Contract Change 2021 - Official thread

[Jan]

I don't understand the change at all but that can be caused by the language (i'm dutch). I don't have any exclusive images at Alamy. Now I have a blue model. What will that be when I don't change anything? All the changes in the past years weren't any advantage for the photographers at all. Is this another one?

[Stokie]

2 minutes ago, Jan said:

I don't understand the change at all but that can be caused by the language (i'm dutch). I don't have any exclusive images at Alamy. Now I have a blue model. What will that be when I don't change anything? All the changes in the past years weren't any advantage for the photographers at all. Is this another one?

 

There is no advantage for any photographer (except possibly agencies) with the new contract.

 

With the number of images in your portfolio I would imagine you make more than $250 a year from Alamy. If so your return will drop from 50% to 40% (effectively a 20% reduction in income) when the new contract comes in.

 

John.

[Stokie]

39 minutes ago, Dave P said:

This thread is now 110 pages long and I haven't read all of it so forgive me if this has already been mentioned... But is anyone else experiencing a recent drop in sales?

 

I've been averaging more than one sale per week for several years now but suddenly, with an increase in Alamy's commission pending, I've had no new sales reported for five weeks and counting. The last time I went that long without a sale was about five years ago. What's more I know there's been at least one sale because I had an image in The Guardian at the beginning of the month, correctly credited to me and Alamy.

 

It's a measure of just how much I now distrust Alamy that I strongly suspect them of deliberately holding back sales until the new commission structure comes in. Difficult to see how I can prove it but if I'm right it's not just sneaky, underhand and an appalling way to treat a contributor, but it's also fraud - plain and simple.

 

I'd be interested to know if anyone else is experiencing similar.

 

 

I've only had 1 sale so far this month and I usually average 10-15, so I should have sold at least 5 by now. Having said that, most of my sales come in the last few days of the month.

 

John.

[AlbertSnapper]

50 minutes ago, Dave P said:

This thread is now 110 pages long and I haven't read all of it so forgive me if this has already been mentioned... But is anyone else experiencing a recent drop in sales?

 

I've been averaging more than one sale per week for several years now but suddenly, with an increase in Alamy's commission pending, I've had no new sales reported for five weeks and counting. The last time I went that long without a sale was about five years ago. What's more I know there's been at least one sale because I had an image in The Guardian at the beginning of the month, correctly credited to me and Alamy.

 

It's a measure of just how much I now distrust Alamy that I strongly suspect them of deliberately holding back sales until the new commission structure comes in. Difficult to see how I can prove it but if I'm right it's not just sneaky, underhand and an appalling way to treat a contributor, but it's also fraud - plain and simple.

 

I'd be interested to know if anyone else is experiencing similar.

 

 

There's always been ups and downs in stock photography; lots or licences, few licences, at differing times.

I doubt Alamy are witholding sales until the new contract starts.

 

I've had 3 this month so far.

But for a total gross of $21 I can see why people are fed up.

 

 

 

[sb photos]

49 minutes ago, Dave P said:

This thread is now 110 pages long and I haven't read all of it so forgive me if this has already been mentioned... But is anyone else experiencing a recent drop in sales?

 

I've been averaging more than one sale per week for several years now but suddenly, with an increase in Alamy's commission pending, I've had no new sales reported for five weeks and counting. The last time I went that long without a sale was about five years ago. What's more I know there's been at least one sale because I had an image in The Guardian at the beginning of the month, correctly credited to me and Alamy.

 

It's a measure of just how much I now distrust Alamy that I strongly suspect them of deliberately holding back sales until the new commission structure comes in. Difficult to see how I can prove it but if I'm right it's not just sneaky, underhand and an appalling way to treat a contributor, but it's also fraud - plain and simple.

 

I'd be interested to know if anyone else is experiencing similar.

 

Similar to you Dave, with a small license sale last week. I had put it down to ups and downs and having a relatively small port.

