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Tweet from Reuters promoting Reuters Connect "With Reuters Connect, access over 100 million images from Alamy...."

 

https://twitter.com/ReutersAgency/status/1437731397041598466

 

Reuters Connect isn't new, I don't know how it works or what part of the Alamy catalogue it accesses, but for the Live News photographers it must be nice to know their images can be accessed through that portal as well.

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12 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

Tweet from Reuters promoting Reuters Connect "With Reuters Connect, access over 100 million images from Alamy...."

 

https://twitter.com/ReutersAgency/status/1437731397041598466

 

Reuters Connect isn't new, I don't know how it works or what part of the Alamy catalogue it accesses, but for the Live News photographers it must be nice to know their images can be accessed through that portal as well.

 

At the right price I hope.

 

wim

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2 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

At the right price I hope.

 

wim

 

this doesn't feel reassuring:

 

 

"With Reuters Connect, access over 100 million images from Alamy, as well as content from Reuters and our world-class partners, with a single subscription that fits your budget"

 

 

 

I am curious how the deal is structured for us. I wonder if this means the list of "Distributors" is not complete, and there is plenty of non listed Distributors out there. 

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No it isn't reassuring. None of the live news dumping price sales are reassuring. I'm fed up, and have decided to go back to filing to several news agencies again from January. If pricing is low, I might as well file to the sort of places that get at least sufficient quantity of usages to make up for it. And have exposure to more publications again, there are some large national newspapers who buy almost none from Alamy as they have contracts and subscriptions with other agencies in place. My images used to get print with those publications, now they don't. That is frustrating. Not for vanity reasons, mind, I couldn't care less, but it affects the bottom line.

 

And these purchase models are incerasingly accessing the Live News feed it seems. Below is what dropped in yesterday, hours after I had spent a cold morning on a ladder in the Downing Street pen. Purchased directly from the Live News feed. These sales now drop in frequently on the day the image went live. I'll get 40 % of this, converted into pounds. Lovely. Doesn't even buy me the coffee I had to buy to be able to sit down somewhere and file/re-charge the laptop, nor my 5g mobile router monthly cost to enable me to file said images. Or the travel card to get into town and travel between different news events. Or the three layers of clothing I was wearing to stand there. 

 

Of the four sales below, the first was filed last week, so is stock. The three others are from yesterday, 08th December, Live News. So the client buys stock and live news from the day in one little swoop, same price, zero higher pricing for live news, no value for the previous live news period (48hrs?). And Duration unlimited. For my penny share, the image will be flashing up somewhere on their website forever. That is so incredibly demotivating.

 

I'll keep filing to alamy. Why not. But I'd be mad to file exclusively in 2022. Sad, sad times. Happy Christmas, me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2H8NN64    IMG_9262    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Ireland
Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021 Duration: Unlimited                                                                        $ 1.44

 

 2H9R5P5    ALO10206    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Ireland
Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021
Duration: Unlimited                                                                                                                  $ 1.44


2H9R5PB    2H9R5PB    PLO10204    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Worldwide
Usage: Editorial, For Editorial use on the customers website and social media platforms (excludes advertising)
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021  Duration: Unlimited                                                                        $ 1.57


2H9R5P5    2H9R5P5    ALO10206    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Worldwide
Usage: Editorial, For Editorial use on the customers website and social media platforms (excludes advertising)
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021 Duration: Unlimited                                                                        $ 1.57

 

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3 hours ago, imageplotter said:

Of the four sales below, the first was filed last week, so is stock. The three others are from yesterday, 08th December, Live News. So the client buys stock and live news from the day in one little swoop, same price, zero higher pricing for live news, no value for the previous live news period (48hrs?). And Duration unlimited. For my penny share, the image will be flashing up somewhere on their website forever. That is so incredibly demotivating.

