Author Topic: Istock to go live with Exclusive + collection next week (Read 24576 times)

Phil · « **Reply #25 on:** April 10, 2010, 22:44 »

Quote from: Kone on April 10, 2010, 19:36

Hi everyone,

I don't understand some of you. Yesterday, we were complaining about low commissions and about how agencies are cutting our commissions, but now that IS raised commissions, you are skeptical. Cheer up guys, at least somebody is doing something good for the contributors. I am not an IS exclusive, but I welcome any raise in commission.
Loop is right, everything has its price. So, please stop complaining and being skeptical about the future.
Personally, I don't think there is a single buyer that can't afford to buy an image on IS. If they can't afford it, they should not be in that business. Period.
Everyone makes more money than we do off of our images. So maybe it is about time something changed.

Kone

IS didnt raise commissions, they raised prices. (which personally I expected to see E+ come in with a reduced commission but higher price, so imo it is a positive).

Phil · « **Reply #26 on:** April 10, 2010, 22:45 »

Quote from: sjlocke on April 10, 2010, 19:49

To be fair, not everyone is in "business". People who might have purchased this or that for a dollar or two for a birthday party invite, or a family cookbook, are likely to be priced out at this point.

Of course, they aren't the consistent buyers, so if they leave en masse, will we miss them? Dunno.

I think they are hoping to get them back from FT etc with thinkstock...

Phil · « **Reply #27 on:** April 10, 2010, 22:46 »

Quote from: Phil on April 10, 2010, 22:44

Quote from: Kone on April 10, 2010, 19:36
Hi everyone,

I don't understand some of you. Yesterday, we were complaining about low commissions and about how agencies are cutting our commissions, but now that IS raised commissions, you are skeptical. Cheer up guys, at least somebody is doing something good for the contributors. I am not an IS exclusive, but I welcome any raise in commission.
Loop is right, everything has its price. So, please stop complaining and being skeptical about the future.
Personally, I don't think there is a single buyer that can't afford to buy an image on IS. If they can't afford it, they should not be in that business. Period.
Everyone makes more money than we do off of our images. So maybe it is about time something changed.

Kone

its still more money for artists but to be correct IS didnt raise commissions, they raised prices. (which personally I expected to see E+ come in with a reduced commission but higher price, so imo it is a positive).

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #28 on:** April 10, 2010, 23:01 »

Quote from: iclick on April 10, 2010, 13:23

Yes way down here also. as said it would seem good news for Exclusives however creating yet more divisions within the Exclusive contributers ranks and no doubt pushing independents lower priced content yet further back may prove to be counter productive in the long run, yet another price hike? there has to come a time when the customer base says enough is enough and talk with their feet, and it's not always going to be TS

Thank heavens for SS and the steady ELs there right now which is more than making up for my downturn at IS

Yes, some buyers will probably leave. The ones that care mostly about lowest price will probably price shop the other microstock sites that are competing for lowest price.

I think Istock is trying to fill a gap by tapping into macro buyers who have jumped to micro. It's the old midstock category. There's a huge price gap between $250 Macro RF images and $25 Micro RF images. A $75 Vetta or $35 Exclusive+ is still way cheaper than macro.

So is it better to be a contributor where prices are going up or where it's plateued/going down?

cathyslife · « **Reply #29 on:** April 11, 2010, 08:29 »

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on April 10, 2010, 23:01

So is it better to be a contributor where prices are going up or where it's plateued/going down?

Good question. I think that a microstock company who can keep prices down and spends a lot of money advertising to elevate themselves where IS got to be could realistically swing a good % of the buyers of stock to their side. That is going to require a whole lot of support from independent contributors.

For me, the decision to go exclusive at IS has more to do with how it will affect the whole microstock industry down the road, not how much more money it will put in my pocket. Stupid on my part, you may say, but from a buyers perspective, too, I would not want IS/Getty to be the only game in town so that the next time I want to buy an image, I have to pay $500 for it. Because that's where I think a monopoly will go. Right now, Thinkstock is affordable because the end goal has not been reached yet. What about if and when Getty's end goal is reached?