[Steve F]

1 hour ago, Dave P said:

This thread is now 110 pages long and I haven't read all of it so forgive me if this has already been mentioned... But is anyone else experiencing a recent drop in sales?

 

I've been averaging more than one sale per week for several years now but suddenly, with an increase in Alamy's commission pending, I've had no new sales reported for five weeks and counting. The last time I went that long without a sale was about five years ago. What's more I know there's been at least one sale because I had an image in The Guardian at the beginning of the month, correctly credited to me and Alamy.

 

It's a measure of just how much I now distrust Alamy that I strongly suspect them of deliberately holding back sales until the new commission structure comes in. Difficult to see how I can prove it but if I'm right it's not just sneaky, underhand and an appalling way to treat a contributor, but it's also fraud - plain and simple.

 

I'd be interested to know if anyone else is experiencing similar.

 

 

4 sales so far this month. 5 last month. Same as normal (for me....)

Edited June 15, 2021 by Steve F

[spacecadet]

1 hour ago, Dave P said:

I strongly suspect them of deliberately holding back sales until the new commission structure comes in.

That would be a stupid thing to do. Forgo sales out of spite? Now you're getting paranoid.

There's enough to complain about without making up conspiracies.

[Betty LaRue]

18 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

That would be a stupid thing to do. Forgo sales out of spite? Now you're getting paranoid.

There's enough to complain about without making up conspiracies.

Perhaps he meant not holding back sales but holding back reporting them to the contributor, since he mentioned knowing of a sale that was already published but not reported to him.

Sometimes meanings get lost in the written word.

[Mr Standfast]

 

.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2021 by Mr Standfast
Misread the post so deleted.

[meanderingemu]

2 hours ago, Stokie said:

 

There is no advantage for any photographer (except possibly agencies) with the new contract.

 

With the number of images in your portfolio I would imagine you make more than $250 a year from Alamy. If so your return will drop from 50% to 40% (effectively a 20% reduction in income) when the new contract comes in.

 

John.

actually OP said no image were exclusive, so will see little impact, except on distribution sales .  The Only ones that Alamy is actually targeting with the change are those of us who were idiotic enough to load our better stuff exclusively to them.   This is who Alamy is going after with the change. 

[meanderingemu]

1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

Perhaps he meant not holding back sales but holding back reporting them to the contributor, since he mentioned knowing of a sale that was already published but not reported to him.

Sometimes meanings get lost in the written word.

 

a sale from UK news scheme at start of the month, that has never appeared until month end under current contract. How is that indicative? 

[Stokie]

2 minutes ago, meanderingemu said:

actually OP said no image were exclusive, so will see little impact, except on distribution sales .  The Only ones that Alamy is actually targeting with the change are those of us who were idiotic enough to load our better stuff exclusively to them.   This is who Alamy is going after with the change. 

 

True, I missed the bit where he said he didn't have any exclusive images. So he will still only get 40% except for distributors.

 

John.

[meanderingemu]

Just now, Stokie said:

 

True, I missed the bit where he said he didn't have any exclusive images. So he will still only get 40% except for distributors.

 

John.

 

 

still remains something that baffles me from the change.  Who Alamy is targeting the hardest. The average contributor that supported them and felt they were different.    

[Dave P]

1 hour ago, spacecadet said:

That would be a stupid thing to do. Forgo sales out of spite? Now you're getting paranoid.

There's enough to complain about without making up conspiracies.

They're not foregoing sales! The sales are still being made. I'm suggesting that they're just not posting them to my account straightaway but are waiting until the end of next month when they can charge me 60% instead of 50%. Is this really so hard to understand? I can't see any other reason why there are suddenly no sales showing on my account in a period which would normally rack up four or five. Especially when I know there was a sale to the Guardian.

[pierre rochon]

3 hours ago, Dave P said:

This thread is now 110 pages long and I haven't read all of it so forgive me if this has already been mentioned... But is anyone else experiencing a recent drop in sales?

