New earnings structure for Contributors

[Birute Vijeikiene]

5 hours ago, Mirko Kuzmanovic said:

Can someone please tell me, after doing this can you still access your photos in Catalog Manager? I want to do this as well ASAP, but I still need to copy all keywords and descriptions to Xpiks, since I was stupid enough not to use it before (I tagged directly on ϟϟ) 

Yoo photos will disappear from Catalog Manager. So copy your keywords first.

[George Dolgikh]

Stupid, wicked, greedy and unfortunate move which was nevertheless anticipated since Jon announced a new CEO.

I've been a full timer since 2009, and I won't be uploading a single new photo, that's for sure.

The disrespect for contributors is outrageous.

"By resetting the royalty levels each year, we aim to provide an avenue for contributors to be fairly rewarded for content that is performing well at the current time."

Oh this is such BS. My photos from 2013 perform well at the current time, just as my photos from 2018. But I just won't be rewarded "fairly" anymore.

[Loren's London]

I want to deactivate or disable my account. I have $19.53 in earnings so far. 40 downloads - many, many hours of work went into that. I see that SS have now also raised the minimum payout level from $25 to $35.

How can I close my account and get paid what I'm owed so far?

[Doug Jensen]

1 hour ago, GregDPhotos said:

Why do you "hope" other people will delete their accounts? Are you recommending that people delete their accounts for their own benefit?

I always hope everyone else delete's their accounts -- even before this announcement.  Why shouldn't I?   Less competition in any industry is good for those who want to stay in the game and keep competing for sales.  If all the lemmings want to jump off the cliff, let will go and I'll wave goodbye to them.

So, no I am not "recommending" anyone delete their account, but I am hoping they do anyway.  If you cannot see the difference, that is your problem.

[Patricio_Murphy]

3 hours ago, MJD Graphics said:

Won't make a lot of difference to SS as they would then still have 290 million images in the database.

I agree in that it's difficult to make a stand, but still... That 290 million images includes lots of old images that basically just add to the number but I seriously doubt provide any income for SS. I mean, imagine the kind of daily life shots many contributors upload now, put the clothes, hairstyle of the '90s, early 2000 and imagine how many sales you get.

Shutterstock needs new stuff. You're right in that the protest will probably mean little to them, at least unless some big customers jump in and deactivate their accounts, but still it's better to protest than accept willingly this nonsense.

[Gulsen Ozcan]

55 minutes ago, blvdone said:

My video sales is zero today.  Does it have something to do with me leaving negative comment here?

I have only one image sold  all day.But i do not think so

[dollythedog]

I am a very small contributor here , I was much larger at iS when a similar thing happened and I did not stand up for my art,  this time it is much easier.

I am sure that there are people here who feel they can not close down their income as a matter of principle, but in this case I can and will. 

It is not only about the total income at the end of the year, it is about the fact that G Sutterstock value my work and creativity at 10c. This is not acceptable,  I would sooner not sell anything than be payed a pittance for honest work . Shame on you and , although not a charitable thought, I trust that  Kate@shutterstock and the rest of the team at this appalling company have sleepless nights about the misery and hurt that they have heaped on the creative community.

[Doug Jensen]

2 hours ago, AlphaNature said:

Are you hoping to ride on other people's backs? I don’t know you, but your words say a lot about you. No matter how you succeed in life, you should be ashamed at heart. If you are ashamed, then not everything is lost and you can hope for the best. Correct before death, so as not to suffer in the afterlife.

You're right, you don't know me so keep your judgemental comments to yourself, you pompous ass.   If this forum was properly moderated you'd be banned for making a personal attack for no reason at all except to make yourself feel superior.  Correct before death, but there is no afterlife, so you're gonna my disappointed.

[mirjana simeunovich]

still new at this and was banking on the fact that I would soon hit level 2...thinking of this as a passive income ... but it does not seem worth the time and effort to load and key in words for .10  It would take 10 years just  to buy a new hard drive. I think it is time to find a new place to go... any suggestions?

[AlphaNature]

2 minutes ago, Doug Jensen said:

Leading by example, are you?  You speak of dignity, but look at your posts.  Blowhard.

I do not boast. I have level 3. and not earned on other people's backs.

[JoshJCDiaz]

Terrible. Leaving SS and never coming back. 

[Doug Jensen]

8 minutes ago, AlphaNature said:

I do not boast. I have level 3. and not earned on other people's backs.

How could I possibly earn on other's people's backs?  I have no control over the actions of my fellow contributors.  I shoot, I submit, I wait.  How exactly am I riding on the back's of others? Please explain this flawed logic you have.  If I am riding on the backs of others, then surely you must also be doing the same thing.

[AnastasiaOsipova]

5 hours ago, LongJon said:

но они могут жить нормальной жизнью. в испании италия франция ггермания нормальная жизнь начинается с 3000 евро вверх .. немного отличается загар 500 600

You're a little wrong. For example in Russia an ambulance arrives free of charge for each call which means that we do not have a monetary expense for this. Food is not expensive, such as fresh meat, costs $ 3 per 1 kg. Housing costs(electricity, water, gas) are also not too high. Prices for travel in public transport is cheap. I'm not talking about cities with millions of inhabitants, of course. The larger the city , the more expensive it is to live in. But in a city with a population of up to 1 million a salary equivalent to 1,000 dollars will allow you to live very well! Sorry for the offtop

[Deyan G. Georgiev]

This is ******* outrages. You reason for doing this are absolute bullshit. If you came out and said we want money wouldve been better. You are terrible organization. The good thing about the internet is, there will aways be someone else. Good luck greedy ******.

