Inchiquin Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Despite not seeing my first sale this year until Jan 24th, I've now had more sales in the first 36 days of the year than the same period in all previous years put together (2009-2017). On the downside fees are considerably lower than any previous year. Is this maybe a sign of where we're heading - more sales but much lower prices? Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losdemas Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 As I had a good start to the year - and then nothing since the 15th January, I truly hope not, because it certainly means I'll just get one or two sales, but still at low prices! I believe that the lower prices are here to stay. I hope they don't fall to MS levels, otherwise I'm out of here. As to higher volume : well, a little, certainly, but not nearly enough to counteract the low prices. I'm sure that Alamy's plan is to lower prices and increase volume and pull in many more microstockers at the same time. Whether the benefit will be felt equally by the agency and the contributors is another matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokie Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 January was my second best for revenue ever, only beaten by an exceptional month which included a 4 figure sale. So far so good with prices this year, even though it's still early. So from my point of view I hope it is what the future holds!! John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 When I peer into my crystal ball, I see an increase in sales volume but not enough to compensate for dropping prices. Net result: more sales for less revenue, or at least no significant increase in current revenue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 January started very badly for me with no new sales and then two refunds, before picking up later in the month. Likewise February is getting off to a terrible start, no sales as yet, although zooms healthy. Not seeing any patterns, no logic to it, other than a steady fall in fees per sale over the long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avpics Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 On 2/6/2018 at 11:59, losdemas said: I'm sure that Alamy's plan is to lower prices and increase volume..... Like most businesses, I bet they wish they had that kind of control over their future. Market forces, supply and demand, is what tells. It's a flooded market now, and you'll see many examples of images being used for free just for a credit. Sadly I think we can guarantee that prices will only go one way, what we need to do is work towards volume or exclusivity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickfly Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I've been in discussion with a local paper regarding an infringement (we've settled) but the editor did say... "In the highly unusual event of us purchasing a general image for online use we would not pay more than £25+VAT". The price is the market price, but I found the fact that it would be an 'highly unusual event' for them to buy a general image that was most telling. The voraciously chase free general content, and get it from credit hungry toggers, even from professionals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marb Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 My last sale was in Nov 2017 for a piddling amount comparable to microstock earnings. Uploading more (after taking advice from members here) editorial, better keyworded, exclusive images is having no effect. Sadly it is looking like I will have to concede to turning exclusive over to microstock too as I can't afford to wait for the sales here. And like you say, less earnings per sale. Thankfully my microstock sales come every day but in general it's getting harder and harder to make money from photography whatever site/s you sell through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Ashmore Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 15 minutes ago, Marb said: My last sale was in Nov 2017 for a piddling amount comparable to microstock earnings. Uploading more (after taking advice from members here) editorial, better keyworded, exclusive images is having no effect. Sadly it is looking like I will have to concede to turning exclusive over to microstock too as I can't afford to wait for the sales here. And like you say, less earnings per sale. Thankfully my microstock sales come every day but in general it's getting harder and harder to make money from photography whatever site/s you sell through. You're aware that a bit of patience is required on Alamy? Any new images that you upload or re-keyword today might be used tomorrow.. but they might not be invoiced so you might not be aware of the sale for another 6 months! Microstock is immediate.. you get your $0.25 credited to you immediately.. Alamy, it might take 6 months to be credited £100. But how many $0.25 sales does to take to earn $100? Yes, for the likes of myself $100+ sales are rare.. but I have had them so they do happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marb Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 6 minutes ago, Matt Ashmore said: You're aware that a bit of patience is required on Alamy? Any new images that you upload or re-keyword today might be used tomorrow.. but they might not be invoiced so you might not be aware of the sale for another 6 months! Microstock is immediate.. you get your $0.25 credited to you immediately.. Alamy, it might take 6 months to be credited £100. But how many $0.25 sales does to take to earn $100? Yes, for the likes of myself $100+ sales are rare.. but I have had them so they do happen. Point taken Matt. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brasilnut Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Quote But it never crosses your mind that you are happy to pollute the well then complain when the water comes out tasting funny? On that point, whether licensing duplicate images on both Micros and on here affects sales on here, I asked Alamy two questions: Quote Question 1: Does submitting images to subscription-based Microstock sites impact potentially higher-priced sales on Alamy (RF)? Question 2: Is there any merit in being exclusive at Alamy? I received some interesting answers from the Head of Contributor Relations at Alamy, which I wrote about on my blog post entitled, "Do Alamy Buyers Search Elsewhere? Answers from Alamy" I don't want this thread to be shut down, but at the same time I think the answers are food for thought. If the link is not allowed I'll just post the answers on here (Alamy admin: would that be better?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marb Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 42 minutes ago, geogphotos said: But it never crosses your mind that you are happy to pollute the well then complain when the water comes out tasting funny? If the well is dry, go to a well that has water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marb Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 9 minutes ago, Brasilnut said: On that point, whether licensing duplicate images on both Micros and on here affects sales on here, I asked Alamy two questions: I received some interesting answers from the Head of Contributor Relations at Alamy, which I wrote about on my blog post entitled, "Do Alamy Buyers Search Elsewhere? Answers from Alamy" I don't want this thread to be shut down, but at the same time I think the answers are food for thought. If the link is not allowed I'll just post the answers on here (Alamy admin: would that be better?) Interesting and contrary to the mantra spoken in the forums by some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlessandraRC Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 The images I have only on Alamy as RM rarely sell. Duplicate RF images sell more often. Sometimes for more. Sometimes for less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marb Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 4 minutes ago, geogphotos said: You are entirely missing the point. It has nothing to do with this minor worry of yours about whether you can sell your pics on both Alamy and micros. For heavens sake just look at the big picture. You, Marb and tens of thousands of other people are selling images on micro-stock sites and quite happily accepting the very low fees. Then you find that things aren't working out quite to plan so you come over to Alamy. Fine. The you start moaning about low fees and low sales on Alamy. That is precisely what you have created through your support of the micro-stock business model. You p8ss in the well and then complain about the water. Are you saying that you really can't see that? I think whatever I say will be jumped on by yourself and it's very tiresome. I am expressing a valid opinion and point (as others do) but I seem to be the whipping boy here for some bizarre reason. Again, selling on microstock has NOTHING to do with poor sales and lower fees on Alamy. https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2018/02/06/do-alamy-buyers-search-elsewhere-answers-from-alamy/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brasilnut Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Quote You people are deceiving yourselves and then blaming others. Hey, don't shoot the messenger! Quote The low fees are because tens of millions of images are available on micro stock sites for pennies. True. And hundreds of millions are there because technology has made it possible to purchase a DSLR that shoots at 20 megapixels and ISO up to 3200 for $200, such as the Sony DSC H300. It's exciting what's coming out - Sony Alpha A7R III is wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nacke Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Alamy is "Chugging along" just fine for me, I am not happy with the license fees that I am seeing but I can live with it. Two years ago I came out of retirement and am now doing commissioned corporate work and make more in an afternoon than I do from Alamy in a month, but I don't have to pack 400lbs of lighting equipment to the location to do that. Over the years I've been with all of the major photo agencies, most are no longer with us and of all of the agencies I've worked with Alamy is my favorite. Just wish I had more time to scan chromes to upload to Alamy and shoot more news for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 11 hours ago, Matt Ashmore said: You're aware that a bit of patience is required on Alamy? Any new images that you upload or re-keyword today might be used tomorrow.. but they might not be invoiced so you might not be aware of the sale for another 6 months! Microstock is immediate.. you get your $0.25 credited to you immediately.. Alamy, it might take 6 months to be credited £100. But how many $0.25 sales does to take to earn $100? Yes, for the likes of myself $100+ sales are rare.. but I have had them so they do happen. Just to correct. Many do this wrong assumption. How much i love Alamy we also need to be honest. That microstock creates only 0.25 usd is a big myth. First of all it is 0.38 cent talking about that agency. Furthermore you get regular 28USD, 50USD, 75USD and 120USD sales. NET amounts. So it is not straightforward to ask how many 0.25 sales you need to get 100dollars. To be honest i think you can get that amount very quick. I am on both worlds so i really know what i am saying. It can be a very normal scenario that somebody makes on micro 10 times more then on a traditional agency despite having many 0.38 sales. They are combines with the larger sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brasilnut Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 