Jump to content

Contract Change 2021 - Official thread


Recommended Posts

3 minutes ago, steve18 said:

This will continue on the downward spiral until contributors react in large enough numbers to stop it, which will never happen. Stopped uploading to all sites except 2 which have not reduced their %. I'm sure some people would still upload to 'agencies' if their cut was 0% which isn't far off!

 

Many do upload to the free sites, and some say they are their greatest earners.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, steve18 said:

I'm sure some people would still upload to 'agencies' if their cut was 0% which isn't far off!

I know of 2 'agencies' which allow photos to be downloaded and used commercially for free and the photographer gets nothing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Negotiating ever-lower photo prices for national papers (which Alamy will let them float for four months) while also decreasing contributor cuts. For shame.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, David Pimborough said:

And whats the future plan?  Drop us all to 20%

Probably, eventually. This $25k limit is nice and easy to adjust - it can be nudged upwards every six months to accompany the next commission cut. Alamy used to be generous when it was a startup making its way but is big business now and that, unfortunately, has always meant that the suppliers are not a priority and are the first to get squeezed.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Sultanpepa said:

At the time of the PA takeover contributors said that it would hasten an increase in commission. Alamy said no. Alamy would remain as it was. This is just sheer greed on Alamy/PA's part that they do this now. Those contributors were right. Alamy/PA don't even offer crumbs of comfort like 'increased sales'. This is a straight forward money grab. Photographers are being squeezed out of the stock industry. Equipment purchases can't be justified. Alamy and PA are about to put another nail in their own coffin. I predict they'll drop the $25k platinum threshold after much anger from contributors to around $15k then a majority will be happy again and Alamy will have their change. I can't see the point in working for less than an equal share so on principal alone I shan't be uploading more stock. 

Don't forget average sale price per image is also declining rapidly for many of us, as is overall income (even without the new changes applied). I very much doubt that dropping the threshold to $15k would result in 'a majority' being happy again. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I predicted that this was going to happen when PA Media bought Alamy over a year ago. The only thing that surprises me is that it took so long to take a bigger piece of the pie. Let's see how long it's going to be before the next one happens.

The rich gotta get richer, that's how it goes. Carry on.

  • Love 2
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Graham said:

This is indeed sad news.  But Alamy says that it has 100,000 new photos uploaded every day.  They are not going to worry about the views of the people who read and post to these forums, whose combined portfolios would be numerically overwhelmed by a day of new uploads: even if we all removed our entire portfolios, it would be but a pinprick to Alamy, a mere gnat bite they would not notice. 

 

I have put in a huge amount of work uploading my portfolio of 25,000 images.  I would love to tell Alamy my views on their commission changes (and I agree with the majority of the comments in this thread), which have over the years made it increasingly difficult to get decent returns, but I know it will make no difference to Alamy whether I retain or delete them.  You can see from their new tiers the clients who matter to them: those who sell over $25k per year.  Even in my best year, 2019, I did not hit $20k.  I have no hope of making Platinum, particularly with increased images for sale being offset by declining average fees.  It would be a huge investment in time for little or no real benefit to move my images elsewhere, or to make them non-exclusive.  In reality, I have little choice but to go on as I have been, accepting with annoyance the reduction in my share of sales.

 

Alamy knows all this full well.  If they are getting in 100,000 images per day, they do not need small contributors (in which I class myself even with 25k images).  Indeed, maintaining the accounts of those with small portfolios who generate only a small amount of income may well be an administrative inconvenience to Alamy, who would be perfectly happy to be without them.  We will get the crumbs that Alamy deigns to allow to fall from the table, and there is nothing we can realistically do about it, I am sad to say.  As businesses expand, or try to do so, a frequent business model is to get rid of small clients and concentrate on those who can give the greatest returns with the least administration: this may well be what Alamy is now trying to do.

 

Graham

And there you have the influence of PA. Why would they give a toss about smaller contributors when they have an army of photographers for press images?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Graham said:

This is indeed sad news.  But Alamy says that it has 100,000 new photos uploaded every day.  They are not going to worry about the views of the people who read and post to these forums, whose combined portfolios would be numerically overwhelmed by a day of new uploads: even if we all removed our entire portfolios, it would be but a pinprick to Alamy, a mere gnat bite they would not notice. 

 

I have put in a huge amount of work uploading my portfolio of 25,000 images.  I would love to tell Alamy my views on their commission changes (and I agree with the majority of the comments in this thread), which have over the years made it increasingly difficult to get decent returns, but I know it will make no difference to Alamy whether I retain or delete them.  You can see from their new tiers the clients who matter to them: those who sell over $25k per year.  Even in my best year, 2019, I did not hit $20k.  I have no hope of making Platinum, particularly with increased images for sale being offset by declining average fees.  It would be a huge investment in time for little or no real benefit to move my images elsewhere, or to make them non-exclusive.  In reality, I have little choice but to go on as I have been, accepting with annoyance the reduction in my share of sales.

 

Alamy knows all this full well.  If they are getting in 100,000 images per day, they do not need small contributors (in which I class myself even with 25k images).  Indeed, maintaining the accounts of those with small portfolios who generate only a small amount of income may well be an administrative inconvenience to Alamy, who would be perfectly happy to be without them.  We will get the crumbs that Alamy deigns to allow to fall from the table, and there is nothing we can realistically do about it, I am sad to say.  As businesses expand, or try to do so, a frequent business model is to get rid of small clients and concentrate on those who can give the greatest returns with the least administration: this may well be what Alamy is now trying to do.