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on April 10, 2010, 23:01

I think Istock is trying to fill a gap by tapping into macro buyers who have jumped to micro. It's the old midstock category. There's a huge price gap between $250 Macro RF images and $25 Micro RF images. A $75 Vetta or $35 Exclusive+ is still way cheaper than macro.

I agree. They have all their bases covered. But you hit the nail on the head. Macro buyers are jumping into micro. There has to be a reason for that. And I think it's because buyers must pare down their budgets and can't pay what they used to for stock. If Getty is moving their prices up, isn't that going in the wrong direction for buyers?

cascoly · « **Reply #30 on:** April 11, 2010, 08:53 »

Quote from: loop on April 10, 2010, 11:28

If it wasn't for moves like TS or Photos.com, or canister changes, I think IS exclusivity could have easily wiped out rival agencies of solid contributors and get, at the long term, a vast majority of microstock great content.

and if the housing market hadnt crashed my house would be worth a lot more! - those moves to counter the lower price competitors were necessary moves on is's part.

s

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #31 on:** April 11, 2010, 10:49 »

Quote from: gostwyck on April 10, 2010, 11:34

I suppose independent contributors can hope for more sales now that their images are so much cheaper!

No so sure about that. As with the vetta images I assume Exclusive + will push the non-exclusive files further down in search..

Kone · « **Reply #32 on:** April 11, 2010, 11:56 »

Quote from: cclapper on April 11, 2010, 08:29

Stupid on my part, you may say, but from a buyers perspective, too, I would not want IS/Getty to be the only game in town so that the next time I want to buy an image, I have to pay $500 for it. Because that's where I think a monopoly will go. Right now, Thinkstock is affordable because the end goal has not been reached yet. What about if and when Getty's end goal is reached?

Are you sure you are posting it in right forum?

@Phil,
We work for a percentage of their price, so the increase in price helps raise our commissions!

Kone

iclick · « **Reply #33 on:** April 11, 2010, 17:20 »

Quote from: Freezingpictures on April 11, 2010, 10:49

Quote from: gostwyck on April 10, 2010, 11:34
I suppose independent contributors can hope for more sales now that their images are so much cheaper!

No so sure about that. As with the vetta images I assume Exclusive + will push the non-exclusive files further down in search..

You got that right, it's getting ridicules over there, can see a time coming when many independents will have to ask themselves if it is worth the effort and time for so little exposure

gostwyck · « **Reply #34 on:** April 11, 2010, 17:37 »

Quote from: iclick on April 11, 2010, 17:20

You got that right, it's getting ridicules over there, can see a time coming when many independents will have to ask themselves if it is worth the effort and time for so little exposure

How is it getting 'ridicules over there'? As an independent I've just had my best month at Istock in terms of both downloads and dollars in over 5 years. I think we are some way off from a major crisis and my 'effort and time' has never been more worthwhile.

Kone · « **Reply #35 on:** April 11, 2010, 20:11 »

Quote from: gostwyck on April 11, 2010, 17:37

Quote from: iclick on April 11, 2010, 17:20
You got that right, it's getting ridicules over there, can see a time coming when many independents will have to ask themselves if it is worth the effort and time for so little exposure

How is it getting 'ridicules over there'? As an independent I've just had my best month at Istock in terms of both downloads and dollars in over 5 years. I think we are some way off from a major crisis and my 'effort and time' has never been more worthwhile.

Personally, I think it is worth the effort (as gostwyck said), for me, March was the one of the best months regarding earnings on IS, so let's hope it continues like this.

sharpshot · « **Reply #36 on:** April 12, 2010, 03:28 »

This year has been OK so far. Haven't been adversely affected by the changes. I still hope the other big sites will bring in premium collections and let us upload exclusive images. If there are lots of buyers that will pay more, we should all be able to benefit from it. Working for one site doesn't appeal to me but I might consider uploading some images exclusively.

lisafx · « **Reply #37 on:** April 12, 2010, 11:49 »

Regarding lowered sales in April, thanks to everyone who posted about that, particularly the IS exclusives.

