iStock New Update

iStock has some updates this month talking about its technology upgrades, updates to digital model releases and editorial images.  Check out all the info below.


September Performance
Despite downtime related to the launch of our new way to pay, iStock's performance in the month of September matched our overall expectations. Early trends show that we are attracting more new customers with the option to download without purchasing credits. On the other hand, the calendar meant this September had fewer working days than recent years, which partially offset those gains.

Regarding individual contributor results, we've been seeing mixed reports in the September sales thread and other sources. We do know that technical issues are making it difficult right now for contributors to clearly track their performance. We are looking into the underlying numbers to see what other factors may be at play in the September results.

Technology Update
Today we released a fix to lightboxes that puts the "Save to lightbox" function back onto the file closeup page.

We continue working on contributor information pages to ensure that all reporting and stats numbers include downloads made with both credits and through shopping cart purchases. This is a high priority for our technology group and they will have any issues fixed as soon as possible.

We are also continuing work on bringing the image zoom feature back to the file closeup page.


Redeeemed Credits — Retroactive Payments
We are working on calculating retroactive royalties owed to any contributors who have already passed their next royalty level based on the Redeemed Credit targets we posted recently. This work has gone slowly after last month's releases and the need to focus on certain technology projects, but we still consider it a priority and will have these calculations and payments completed soon. We appreciate your patience.
Digital Model Releases
We began accepting digital model releases back in July. Last week we added another application to our approved list: we now accept releases from Top Model Release. You can read more about digital model releases here.
Editorial Images — Closely-cropped Logos
We recently revised our policy on images of logos, calling for images of brands with context, rather than close-crops on logos.

Due to concerns that some logos may contain a copyrighted element, we will be carefully reviewing and withdrawing some images still in the collection that are close crops of logos. In an effort to provide a better customer experience, and to protect you as a contributor, these images are no longer eligible for submission or for licensing.