 

Graham

 

I echo those thoughts

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's really very disturbing that Alamy will be getting a bigger cut for the picture than the photographer. Haven't they had a very good run during the pandemic? If anything they should be sharing their profits with contributors. The incessant greed. My guess the overall goal of this is to gradually lower the percentage the contributors are getting, so when people are resigned and 40% is the new normal, they will try to get it to 30% and so on.

 

Not to mention that it's always the small guy who makes less gets punished more, but if you make over 25k then you're entitled to even more money. The rich get richer, the poor stay poor.

 

I was super loyal to Alamy for years, it's the only stock site I submitted to thinking they are more fair, but oh I was wrong.

 

I'm thinking of stopping to submit images to Alamy now and for the first time seriously start submitting to other sites. Would greatly appreciate any opinions on where would be a good place to move images? 

Edited by Nathaniel Noir
  • Love 1
  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Joseph Clemson said:

While the changes to commission are, not surprisingly, attracting lots of comment, it's worth noting that there are a considerable number of other changes too, detailed in the change of contract summary.

 

I haven't gone through this in details, but I do notice that they seem to be strengthening or making more explicit the requirement for a contributors to have copyright or the legal right to licence any content they submit. There seems to be more than just money to consider in whether to accept this new contract or say bye-bye to Alamy.

It appears that there is considerable tightening on copyright within images and that contributors are totally responsible for any breach

  • Thanks 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alamy what have you done!

There is absolutely no point in putting my images exclusively with you anymore.

It's a cold wet day here so I may as well spend my time uploading my collection to several other agencies now.

 

You really should have given some incentive to those who were prepared to support Alamy with exclusive content.

I hope the team at Alamy understand how it feels to be told they have just been given a ten percent pay cut by email.

  • Thanks 2
  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is bad news for Alamy, last year sales have crashed and now this! how about doing a Survey with us before announcing massive changes??? remember last time you did this and it was a car crash. 

 

I feel this could backfire on Alamy, with loss of contributors.

 

Not happy.

 

 

  • Love 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, imageplotter said:

Don't forget average sale price per image is also declining rapidly for many of us, as is overall income (even without the new changes applied). I very much doubt that dropping the threshold to $15k would result in 'a majority' being happy again. 

Yes maybe not a majority. I use the term loosely. Maybe just enough to show negotiation and persuade the bigger sellers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, IanDavidson said:

It appears that there is considerable tightening on copyright within images and that contributors are totally responsible for any breach

How is this clause even legal?

"any use or exploitation of the Content by Alamy, a Customer or a Distributor will not be, or be deemed to be indecent, obscene, defamatory, insulting, racist, offensive, indecent, vulgar or violate publicity rights anywhere in the world." That's a charter for abuse.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, wilkopix said:

Alamy what have you done!

There is absolutely no point in putting my images exclusively with you anymore.

It's a cold wet day here so I may as well spend my time uploading my collection to several other agencies now.

 

You really should have given some incentive to those who were prepared to support Alamy with exclusive content.

I hope the team at Alamy understand how it feels to be told they have just been given a ten percent pay cut by email.

20% cut 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, wilkopix said:

I hope the team at Alamy understand how it feels to be told they have just been given a ten percent pay cut by email.

The amount contributors receive is actually reduced by 20%.  Sell for $100, previously you received $50.  Now you receive $40.  That is a 20% reduction.

 

Graham

  • Love 1
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

New Clause:

 

 

2.10. By marking Content as Exclusive, you grant Alamy the right to chase third party infringements of the Content without Alamy having to consult you. Where pursuing such infringements if it is found that the Content has been licensed through another licensing platform, Alamy has the right to recoup any fees incurred in the pursuit of any action taken.

 

 

 

Wait, didn't we just make this election a couple of weeks ago and were allowed to opt in/out?  Now it's mandatory (or just remove "exclusive") 

 

  • Love 1
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Graham said:

Alamy knows all this full well.  If they are getting in 100,000 images per day, they do not need small contributors (in which I class myself even with 25k images).  Indeed, maintaining the accounts of those with small portfolios who generate only a small amount of income may well be an administrative inconvenience to Alamy, who would be perfectly happy to be without them.  We will get the crumbs that Alamy deigns to allow to fall from the table, and there is nothing we can realistically do about it, I am sad to say.  As businesses expand, or try to do so, a frequent business model is to get rid of small clients and concentrate on those who can give the greatest returns with the least administration: this may well be what Alamy is now trying to do.

You have hit the nail on the head. (Although we are not clients we are suppliers...)

I will carry on because I really enjoy news photography, but I understand the unhappiness generated here, but as Graham states it will make no difference to Alamy at all....

Edited by IanDavidson
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Graham said:

The amount contributors receive is actually reduced by 20%.  Sell for $100, previously you received $50.  Now you receive $40.  That is a 20% reduction.

 

Graham

or more.  

 

 

plus don't forget lower fees all the time, so even bigger drop compared to what contributors would have received 24 month ago. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Graham said:

The amount contributors receive is actually reduced by 20%.  Sell for $100, previously you received $50.  Now you receive $40.  That is a 20% reduction.

 

Graham

Yes! You are quite right ... makes it even more depressing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Alamy locked this topic
  • Alamy unlocked this topic
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.