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Author Topic: Commission cut  (Read 50051 times)

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nobody

« Reply #50 on: July 17, 2018, 14:52 »
0
Here's a fun thread: http://www.microstockgroup.com/videoblocks/videoblocks-footage-marketplace-keep-100-of-what-you-earn/


Thanks Sean!

Sadly, when there is a pay cut they are nowhere to be seen! Trying their best to hide from us!


« Reply #51 on: July 17, 2018, 16:16 »
0
Is anyone able to track down the email for CEO TJ Leonard? I had no luck through Google, hoping someone here has some web sleuthing skills.


email may be:

[email protected]

from page 8 of this publicly available PDF (page 5 on the document):
http://arlington.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?meta_id=164618


Great find!! Thank you!

« Reply #52 on: July 17, 2018, 16:17 »
+2
Here's a fun thread: http://www.microstockgroup.com/videoblocks/videoblocks-footage-marketplace-keep-100-of-what-you-earn/


A quote from Zach at Videoblocks on that thread: "Our goal is to be the most contributor-friendly agency there is, so we will never do anything to jeopardize our relationships."

« Reply #53 on: July 17, 2018, 17:30 »
0
......................

« Reply #54 on: July 17, 2018, 18:03 »
0
Here is the petition, please sign and share with friends!

https://www.change.org/p/tj-leonard-videoblocks-don-t-cut-people-s-pay-in-half

« Reply #55 on: July 17, 2018, 21:40 »
0
Signed, have copied the text from the petition with the subject "commission cut - lets discuss" and sent to TJ. If there are some good wordsmiths can you please create a mail template and we can all send that.

« Reply #56 on: July 18, 2018, 06:11 »
0
Thanks for this posted it on my FB page as well

namussi

« Reply #57 on: July 18, 2018, 08:06 »
0
Signed, have copied the text from the petition with the subject "commission cut - lets discuss" and sent to TJ. If there are some good wordsmiths can you please create a mail template and we can all send that.

Companies/institutions/governments rarely take notice of identically worded emails or letters.

The email is dead easy to filter out so the recipient never even sees it.

« Reply #58 on: July 18, 2018, 10:10 »
+1
Thanks for signing! Yes, it's probably best if people word their emails differently, can be short as saying you won't be uploading anymore (or deleting your port) in response to this pay cut.

I wrote a long, angry email to [email protected] and got a response this morning that largely recycled the lies in TJ's email about building a model that is sustainable so they can grow blah blah. This was my email response:

"Mike, did any employees at Storyblocks take a 50% pay cut so that you can be "sustainable" and "fair"? Are YOU taking a 50% pay cut for the "long term shared success strategy"? Is TJ? If not, then your response is 100% crap. Not 50% crap, 100%.You're stealing from contributors to grow profit and operating budget, and not sharing any of the pain. That's a horrible, insulting way to treat contributors, which is why we won't support you by contributing anymore. We're happy to work with your competition and support them. Your back-stabbing CEO just hurt his own company long-term by betraying its suppliers. That's the truth, and you guys are living in a PR spin zone if you don't see it."

« Reply #59 on: July 18, 2018, 10:36 »
+4
I sent an email saying that I can't accept both the cut and the low price of $49 HD clips. In the reply I was told they had no plans to change pricing at this time.

I've made pretty good money with videoblocks up until they changed their name. Now it may be time to head to the door. I've stopped uploading and will see what the next couple of months hold before I make my final decision.

« Reply #60 on: July 18, 2018, 11:16 »
+6
I'm just going to leave my port there until the 1st of August while I receive 100% and then remove it. I can live without there sporadic / occasional sales. It started off ok but has more or less died a slow lingering death. They spent to much time pushing there subscriptions which they get all the money, and just left the marketplace with very little TLC. No surprise it's failing.

Their search is still terrible as well and naming the company after an existing firm that supplies educational videos was a bizarre move. I'll just put this down to experience in terms of time wasted uploading my port. Given their previous marketing decisions, I don't really want to give them 50% of any sale just so they can screw that up as well.

