2 years ago or so, but rising. I know from others experience that giving up exclusivity would mean an immediate large drop in income of up to 75%. That would mean my weekly income might drop by, lets say $750, possibly more. That is a lot of money and an amount I could not possibly afford to lose. I could start to upload at other sites but how long would it take me to (a) upload 4000 images and (b) equal my income at IS? People I know who have given up exclusivity suggest it might take 2 years or more and may never equal the exclusivity income I now have. Some have given up exclusivity and returned to IS within a year, because the income drop is impossible to manage, and then, when they return to IS, have to fight to climb back to their previous figures. If I were starting out now I would definitely choose non exclusivity but I haven't and I continue for the present to reap the financial rewards, but with the negative aspects that come with that too. IS has changed and not for the better, but it is easy to be glib and suggest people spread risks, without really understanding the implications of that statement. Hope my explanation may go some way to explaining why myself, and probably many more people, are stuck with exclusivity for the time being.

« Reply #191 on: February 09, 2013, 07:37 »
0
I'm starting  a co-op stock site called crapsy. For all of those artists who get rejected by stocksy. Who's in?
ooh goody, somewhere to park all my pictures of fruit. :)
At Crapsy we love old pictures of fruit but what we really need is more pictures of flowers. We love photographs of flowers from your home garden. Crapsy!

« Reply #192 on: February 09, 2013, 07:38 »
+7
If only it was that easy! I have been at iStock for 8 years, I have a portfolio of 4000+ images and a weekly income of 4 figures. My income is rising too, not reaching what it was 2 years ago or so, but rising. I know from others experience that giving up exclusivity would mean an immediate large drop in income of up to 75%.

Yes, I can definitely understand your side of the story too. Your main problem is that you should have quit exclusivity a long time ago, before you had become too dependent on microstock income (I quit exclusivity back in 2006). Of course thinking about the past doesn't help here...


Unless you live under a rock, signs of an epic fail from istock have been showing for a couple of years now. I dont understand this "i depend on this income to feed my family." EVERYONE depends on whatever income they make. It is never easy changing jobs, it is a lot of work and a lot of stress. This didnt all just come about with the google getty deal. How many "naysayers", as they frequently get called, predicted this a long time ago? everyone made a choice. If you chose not to listen and "kept hoping", based on nothing, i dont think its fair to expect too much empathy. Some empathy will be given, as for anyone down on their luck, but not a whole lot. Time for a plan b!

« Reply #193 on: February 09, 2013, 07:54 »
+1
If only it was that easy! I have been at iStock for 8 years, I have a portfolio of 4000+ images and a weekly income of 4 figures. My income is rising too, not reaching what it was 2 years ago or so, but rising. I know from others experience that giving up exclusivity would mean an immediate large drop in income of up to 75%.

Yes, I can definitely understand your side of the story too. Your main problem is that you should have quit exclusivity a long time ago, before you had become too dependent on microstock income (I quit exclusivity back in 2006). Of course thinking about the past doesn't help here...


Unless you live under a rock, signs of an epic fail from istock have been showing for a couple of years now. I dont understand this "i depend on this income to feed my family." EVERYONE depends on whatever income they make. It is never easy changing jobs, it is a lot of work and a lot of stress. This didnt all just come about with the google getty deal. How many "naysayers", as they frequently get called, predicted this a long time ago? everyone made a choice. If you chose not to listen and "kept hoping", based on nothing, i dont think its fair to expect too much empathy. Some empathy will be given, as for anyone down on their luck, but not a whole lot. Time for a plan b!
It's really not that simple though is it.  I feel really sorry for the exclusives in this position.   Normally when you change jobs you are straight away on the same salary or more but with this it will take a long while to get back to anything like what they are earning as an exclusive. The money to pay the bills has to come from somewhere.

vlad_the_imp

« Reply #194 on: February 09, 2013, 07:57 »
0
Quote
If you chose not to listen and "kept hoping", based on nothing, i dont think its fair to expect too much empathy.

Choose not to listen to whom? You? Are you some great expert on microstock? I see an embittered contributor with a negative outlook on everything IS related when I read your opinion. I am quite happy with my position as an exclusive AT THE MOMENT. I emphasise the last bit, it may change

Quote
but with the drop of at least 50% of revenues since December, it may not be the case anymore.