 

I'll keep filing to alamy. Why not. But I'd be mad to file exclusively in 2022. Sad, sad times. Happy Christmas, me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2H8NN64    IMG_9262    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Ireland
Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021 Duration: Unlimited                                                                        $ 1.44

 

 2H9R5P5    ALO10206    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Ireland
Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021
Duration: Unlimited                                                                                                                  $ 1.44


2H9R5PB    2H9R5PB    PLO10204    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Worldwide
Usage: Editorial, For Editorial use on the customers website and social media platforms (excludes advertising)
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021  Duration: Unlimited                                                                        $ 1.57


2H9R5P5    2H9R5P5    ALO10206    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Worldwide
Usage: Editorial, For Editorial use on the customers website and social media platforms (excludes advertising)
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021 Duration: Unlimited                                                                        $ 1.57

 

It would be good to have an update from Alamy on the current situation with the Live News feed.
It used to be that images on there were only available via that feed, at appropriate fees, for three days before going into stock,
It seems Live News images are now being sold within hours of being uploaded for staggeringly insulting prices - and used as news.

I could understand giving access to the feed for people researching a book to be published months in the future, but allowing news websites to use news images from the live news feed, as news, seems to completely go against what we thought Live News was all about.

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I also feel this conundrum described by Imageplotter. Alamy isn't bringing in enough so there is temptation to go non-exclusive. But that is bound to have some negative impact on Alamy earnings, and also it is feeding the low fee competition.  I started non-exclusivity in 2012 and overall it has been beneficial to me financially. But the 'other place' is terrible for Premium Access subscription deals - maybe 4 times the volume, but often less in payout to me. 

 

Now that there is no Alamy commission incentive for exclusivity it is harder than ever to decide in favour of it. 

 

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I agree with Phil's point that there needs to be more clarity. On the recent thread about ultra low stock subscriptions the answer ended up being that it was Novel Use - but subscriptions to UK nationals is not Novel Use. And anyway non-Novel use fees are only a few cents better. 

 

It does seem that one way or another the largest UK media companies can have what they want of our images for next to nothing through one deal or another, one agency or another. 

 

 

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When I started this thread I pointed out that I didn't know how it worked or which Alamy images could be accessed. Having looked at it again I see that on the Reuters 'Alamy Stock' page they say:

 

"...clients can now access stock imagery on Reuters Connect that’s regularly updated and sourced from a network of 100,000+ photographers, 650 picture agencies and archives, and is rights cleared for editorial use. "

 

https://www.reutersagency.com/en/platforms/reuters-connect/alamy-stock/

 

So it is just 'editorial' images, which includes Live News and presumably Live News retired as stock. Could it just be images that have 'Sell for editorial use only' checked? Are there really 'over 100 million' of those?

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20 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

When I started this thread I pointed out that I didn't know how it worked or which Alamy images could be accessed. Having looked at it again I see that on the Reuters 'Alamy Stock' page they say:

 

"...clients can now access stock imagery on Reuters Connect that’s regularly updated and sourced from a network of 100,000+ photographers, 650 picture agencies and archives, and is rights cleared for editorial use. "

 

https://www.reutersagency.com/en/platforms/reuters-connect/alamy-stock/

 

So it is just 'editorial' images, which includes Live News and presumably Live News retired as stock. Could it just be images that have 'Sell for editorial use only' checked? Are there really 'over 100 million' of those?

 

 

I signed up and had a browse. Couldn't see any of mine after a few quick searches. Actually, didn't see any from Alamy. Maybe it is early days.

 

Why not have a look? It is an automated process.

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2 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

 

Why not have a look? It is an automated process.

Right, so although Reuters Connect has been around for a while (I don't know how long since I'm not a news tog) perhaps the Alamy connection is 'hot of the press', surprised they haven't made some kind of announcement.

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15 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

Right, so although Reuters Connect has been around for a while (I don't know how long since I'm not a news tog) perhaps the Alamy connection is 'hot of the press', surprised they haven't made some kind of announcement.

 

Just to be clear. The sign-up process is automated.