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #61 on: July 18, 2018, 11:59 »
0
"Mike, did any employees at Storyblocks take a 50% pay cut so that you can be "sustainable" and "fair"? Are YOU taking a 50% pay cut for the "long term shared success strategy"? Is TJ? If not, then your response is 100% crap. Not 50% crap, 100%.You're stealing from contributors to grow profit and operating budget, and not sharing any of the pain. That's a horrible, insulting way to treat contributors, which is why we won't support you by contributing anymore. We're happy to work with your competition and support them. Your back-stabbing CEO just hurt his own company long-term by betraying its suppliers. That's the truth, and you guys are living in a PR spin zone if you don't see it."

Don't you think that's slightly over the top? I could go with that if it was Pond5 (for example), going from 50% to 25%... but it seems a bit harsh under the circumstances, going from 100% to 50%. Sure, I'm not happy with it either, but... betrayal, back-stabbing, crap, stealing?! You'd think they'd murdered your family or something.

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #62 on: July 18, 2018, 12:04 »
0
Hahahahahahahahaah, maybe we should find our old statements about their sketchy business... but noooo, some shitheads from this forum tried to convince us that Videoblocks is a great way to sell files. Here you have it. Now you'll get even less than on SS  ::)

Well it was a great way to sell files.

« Reply #63 on: July 18, 2018, 12:44 »
+1
Quote
Well it was a great way to sell lies.

fixed it

« Reply #64 on: July 18, 2018, 12:45 »
+3
btw, i had my account closed today, told them their lies are despicable

« Reply #65 on: July 18, 2018, 15:12 »
+1
Hahahahahahahahaah, maybe we should find our old statements about their sketchy business... but noooo, some shitheads from this forum tried to convince us that Videoblocks is a great way to sell files. Here you have it. Now you'll get even less than on SS  ::)

Well it was a great way to sell files.

Damage was done. Forcing other agencies to find new exciting ways to sell our files. We really enjoy the $1.5 sales on SS now. Hidden "new channel" sales on Pond5 and also more and more subscription based lower based sales. Yea, let's welcome any new dumping agency that will undersell our files... Maybe $29 and EXPOSURE per file will be the next big thing. #sarcasmoff

Tyson Anderson

  • www.openrangestudios.com
« Reply #66 on: July 18, 2018, 15:32 »
+5
I'm blown away by everyones response.  $25 isn't enough for an HD sale?  $100 for 4k?  That's way better than all these under $20 4k sales I've had flooding in recently.  People complain about how bad their business model was before, and then complain about it when they make a change... and now a petition?  That's crazy!  It's not like they dropped it to 5%.  It's still 50%!  That's good in this game.  They should have some money to spend on marketing now, which usually creates more sales.  But good ahead and write them off if you want.

« Reply #67 on: July 18, 2018, 15:42 »
+5
I'm blown away by everyones response.  $25 isn't enough for an HD sale?  $100 for 4k?  That's way better than all these under $20 4k sales I've had flooding in recently.  People complain about how bad their business model was before, and then complain about it when they make a change... and now a petition?  That's crazy!  It's not like they dropped it to 5%.  It's still 50%!  That's good in this game.  They should have some money to spend on marketing now, which usually creates more sales.  But good ahead and write them off if you want.


When you'll start living from it, you'll respect bigger priced creative works and also work in way of bigger income. Amateurs are happy with low incomes and will undersell in any way they can just to get some beer money. #facts

« Reply #68 on: July 18, 2018, 16:23 »
+6
I use to think the same no big deal but trust me it is!! We need to scream as loud as we can and demand as much as we can. I do this for a living not a hobby!

nobody

« Reply #69 on: July 18, 2018, 16:34 »
0

« Reply #70 on: July 18, 2018, 17:23 »
+1
I'm blown away by everyones response.  $25 isn't enough for an HD sale?  $100 for 4k?  That's way better than all these under $20 4k sales I've had flooding in recently.  People complain about how bad their business model was before, and then complain about it when they make a change... and now a petition?  That's crazy!  It's not like they dropped it to 5%.  It's still 50%!  That's good in this game.  They should have some money to spend on marketing now, which usually creates more sales.  But good ahead and write them off if you want.

Tyson, you don't seem to see the big picture. They're driving down market prices while also massively cutting our commissions, which is bad enough in itself but gets worse if/when it encourages other companies to do the same. We are the suppliers in an industry. When our profit is squeezed - especially in dramatic cases like this - if we do not respond as suppliers in any other industry would, then that is economic suicide. We've seen this play out with stock photography, and plenty of people here, myself included, will do all we can to not have that process repeat in stock footage.