This is certainly not my experience, my income has been on a gently rising slope since the beginning of this year. I have taken my biggest payout this week since the middle of last year.

Quote
If IS falls over this year, you are screwed.

I just have to laugh at comments like this. You have been in the business a few months, probably earn a few hundred dollars a year, but feel free to pontificate about just about everything to do with microstock, with very little real experience.

XPTO

« Reply #195 on: February 09, 2013, 08:09 »
+3
I honestly don't understand what's all the fuss around exclusive images! People, we're talking about RF!

There's not a single thing about exclusive in this licensing model, and in 2013 no one will be producing content that isn't available at other sites through similar images and concepts, or that will be replicated the next day. The only images that could take advantage of the exclusiveness should be under the RM license. But RF... c'mon...

Stocksy doesn't need to reinvent the wheel or enter in the "fake" exclusiveness concept to attract a large number of buyers and be successful. It just needs:

1 - Competitive prices
2 - A good site working properly
3 - Good customer service
4 - A very large, diverse and quality collection from high value productions to isolated apples
5 - Tenths of thousand of motivated photographers advertising for free all around the world valuing millions in the traditional advertising
6 - And finally, to promote the sustainable concept of the agency near the buyers.

The last point is absolutely critical for the success of this agency.

If a buyer has good prices, a good site and service, plus a large collection of high quality images, which means all the things he probably get from other agencies, but on top of that he understands that he's helping the producers of the content - which will be able give him more quality photos in the future - I have no doubt many buyers will go to Stocksy.

So, I personally don't feel that the exclusivity of images is anything important in distinguish Stocksy from other agencies. Just offer the same as the best ones plus something they cannot equal: totally motivated contributors and a positive feeling to the buyers for doing a good and fair thing.

After all this I don't doubt that stocky will start to have exclusive content, but that will happen because people will stop supplying other agencies voluntarily.

« Reply #196 on: February 09, 2013, 08:21 »
+2
^^^There's sites doing all that already and they can't make an impact on the big 4.  I think they do need a USP and as there isn't an exclusive images only microstock site, that's one idea that might work.

Poncke

« Reply #197 on: February 09, 2013, 08:27 »
+1

Quote
If IS falls over this year, you are screwed.

I just have to laugh at comments like this. You have been in the business a few months, probably earn a few hundred dollars a year, but feel free to pontificate about just about everything to do with microstock, with very little real experience.

Laugh at me all you want. It has nothing to do with how much experience I have. I made over 3000 dollar profit since I started selling photos 10 months ago. I guess I am doing just fine next to my 56.000 dollar day job. I am a fast learner.

It has everything to do you with what you said yourself and common sense.

You say you cant leave IS because it will be a disaster. So IF IS falls over this year, you are screwed, or not? Either way, you lose your income. Thats why me and other people say its best to spread the risk. How tough that may be, you better get started before its too late. THis doesnt apply to micro stock, but to any situation in life. And I have plenty experience with that.

I didnt attack you dude, I just made an observation. No need to get personal imo.

aspp

« Reply #198 on: February 09, 2013, 08:29 »
+1
I dont understand this "i depend on this income to feed my family.

Nice.

Some empathy will be given, as for anyone down on their luck, but not a whole lot.

Empathy is not something to give. It's something which people feel. Some.

Anyhow - nobody is down on their luck. There are two sorts of contributors: those doing great work and those on the verge of doing great work. Nobody else matters. You are talking about a very talented pool of (mostly) upbeat and self motivated people.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #199 on: February 09, 2013, 08:34 »
+9
What some don't understand is that a Plan B may not involve spreading work to other micros. It might not involve micros, or indeed selling images at all.
So for some people it may be worth staying exclusive and focussing on getting their ducks in a row, or whatever that saying is, in other areas of their lives, rather than wasting time on the other micros.
There are not only two options, and everyone's port, expectations and are different. People can read all the infor about the different micros here and made their own decision. What's right for 'you' or 'me' isn't necesarily right for Tom, Dick, or Harry.


 

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