9 minutes ago, geogphotos said: One thing I decided on Day 1 of entering the stock photography industry was that I would not do anything to undermine professional photographers on price. If a buyer chose my image on a level playing field then that was fair competition, but selling for $1 was not and would damage incomes for people trying to feed their family and pay the bills. So who is forcing you to send your pictures to micro stock sites? And if like Marb you decide to do so can't you see that it is rather annoying to come over to Alamy and constantly be moaning about low fees and poor sales? Really, can't you just see how irritating that is? I don't complain about low sales on here as I'm playing the long game. I see Marb is frustrated! That's fair enough that you don't want to compete against yourself in price and feel that it hurts the photographers trying to make a living (I don't see how 55,000 images has a significant impact on the industry) Your position is clear, although many on here are looking out for their best interests and information is power. The aim of my blog post, which I hope u read, isn't to debate the ethics of submitting to Micros and how it's harmful to the wider industry (that's an interesting topic in itself which I would like to explore at another juncture). It's to obtain a fresh informed perspective from Alamy on this crucial topic of whether their buyers shop around for cheaper duplicate alternatives. The answer from Alamy is that their contributors most likely don't shop around due to a multitude of reasons unrelated to price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 We have to think about future. A technology company can take energy to create the best car mirror, but if the future are car cameras it will be a expensive waste of time. Thats how Kodak lost ground...concentrating on films while others where preparing for digital age. Ignoring Microstock will not stop the evolution we are in. It is take or leave. Since i get only older and will not live forever i will take. I use the strength of both. Alamy and Microstock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colblimp Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 49 minutes ago, MircoV said: Just to correct. Many do this wrong assumption. How much i love Alamy we also need to be honest. That microstock creates only 0.25 usd is a big myth. First of all it is 0.38 cent talking about that agency. Furthermore you get regular 28USD, 50USD, 75USD and 120USD sales. NET amounts. So it is not straightforward to ask how many 0.25 sales you need to get 100dollars. To be honest i think you can get that amount very quick. I am on both worlds so i really know what i am saying. It can be a very normal scenario that somebody makes on micro 10 times more then on a traditional agency despite having many 0.38 sales. They are combines with the larger sales. I wouldn't demean myself by accepting sales of my work for .38c. My work is worth more than that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brasilnut Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Quote I wouldn't demean myself by accepting sales of my work for .38c. My work is worth more than that! January, I had exactly 400 downloads on a well-known micro agency for $460.24 giving me a total of $1.15 per download average. It's a big change to 38 cents but I do see your point that our work is "worth more than that", although it's a different business model based on volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Also it depends. I look at the money on the account. And we are not talking only about 0.38 cent. Images are downloaded multiple times. There are photos sold only 1 time for 38 cent. But also 1 time 2.70USD or 5USD to max 120USD. Then there are photos uploaded lots of times. I have some photos totaling 2000+ NET. Many others 500+. I dont mind if the 2000USD is split by 1000x2 or 10x200. I am not including Alamy but several non micro agencies that shared they payout to contributors show max 10 million per year. Only 1 well know micro agency is 115 million per year. Its clear where the money is. Pitty to ignore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ramsay Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 10 hours ago, Chuck Nacke said: Alamy is "Chugging along" just fine for me, I am not happy with the license fees that I am seeing but I can live with it. Two years ago I came out of retirement and am now doing commissioned corporate work and make more in an afternoon than I do from Alamy in a month, but I don't have to pack 400lbs of lighting equipment to the location to do that. Over the years I've been with all of the major photo agencies, most are no longer with us and of all of the agencies I've worked with Alamy is my favorite. Just wish I had more time to scan chromes to upload to Alamy and shoot more news for them. I agree with Chuck - get out there, talk to editors, talk to businesses, get yourself commissioned to shoot. Some of what you have to do may be pretty mundane, some of it will be exciting and challenging. In any event it will be a lot more fun and certainly much more rewarding than doing stock table top pictures which have a vanishingly small chance of selling (unless you really enjoy doing those, in which case the best of luck to you!) Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 This is indeed not about what is better. Alamy is a great place to sell your photos and will always be. One thing they have for sure the best. THE BEST SERVICE TO US CONTRIBUTORS AND CUSTOMERS. No doubt about it. Still it there is a good intention of Brazilnut by sharing his post. There is a good message in it. PS. Dont think that i am promoting Brazilnut.... i hate this guy ... @Brazilnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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