SpaceStockFootage: why would you think there has to be a murder in order to  use words like "betrayal," "back-stabbing," "crap" excuses, etc.? It's a betrayal for a company to market themselves as especially contributor-friendly and then make a massive 50% cut in commissions. And it is crap to paste it over with hollow excuses. Do you really think they're going to increase sales enough to make up that 50%? Do you think even they believe that? Of course not, it's a false hope meant to pacify us. So what do you do when a business partner takes 50% of your money and then gives a BS reason about why he took it?

Let's address the obvious problem. The businesses are strong and centralized, we as individual suppliers are weak and widely dispersed. They're always looking to increase profit and undercut the competition, and to do that they'll always have an eye toward paying their suppliers less. Every single time they make a move in that direction, we owe it to ourselves as business people to take a stand and say no. By not uploading, by deleting portfolios, and especially by then telling the companies that you're taking those actions, we let them know that there are economic consequences to squeezing us. The more unified we are in that, the more powerful the response, then the more economically defended we are in the long term. So please don't shrug this event off. Don't take a "it's not so bad" attitude or a defeatist attitude. Simply take one single minute to sign the petition and share it with your friends. And if you have other ideas to protect our interests, please share them.

Tyson Anderson

  • www.openrangestudios.com
« Reply #71 on: July 18, 2018, 17:36 »
+2
I also do this for a living.  I just don't think Videoblocks cutting commission from 100% to 50% is a reason to publicly speak out against them and start a petition.  And for anyone else doing this for a living, isn't it a bad business move to burn a bridge with one of the few companies that sells stock footage?  Let's say they do invest this money wisely and sales increase from them doing more marketing... 50% commission from a company that can sell videos is good.  As far as #facts about amateurs underselling for beer money, I know nothing about that.  I do know now that 50% commission from one company is standard, but with another company, it can get a petition started against them. 

Tyson Anderson

  • www.openrangestudios.com
« Reply #72 on: July 18, 2018, 17:46 »
+3
I'm blown away by everyones response.  $25 isn't enough for an HD sale?  $100 for 4k?  That's way better than all these under $20 4k sales I've had flooding in recently.  People complain about how bad their business model was before, and then complain about it when they make a change... and now a petition?  That's crazy!  It's not like they dropped it to 5%.  It's still 50%!  That's good in this game.  They should have some money to spend on marketing now, which usually creates more sales.  But good ahead and write them off if you want.

Tyson, you don't seem to see the big picture. They're driving down market prices while also massively cutting our commissions, which is bad enough in itself but gets worse if/when it encourages other companies to do the same. We are the suppliers in an industry. When our profit is squeezed - especially in dramatic cases like this - if we do not respond as suppliers in any other industry would, then that is economic suicide. We've seen this play out with stock photography, and plenty of people here, myself included, will do all we can to not have that process repeat in stock footage.

SpaceStockFootage: why would you think there has to be a murder in order to  use words like "betrayal," "back-stabbing," "crap" excuses, etc.? It's a betrayal for a company to market themselves as especially contributor-friendly and then make a massive 50% cut in commissions. And it is crap to paste it over with hollow excuses. Do you really think they're going to increase sales enough to make up that 50%? Do you think even they believe that? Of course not, it's a false hope meant to pacify us. So what do you do when a business partner takes 50% of your money and then gives a BS reason about why he took it?

Let's address the obvious problem. The businesses are strong and centralized, we as individual suppliers are weak and widely dispersed. They're always looking to increase profit and undercut the competition, and to do that they'll always have an eye toward paying their suppliers less. Every single time they make a move in that direction, we owe it to ourselves as business people to take a stand and say no. By not uploading, by deleting portfolios, and especially by then telling the companies that you're taking those actions, we let them know that there are economic consequences to squeezing us. The more unified we are in that, the more powerful the response, then the more economically defended we are in the long term. So please don't shrug this event off. Don't take a "it's not so bad" attitude or a defeatist attitude. Simply take one single minute to sign the petition and share it with your friends. And if you have other ideas to protect our interests, please share them.

I see the big picture very clearly.  This modern outrage culture looks exhausting.  It seams to me that people are getting so caught up in complaining that they are really missing the big picture.  Wasting time speaking out about this will not help you succeed in any way.  Adapt and get back to work!!!  And please quite saying this is driving down market prices.  $25 for HD and $100 for 4K isn't driving anyones prices down.  I just sold a video for under $5 on Shutterstock.