 

I then got a follow up email and had to admit that I was not a buyer just a curious photographer. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 09/12/2021 at 10:16, imageplotter said:

No it isn't reassuring. None of the live news dumping price sales are reassuring. I'm fed up, and have decided to go back to filing to several news agencies again from January. If pricing is low, I might as well file to the sort of places that get at least sufficient quantity of usages to make up for it. And have exposure to more publications again, there are some large national newspapers who buy almost none from Alamy as they have contracts and subscriptions with other agencies in place. My images used to get print with those publications, now they don't. That is frustrating. Not for vanity reasons, mind, I couldn't care less, but it affects the bottom line.

 

And these purchase models are incerasingly accessing the Live News feed it seems. Below is what dropped in yesterday, hours after I had spent a cold morning on a ladder in the Downing Street pen. Purchased directly from the Live News feed. These sales now drop in frequently on the day the image went live. I'll get 40 % of this, converted into pounds. Lovely. Doesn't even buy me the coffee I had to buy to be able to sit down somewhere and file/re-charge the laptop, nor my 5g mobile router monthly cost to enable me to file said images. Or the travel card to get into town and travel between different news events. Or the three layers of clothing I was wearing to stand there. 

 

Of the four sales below, the first was filed last week, so is stock. The three others are from yesterday, 08th December, Live News. So the client buys stock and live news from the day in one little swoop, same price, zero higher pricing for live news, no value for the previous live news period (48hrs?). And Duration unlimited. For my penny share, the image will be flashing up somewhere on their website forever. That is so incredibly demotivating.

 

I'll keep filing to alamy. Why not. But I'd be mad to file exclusively in 2022. Sad, sad times. Happy Christmas, me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2H8NN64    IMG_9262    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Ireland
Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021 Duration: Unlimited                                                                        $ 1.44

 

Christine – thank you for posting.

I can only agree with your views and it is very demotivating indeed.

I would love to know what organisation this is;

 

Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021 Duration: Unlimited”

 

From the figures you included the net on these images is roughly 40 odd pence.

If someone came along and said I will give you forty pence for every image in your portfolio I would take it.

 

That is not the case of course and since October I have noticed this particular outfit buy several of my images at the pricing you indicate. What concerns me is that the pictures they chose were good usable images that should have commanded more and not been “in perp” (sic) for the prices indicated. One they can use at any stage if there is an incident in a regional police force's area and it will be used a lot.

This outfit was simply selecting a great deal for itself (and you or I the contributor, can't do anything about it)

 

One the live news front – I took a shot after 4pm, it was uploaded at 5.15pm (within the hour) and early next morning it was through as a sale in my figures at that ridiculous price. It wasn't even available for general use on Alamy until a few days later.

 

When James West sold Alamy on, my concern was whether PA would be good for us or whether or not there was a conflict with its shareholder organisations (and other related media outlets) in terms of deals and sales that might come along in the future. I am sure there are many views on this.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 20/12/2021 at 02:33, Nodvandigtid said:

Christine – thank you for posting.

I can only agree with your views and it is very demotivating indeed.

I would love to know what organisation this is;

 

Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021 Duration: Unlimited”

 

From the figures you included the net on these images is roughly 40 odd pence.

If someone came along and said I will give you forty pence for every image in your portfolio I would take it.

 

That is not the case of course and since October I have noticed this particular outfit buy several of my images at the pricing you indicate. What concerns me is that the pictures they chose were good usable images that should have commanded more and not been “in perp” (sic) for the prices indicated. One they can use at any stage if there is an incident in a regional police force's area and it will be used a lot.

This outfit was simply selecting a great deal for itself (and you or I the contributor, can't do anything about it)

 

One the live news front – I took a shot after 4pm, it was uploaded at 5.15pm (within the hour) and early next morning it was through as a sale in my figures at that ridiculous price. It wasn't even available for general use on Alamy until a few days later.

 

When James West sold Alamy on, my concern was whether PA would be good for us or whether or not there was a conflict with its shareholder organisations (and other related media outlets) in terms of deals and sales that might come along in the future. I am sure there are many views on this.