[AlphaNature]

I want to clarify. So you do not think that I urge everyone to leave or turn off their work. I did not make such tell today, but I myself will it this and will not it forever. When exactly I turn it on, I have not decided yet. I think the longer the authors keep, the greater the likelihood of changes in our favor. This is just an attempt to influence, not destroy Shutterstock.

[AlphaNature]

15 minutes ago, Doug Jensen said:

How could I possibly earn on other's people's backs?  I have no control over the actions of my fellow contributors.  I shoot, I submit, I wait.  How exactly am I riding on the back's of others? Please explain this flawed logic you have.  If I am riding on the backs of others, then surely you must also be doing the same thing.

You, by your position, dissuade people from protest. You say, "To her, you guys are fighting enemies, and in the rear I will see how you die and fruit trees will grow on your bodies for me." You have the right to think so, but these thoughts are not commendable. And if you pronounce these thoughts, then you are not even ashamed of your subconscious bad thoughts. There is no man without sin, but these sins must be tried to be reduced and ashamed of them.

[BobNoah]

Written in the First Quarter Financial Report: 

Commenting on the Company's performance, Stan Pavlovsky, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, said, "Amidst unprecedented economic uncertainty globally, Shutterstock has remained resilient and strong, providing our customers with custom services and fresh and relevant content they need to reach their audiences during this time. We are grateful for our contributor community, who continue to document the extraordinary change in our daily lives. Our first quarter results reflect the strength of the Shutterstock brand. We remain focused on executing on our 2020 vision, driving long-term value for our shareholders and are confident that our resilience will make us stronger in the days and years to come.

Key Operating Metrics

• Paid downloads decreased 1% to 46.8 million.
• Revenue per download remained flat at $3.42.
• Image collection expanded 27% to approximately 330 million images.
• Video collection expanded 29% to approximately 18 million clips.

Continue reading here: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/shutterstock-reports-first-quarter-2020-110200753.html

[AlphaNature]

15 minutes ago, AnastasiaOsipova said:

You're a little wrong. For example in Russia an ambulance arrives free of charge for each call which means that we do not have a monetary expense for this. Food is not expensive, such as fresh meat, costs $ 3 per 1 kg. Housing costs(electricity, water, gas) are also not too high. Prices for travel in public transport is cheap. I'm not talking about cities with millions of inhabitants, of course. The larger the city , the more expensive it is to live in. But in a city with a population of up to 1 million a salary equivalent to 1,000 dollars will allow you to live very well! Sorry for the offtop

Sorry, where do you live now?

[SL-Photography]

5 hours ago, Phil Lowe said:

 

I don't recall the particulars right now.  All I know is that when I tried to upload documentary editorial images, they were rejected because I had not reached "Silver level" (1,000 downloads) yet.  

Allright... I might just try with one photograph as i reached the 1000 a few weeks ago. Thank you!

 

[Elnur]

I have been around for 16 years, and worked my way to 600k thousand images and 9-people team. I have seen enough of bad news from almost all agencies including SS. But those news were 10-20% worse than whatever was the current state, and it has given time to adjust our business models, and continue working. This is a reduction of 3-4 times at the key earning site. The payback for me is between 1-3 years, and with this announcement SS effectively made my last 1-2 years work completely worthless. This is a major blow, and very disrespectful to a thousand of contributors who made SS what it is today. 

I would understand gradual change, but such a major change, is very unprofessional. 

 

[Patricio_Murphy]

5 minutes ago, shufu photoexperience said:

In future most of us will do what we are doing, no matter how this story ends. Even jumping in wildfires, floods, diving deep, flying high, got stomped in the crowds, chased by wild animals, spending nights outdoor or drawing infront of PC, whatever. Because we love it. Not for the money.

That could be me writing  

Thanks, couldn't agree more. 

[Jake Sorensen]

The stock submitters coalition already has over 330 members and represents a portfolio of over 2 million items. Join the cause and help make a difference. https://forms.gle/cEN6kAjcqyqtUbBj9

If you joined it but did not receive the email I just sent out then go back in and fill it out one more time. The first ten people it didn't collect emails.

[skysense]

2 hours ago, Phil Lowe said:

A petition at this point is purely symbolic.  It's not going to change management's mind.  What will affect them is to see thousands of contributors opting out of sales.  When they don't have anything decent to sell, maybe then they will take the hint that this no earnings pay structure is completely unacceptable to most contributors here.

SS says they want, "quality work that is fresh, relevant and in demand by our customers", but they're only willing to pay for the absolute dreck that they started accepting in 2015 and, only late last year, started rejecting en masse.

In other words, they want filet mignon but are only willing to pay Happy Meal prices.  They are not going to get the former with this kind of nonsensical payment structure.  Whoever proposed this is insane, at best.

I agree for petition, but nothing cost us to sign it. 

They turned of comments on IG, which just shows their true face once again. And for me is a small victory.

Only thing that happen here is disobedience, which means stop uploading content, and see what happens.

[LongJon]

32 minutes ago, AnastasiaOsipova said:

You're a little wrong. For example in Russia an ambulance arrives free of charge for each call which means that we do not have a monetary expense for this. Food is not expensive, such as fresh meat, costs $ 3 per 1 kg. Housing costs(electricity, water, gas) are also not too high. Prices for travel in public transport is cheap. I'm not talking about cities with millions of inhabitants, of course. The larger the city , the more expensive it is to live in. But in a city with a population of up to 1 million a salary equivalent to 1,000 dollars will allow you to live very well! Sorry for the offtop

that's what i said and live well 500 600) that's why there are so many contributors from russia...

[AsiaTravel]

9 minutes ago, shufu photoexperience said:

Remember what Bob Marley was singing: You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool all the people all the time!

Do not talk trash to each other and react with the cool head, not in affect.

Peace

 

I am a bit afraid that good old Bob was a bit optimistic on this one...