« Reply #73 on: July 18, 2018, 18:17 »
+2
I also do this for a living.  I just don't think Videoblocks cutting commission from 100% to 50% is a reason to publicly speak out against them and start a petition.  And for anyone else doing this for a living, isn't it a bad business move to burn a bridge with one of the few companies that sells stock footage?  Let's say they do invest this money wisely and sales increase from them doing more marketing... 50% commission from a company that can sell videos is good.  As far as #facts about amateurs underselling for beer money, I know nothing about that.  I do know now that 50% commission from one company is standard, but with another company, it can get a petition started against them.

A company cuts our commissions by 50%, and your response is don't speak against it or you might burn a bridge, you're powerless, just get back to work. That's incredibly weak and self-defeating, if everyone had that attitude we'd be making even less. Don't distort things by blaming this on "outrage culture" or any such nonsense - this is business. If you don't want to stand up for your own economic self-interest, that's your choice.


« Reply #74 on: July 18, 2018, 18:19 »
+6
I'm blown away by everyones response.  $25 isn't enough for an HD sale?  $100 for 4k?  That's way better than all these under $20 4k sales I've had flooding in recently.  People complain about how bad their business model was before, and then complain about it when they make a change... and now a petition?  That's crazy!  It's not like they dropped it to 5%.  It's still 50%!  That's good in this game.  They should have some money to spend on marketing now, which usually creates more sales.  But good ahead and write them off if you want.

Tyson, you don't seem to see the big picture. They're driving down market prices while also massively cutting our commissions, which is bad enough in itself but gets worse if/when it encourages other companies to do the same. We are the suppliers in an industry. When our profit is squeezed - especially in dramatic cases like this - if we do not respond as suppliers in any other industry would, then that is economic suicide. We've seen this play out with stock photography, and plenty of people here, myself included, will do all we can to not have that process repeat in stock footage.

SpaceStockFootage: why would you think there has to be a murder in order to  use words like "betrayal," "back-stabbing," "crap" excuses, etc.? It's a betrayal for a company to market themselves as especially contributor-friendly and then make a massive 50% cut in commissions. And it is crap to paste it over with hollow excuses. Do you really think they're going to increase sales enough to make up that 50%? Do you think even they believe that? Of course not, it's a false hope meant to pacify us. So what do you do when a business partner takes 50% of your money and then gives a BS reason about why he took it?

Let's address the obvious problem. The businesses are strong and centralized, we as individual suppliers are weak and widely dispersed. They're always looking to increase profit and undercut the competition, and to do that they'll always have an eye toward paying their suppliers less. Every single time they make a move in that direction, we owe it to ourselves as business people to take a stand and say no. By not uploading, by deleting portfolios, and especially by then telling the companies that you're taking those actions, we let them know that there are economic consequences to squeezing us. The more unified we are in that, the more powerful the response, then the more economically defended we are in the long term. So please don't shrug this event off. Don't take a "it's not so bad" attitude or a defeatist attitude. Simply take one single minute to sign the petition and share it with your friends. And if you have other ideas to protect our interests, please share them.

I see the big picture very clearly.  This modern outrage culture looks exhausting.  It seams to me that people are getting so caught up in complaining that they are really missing the big picture.  Wasting time speaking out about this will not help you succeed in any way.  Adapt and get back to work!!!  And please quite saying this is driving down market prices.  $25 for HD and $100 for 4K isn't driving anyones prices down.  I just sold a video for under $5 on Shutterstock.

You don't seem to understand something crucial. Storyblocks branded themselves as the most contributor-friendly agency claiming to 'always' give 100% commission on video sales. People responded by uploading their ports and thereby supporting and even advocating for Storyblocks. Sure their $49 prices were on the low side, but the 100% commission made up for it.
Now, they suddenly destroy our trust and goodwill with an outrageous cut (50%) which is the biggest paycut ever in the history of microstock. What's worse, they even dare try to spin it as something positive and uplifting for us, insulting our intelligence. More sales in the future making up for the loss in revenue? No agency ever lived up to that claim.

Truth is, that 100% commission was their only USP for contributors. Now they're just a mediocre, low-priced standard agency, but with lower sales AND known for stabbing their own contributors in the back...and for what? To boost their profits, nothing more.

And you're okay with that?


 

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