When my sales drop by 20-40% overnight it is always tempting to wonder if my non-exclusive images have been buried. Looks like that's not the case this time. Just holiday after all.

On IS in general, I didn't have a BME in march, but it was close enough to assure me that uploading to IS will be worthwhile for the foreseeable future.

vonkara · « **Reply #38 on:** April 12, 2010, 12:07 »

Do anyone know when we can choose our exclusive + images ? They said next week, which is now...

sasha · « **Reply #39 on:** April 14, 2010, 13:32 »

I don't see further price increase as a good thing, as an exclusive. Ever since the prices have been increasing (for vectors -which i have most of- almost times 3 since 08) I have witnessed a steady decline in sales, although the $ stayed leveled.
Has anyone else observed this? On the other hand- it would be curious to know if the independents have seen an increase in sales since the price hike for exclusive files this year..
With all the server problems Istock is going through now I would think the implementation E+ collection would be somewhat postponed

VB inc · « **Reply #40 on:** April 14, 2010, 13:48 »

Quote from: sasha on April 14, 2010, 13:32

I don't see further price increase as a good thing, as an exclusive. Ever since the prices have been increasing (for vectors -which i have most of- almost times 3 since 08) I have witnessed a steady decline in sales, although the $ stayed leveled.
Has anyone else observed this? On the other hand- it would be curious to know if the independents have seen an increase in sales since the price hike for exclusive files this year..
With all the server problems Istock is going through now I would think the implementation E+ collection would be somewhat postponed

have you ever thought about the increase in competition affecting your sales instead of prices? Back in 08, im sure you had a lot more marketshare for your vectors. The pie is getting thinner in vector land. I have been amazed at the steady influx ridiculously talented vector illustrators and designers joining istock every month. Its motivating me to try my best and it has greatly improved me as an artist in general.
Im also willing to bet that the majority of getty buyers are used to prices a lot higher than istocks prices and a lot of them are shopping on istock now so this price increase is really no big deal to them. To the other buyers that are used to cheap prices and small budgets, they might be looking to move on to other areas. thats where thinkstock comes in and the * 20%.... nevermind my blood is starting to boil

cthoman · « **Reply #41 on:** April 14, 2010, 14:00 »

Quote from: sasha on April 14, 2010, 13:32

I don't see further price increase as a good thing, as an exclusive. Ever since the prices have been increasing (for vectors -which i have most of- almost times 3 since 08) I have witnessed a steady decline in sales, although the $ stayed leveled.
Has anyone else observed this? On the other hand- it would be curious to know if the independents have seen an increase in sales since the price hike for exclusive files this year..
With all the server problems Istock is going through now I would think the implementation E+ collection would be somewhat postponed

I agree the previous raises really slowed overall vectors sales, but they did increase my earnings. It always makes me laugh that canister levels are based on sales and not earnings because my earnings are about twice as much as my sales.

As far as being an independent, the new raise didn't seem to affect my sales. They are going up steadily though, although they were doing that before the change too. So, I can't say if that is just steady growth of my portfolio or price conscience buyers. I also think exclusives aren't favored quite as much in their more keyword orientated best match. So, I would assume former best match favored exclusive images will move to more realistic search positions as buyers download images that match the keywords they want. That's just my opinion though. Either way, it's nice not to be on the last pages of the best match searches anymore.

sasha · « **Reply #42 on:** April 15, 2010, 08:36 »

sure, the is more saturation, but my port has increased substantially also..I also have a pretty unique style i think which is why i still get sales while there is tons of cheap vectors at SS ect..anyhow my feeling is that the price increase is more to blame.perhaps getty buyers are still here, but I think most buyers are not on that level.
indeed, the competition inspires towards better quality and originality

vonkara · « **Reply #43 on:** April 15, 2010, 10:51 »

LOL Prices increase by 2$ or 3$ and independent would see an increase in sales. Should I repeat again that buying images is less than 5% of a designer project budget...