 

I've been averaging more than one sale per week for several years now but suddenly, with an increase in Alamy's commission pending, I've had no new sales reported for five weeks and counting. The last time I went that long without a sale was about five years ago. What's more I know there's been at least one sale because I had an image in The Guardian at the beginning of the month, correctly credited to me and Alamy.

 

It's a measure of just how much I now distrust Alamy that I strongly suspect them of deliberately holding back sales until the new commission structure comes in. Difficult to see how I can prove it but if I'm right it's not just sneaky, underhand and an appalling way to treat a contributor, but it's also fraud - plain and simple.

 

I'd be interested to know if anyone else is experiencing similar.

 

I've been averaging 3 sales a month for a few years and my last sale was May 16. Maybe just a coincidence...

[Steve F]

4 minutes ago, Dave P said:

They're not foregoing sales! The sales are still being made. I'm suggesting that they're just not posting them to my account straightaway but are waiting until the end of next month when they can charge me 60% instead of 50%. Is this really so hard to understand? I can't see any other reason why there are suddenly no sales showing on my account in a period which would normally rack up four or five. Especially when I know there was a sale to the Guardian.

Other people are still getting sales at 'normal' numbers...

[Dave P]

1 minute ago, Steve F said:

Other people are still getting sales at 'normal' numbers...

Yes, it appears that some are, but also that some are not.

[meanderingemu]

2 minutes ago, Steve F said:

Other people are still getting sales at 'normal' numbers...

 

but finding implied correlations is much more fun. 

[Steve F]

Just now, Dave P said:

Yes, it appears that some are, but also that some are not.

I don't think Alamy have the staff numbers or inclination to pick on individual contributors. Especially small fry like us.

[Steve F]

1 minute ago, meanderingemu said:

 

but finding implied correlations is much more fun. 

 

There's other words I might use! 😝

[meanderingemu]

8 minutes ago, Dave P said:

They're not foregoing sales! The sales are still being made. I'm suggesting that they're just not posting them to my account straightaway but are waiting until the end of next month when they can charge me 60% instead of 50%. Is this really so hard to understand? I can't see any other reason why there are suddenly no sales showing on my account in a period which would normally rack up four or five. Especially when I know there was a sale to the Guardian.

 

in the time i have been here I have never had a Guardian sales reported before month end, or following month if in second half of month.  

[ChrisR Photo]

5 minutes ago, Steve F said:

Other people are still getting sales at 'normal' numbers...

 

My sales volume have hardly altered for me, ranging from an average  45-60 a month, but who knows how this will change in the future when 'exclusive' vanishes and everything becomes mainstream and we're all put into the same melting pot.

[Dave P]

1 minute ago, meanderingemu said:

 

in the time i have been here I have never had a Guardian sales reported before month end, or following month if in second half of month.  

That's fair enough, and yes, I'm probably jumping at shadows. But five weeks with not a single sale reported is very unusual for me. Unusual enough that I thought it worth asking if anyone else was experiencing the same.

 

And like I said, Alamy should think long and hard about just how much contributors like me distrust them, because long term it won't be good for business.

 

[spacecadet]

13 minutes ago, Dave P said:

They're not foregoing sales! The sales are still being made. I'm suggesting that they're just not posting them to my account straightaway but are waiting until the end of next month when they can charge me 60% instead of 50%. Is this really so hard to understand? I can't see any other reason why there are suddenly no sales showing on my account in a period which would normally rack up four or five. Especially when I know there was a sale to the Guardian.

Ah, I misunderstood you. You're alleging fraud, not spite.

We need a basic level of decency in the discussion here so can I suggest you withdraw your defamatory allegation? Whatever we think about the contract Alamy are not crooks.

NS sales, including Guardian, never report before the last week

[Dave P]

6 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Ah, I misunderstood you. You're alleging fraud, not spite.

A second misunderstanding - I'm not alleging anything. I simply said that a five week dry period was very odd and that with a commission change pending looked a bit suspicious. So I asked if anyone else was experiencing the same. If hundreds of contributors had piled in saying "Yes, me too!" THEN I would have made an allegation. But they didn't so I didn't.