 

Yes, absolutely. And agree on the timing of these sales, they definitely access the newsfeed either directly, or (I'd hate to think that,but it may be the case) are even pinged the images, but pay low subscription stock prices. It's so sad to see. 

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3 hours ago, imageplotter said:

Yes, absolutely. And agree on the timing of these sales, they definitely access the newsfeed either directly, or (I'd hate to think that,but it may be the case) are even pinged the images, but pay low subscription stock prices. It's so sad to see. 

 

1 hour ago, kay said:

You may have spotted this already but Live News images now immediately appear for sale in general stock as soon as they're uploaded (under the 'new' tab) at what seem to be normal prices 😬

Thank you Christine & Kay.

Yes Christine, I was thinking along the same lines and thought that undermining - devaluing approach could be the case.

But Kay is spot-on, I checked one of Simon Dack's pictures from today on the Live News feed and lo and behold it is up under the "New" tab for "Brighton" - that could explain it but I also think there is some form of selectivity going on.

Either way  it's amazing that "live news" images appear to be able to be bought for pennies by "some"- maybe Alamy could clarify.

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Nodvandigtid said:

 

Thank you Christine & Kay.

Yes Christine, I was thinking along the same lines and thought that undermining - devaluing approach could be the case.

But Kay is spot-on, I checked one of Simon Dack's pictures from today on the Live News feed and lo and behold it is up under the "New" tab for "Brighton" - that could explain it but I also think there is some form of selectivity going on.

Either way  it's amazing that "live news" images appear to be able to be bought for pennies by "some"- maybe Alamy could clarify.

 

 

 

 

 

Great research.  What is really interesting is that there is now a disconnect between the "New" tab and the other tabs in the stock search.  I searched "Brighton Greta Thunberg" which two of the new LiveNews set features, and you get 130 images on New tab, featuring the two newest ones at top, and 128 under the other two tabs.  

 

 

Note this also includes PA images.  Just searched London  in "New" and the top is a bunch a PA feeds, including quite a few from files loaded today. 

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On 09/12/2021 at 10:16, imageplotter said:

No it isn't reassuring. None of the live news dumping price sales are reassuring. I'm fed up, and have decided to go back to filing to several news agencies again from January. If pricing is low, I might as well file to the sort of places that get at least sufficient quantity of usages to make up for it. And have exposure to more publications again, there are some large national newspapers who buy almost none from Alamy as they have contracts and subscriptions with other agencies in place. My images used to get print with those publications, now they don't. That is frustrating. Not for vanity reasons, mind, I couldn't care less, but it affects the bottom line.

 

And these purchase models are incerasingly accessing the Live News feed it seems. Below is what dropped in yesterday, hours after I had spent a cold morning on a ladder in the Downing Street pen. Purchased directly from the Live News feed. These sales now drop in frequently on the day the image went live. I'll get 40 % of this, converted into pounds. Lovely. Doesn't even buy me the coffee I had to buy to be able to sit down somewhere and file/re-charge the laptop, nor my 5g mobile router monthly cost to enable me to file said images. Or the travel card to get into town and travel between different news events. Or the three layers of clothing I was wearing to stand there. 

 

Of the four sales below, the first was filed last week, so is stock. The three others are from yesterday, 08th December, Live News. So the client buys stock and live news from the day in one little swoop, same price, zero higher pricing for live news, no value for the previous live news period (48hrs?). And Duration unlimited. For my penny share, the image will be flashing up somewhere on their website forever. That is so incredibly demotivating.

 

I'll keep filing to alamy. Why not. But I'd be mad to file exclusively in 2022. Sad, sad times. Happy Christmas, me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2H8NN64    IMG_9262    Imageplotter    08 December 2021    Rights Managed    Country: Ireland
Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 08 December 2021 Duration: Unlimited                                                                        $ 1.44

 

 
 

 

Also had one of those yesterday: Live News image uploaded yesterday and reported yesterday.

Found it on their website; credit is Alamy stock photo. Is the "new tab" a loophole or a sinkhole?