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #44 on:** April 15, 2010, 11:16 »

What they should do is stop messing around with Vetta and Exclusive + and get the bloody site working. It's getting 503 errors reported in the Help forums now. FIX THE SITE ISTOCK. There, that feels better.

lagereek · « **Reply #45 on:** April 16, 2010, 01:40 »

I dont think this will render more revenue, if it does, great but these things hardly ever do. Exclusives are a very small percentage here and mostly made up of very low cannister levels where picture quality is fair.
I agree with them though, they have to nurse their exclusives now and then and at the moment they havent got much more then their golden crown and a few vettas, well, some extra commision.
Sure! Ive been thinking of exclusivity a long time now but its still all these search-changing business that puts me off. I dont understand it really, why they just cant leave their search mechanism alone??

my 2 bobs worth.

lagereek · « **Reply #46 on:** April 16, 2010, 03:06 »

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on April 15, 2010, 11:16

What they should do is stop messing around with Vetta and Exclusive + and get the bloody site working. It's getting 503 errors reported in the Help forums now. FIX THE SITE ISTOCK. There, that feels better.

Actually I do agree with you, all this stuff at the expense of downtime, lost sales and all, its kind of unfair really.

Gannet77 · « **Reply #47 on:** April 16, 2010, 04:55 »

Quote from: lagereek on April 16, 2010, 01:40

I dont think this will render more revenue, if it does, great but these things hardly ever do. Exclusives are a very small percentage here and mostly made up of very low cannister levels where picture quality is fair.
I agree with them though, they have to nurse their exclusives now and then and at the moment they havent got much more then their golden crown and a few vettas, well, some extra commision.
Sure! Ive been thinking of exclusivity a long time now but its still all these search-changing business that puts me off. I dont understand it really, why they just cant leave their search mechanism alone??

my 2 bobs worth.

I disagree, I think iStock are right to try and push the price point higher for quality work, even though I don't produce much in the way of Vetta material - and I think it will give us (exclusives) extra revenue.

But I do wish they could get the site fixed...

My 3 bobs worth (exclusive commission)

ShadySue · « **Reply #48 on:** April 16, 2010, 05:07 »

Quote from: lagereek on April 16, 2010, 03:06

Quote from: vlad_the_imp on April 15, 2010, 11:16
What they should do is stop messing around with Vetta and Exclusive + and get the bloody site working. It's getting 503 errors reported in the Help forums now. FIX THE SITE ISTOCK. There, that feels better.

Actually I do agree with you, all this stuff at the expense of downtime, lost sales and all, its kind of unfair really.

I don't think there have been reports of lost sales. Certainly, mine are within 'normal fluctuation', and that's the anecdotal evidence I'm getting too.
Of course, if you've got an instant bestseller lanquishing in the inspection queue from the 6th, its not 'out there'.

vlad_the_imp · « **Reply #49 on:** April 16, 2010, 05:13 »

Actually, if you read the threads in the Help forums relating to recent site problems there are plenty of people complaining of low sales. If you only have an odd sale here and there you're not going to notice changes, if you're a high seller and the site is down for an hour or two, you may well notice the effect more.

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Author Topic: Istock to go live with Exclusive + collection next week (Read 24576 times)

Phil

Phil

Phil

PaulieWalnuts

cathyslife

cascoly

Freezingpictures

Kone

iclick

gostwyck

Kone

sharpshot

lisafx

vonkara

sasha

VB inc

cthoman

sasha

vonkara

vlad_the_imp

lagereek

lagereek

Gannet77

ShadySue

vlad_the_imp

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