A Perk for NOT Going Exclusive?

[Steve Valentia]

A friend and colleague of mine (an extremely experienced photographer and Photo-press leading-light) tells me that he didn't opt for the Exclusive Alamy "deal" to retain the 50-50% commission rate.  Since the changeover, his sales volume has increased. He has had 22 sales including 2 over $170, which makes up for the loss of commission.

 

I asked if he thought it was a coincidence and he expressed suspicion, saying that it's entirely possible that Alamy could change the search algorithm in favour of images that would provide them with the best commission rates.

 

What do you think?

Edited April 1, 2019 by Steve Valentia

[Joseph Clemson]

I still think it's too early to tell. I too have had a small but noticeable improvement in my sales since late February, but all my images are exclusive to Alamy.

 

Tweaks to the search engine affecting the sales pattern may not be really noticeable for some months due to the lead time involved in documents going to publication and the latency involved in invoicing usages.

 

In any case, Alamy will certainly argue that they will not favour exclusive or non-exclusive over the other, since they are primarily concerned with getting the best images in front of the client, whether it is exclusive or not. Whether you believe them may depend on how much you trust those who hold and wield power and influence generally, and I am a trusting soul.

 

 

[Ed Rooney]

I think short-term anecdotal evidence is no evidence at all.

[Matt Ashmore]

Many of the images being invoiced now could have been initially used 3 - 6 months (or even longer) ago, before the change to compensation percentages took effect. So I don't see that there is necessarily any real evidence at this stage to suggest the OP's speculation.

[famousbelgian]

I was told at by Alamy at The Photography Show recently that exclusivity is not currently a factor in the search algorithm, but that they are working on the introduction of a tick box option for customers to see exclusive images only (named perhaps "only available at Alamy").

 

Marc 

[Bill Brooks]

I think your suspicious friend will receive 20% less, than he would have received, for his Alamy sales made in March.

[Steve Valentia]

54 minutes ago, Bill Brooks said:

I think your suspicious friend will receive 20% less, than he would have received, for his Alamy sales made in March.

 

Just to clarify; I think he suspects that he would have sold at least 20% less images had he taken the Exclusive option. But, who knows. I sold one on the first day of the month, which is unusual, and mine are exclusive.