 

Country: Ireland
Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 03 January 2022
Duration: Unlimited    $ 1.45
 
 

 

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Joe said:

 

Also had one of those yesterday: Live News image uploaded yesterday and reported yesterday.

Found it on their website; credit is Alamy stock photo. Is the "new tab" a loophole or a sinkhole?

 

Country: Ireland
Usage: Editorial, For editorial use on the customers Ireland based websites and social media
Media: Website, app and social media
Start: 03 January 2022
Duration: Unlimited    $ 1.45
 
 

 

 

 

It's hard to know Joe - some of us have become aware of this in the last few weeks so it either stems from a system change allowing immediate dropping into the "New" tab or a specific organisation getting deal access either through Live News or alerted to pictures, that then drop into "New" or a combination of both.

 

Whilst I think it's wrong that "live news pictures" can be snapped up within hours as a stock image, there is a safeguard that Alamy might proffer that the "deal" excludes news use inside a certain period though that of course is not visible from the licence description you posted. On a CSV report some, for a huge media group, include something akin to "see full terms and conditions"

 

If you can post a link to the image concerned and we can look at "end use" on whatever website it is that would be helpful.

 

Overall a change (however caused) that is to the detriment of contributors in my eyes.     

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36 minutes ago, Nodvandigtid said:

It's hard to know Joe - some of us have become aware of this in the last few weeks so it either stems from a system change allowing immediate dropping into the "New" tab or a specific organisation getting deal access either through Live News or alerted to pictures, that then drop into "New" or a combination of both.

 

Whilst I think it's wrong that "live news pictures" can be snapped up within hours as a stock image, there is a safeguard that Alamy might proffer that the "deal" excludes news use inside a certain period though that of course is not visible from the licence description you posted. On a CSV report some, for a huge media group, include something akin to "see full terms and conditions"

 

If you can post a link to the image concerned and we can look at "end use" on whatever website it is that would be helpful.

 

Overall a change (however caused) that is to the detriment of contributors in my eyes.     

 

 David, thejournal.ie is the website:  https://tinyurl.com/a3r7ydce (sand sculpture image).

 

 Had four other news sales to Germany in the past couple of days: 1 TV, 3 newspaper. TV sale has already been reported: high $$.

 Hopefully Alamy will shed some light on the News, "New tab" issue. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Joe said:

 

 David, thejournal.ie is the website:  https://tinyurl.com/a3r7ydce (sand sculpture image).

 

 Had four other news sales to Germany in the past couple of days: 1 TV, 3 newspaper. TV sale has already been reported: high $$.

 Hopefully Alamy will shed some light on the News, "New tab" issue. 

 

 

Thanks for the link Alan - this is perplexing.

I see your picture 2HD4MDM on the live news feed ok for 03 Jan (Monday) and of course the journal.ie had it on-line that same day

Immediate reaction is;  this is a news image so in theory a decent return but

 

1) the live news website rates are very poor now for editorial websites  - single digits

2) the journal.ie would, being in Ireland, not be in the UK newspaper scheme (it is not as far as I know a subsidiary of a UK outfit and has an IE company number)  

 

I have not had a "live news" licence outside the UK so I wonder (can anyone enlighten us) how it would show on a licence description? (maybe your sale to Germany has the answer)

If there isn't a "live news" descriptor how do such sales show - do they in fact show as "Alamy Stock photo"?

 

On the thejournal.ie "about us" page you will see who the photograph suppliers are, and it should be noted that some articles are provided by the Press Association (PA Media) and one of those articles carried an Alamy Stock Photo (no photographer credit just a generic credit).

 

The only consolation I see for you is that the German TV rate looks reasonable and hopefully the 3 newspaper sales will do like-wise.

 

I could speculate further on the journal.ie pricing but that doesn't help answer the questions;

1) how and why do "live news" images become available the same day as a general stock image under the "new" category on a contributor's portfolio?

2) how does Alamy ensure that "live" "live news images" pricing is not undermined by this happening?   

 

 

 

 

 

  

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