Pure Reviews

123RF launches two new features to their site.  First up Audio is coming to the site and they will allow you to set your price points per a chart.  See below for how to upload your stock audio and the royalty breakdown.  Second they have announced a new image size of ML which will push everything up 1 credit from the Large price point.  A full chart is listed below.  Sign up for 123RF look for the link on the right size. Adding 'Audio Stock' to its list of endless digital creative content, 123RF is inviting Audio Composers and Authors to send in their audio clips, sound effects, music tracks and compilations to be included in its all-encompassing collection. You'll be able to access a worldwide clientele via the 123RF.com platform. 123RF can now be viewed as the ideal launch pad for audio professionals looking to market their projects to the creative industry. Contributors get 30% to 60% of the selling price. And the best part is, you get to decide how to ...

Press release from Shutterstock that now allows downloading images directly to your tablet or cell phone on apple products.  Check out the release below. We know our contributors are always interested in getting their work seen by as many customers in as many ways as possible. With that in mind, here’s an update on what we’ve been doing to help you promote and license your images on mobile devices — and let you track your results on the go, too. The Shutterstock App for iPhone and iPad — now with downloading! We recently updated our award-winning app to make it available on iPhone as well as iPad. Both versions let users search and explore images, scroll through a seamless mosaic of options, add selections to Lightboxes, and share them with colleagues. The apps have been a huge hit with customers — to date, over 300,000 users have downloaded and begun using them! This month, we released version 2.5 of the app, giving customers the ability to download images straight to thei...

iStock continues to upset their core contributors by devaluing their work and opening their images up for possible free use on Google drive.  This whole ordeal spurred a massive movement of removing images to their site.  This action has spurred a response from the corporation owned by Getty images.  See the report below that basically says they are just working on it, but don't plan on providing changes right away.  Will you close your portfolio on iStock ? Google Drive You may have already read our last update in the forums but once again, we'd like to thank you for your continued patience. To reiterate from previous posts, royalties have been paid in connection with the Google Drive usage based on all consideration received by Getty Images under the licensing agreement. We understand your concerns relating to the deal and we are making progress in a productive dialogue with Google about these concerns and potential solutions. As many...

Shutterstock updates their royalty rate for referrals.  Payout will increase by once sent and a referred person will be active for 2 years.  See the info below and if you wish to join Shutterstock click here .  SS is consistently one of the highest respected stock photography sites.

So Bigstock has announced that they are going to start doing subscription sales this year.  Joining what seems to be a new industry standard they are setting their royalty base at only $0.25.  Sadly this seems to be more and more common ( Fotolia , iStock , 123RF , etc).  The odd part of this announcement is that Bigstock was bought by Shutterstock so they could have pay as you go style site.  So this begs the question of why start moving your site to the SS formula with lower royalties.  How do you feel about the changes, comment below. As you know, we already offer Bigstock customers the flexibility of pre-paying with credits. Next week, we’ll be offering our customers an increasingly popular way to buy images:  subscriptions. How will this affect me? Subscriptions can generate higher download volumes, which can increase your total earnings from Bigstock. Here’s how you will earn royalties from Bigstock subscriptions: Eve...

iStock announcement for their 2013 royalty rates.  Very few changes, so read all about it below! Royalty Rates for 2013 First, we wanted to say thanks to those of you participating in or following the continuing dialog of the past few weeks. We'll never be able to answer every question or address every issue as quickly or as completely as we wish we could, but we're working to improve in this area and will continue these efforts. As Rebecca has explained in her recent comments, the increased communication is something we're dedicated to and plan to continue. There will be no changes for the Redeemed Credit targets for 2013, the targets will remain at the same levels as 2012. To review where these targets stand, please see: http://www.istockphoto.com/help/sell-stock/rate-schedule Several key topics have surfaced through this dialog, there are specific conversations happening on many of these elsewhere in the forum and we hope you will continue to participate. One topi...

  Fotolia did some minor tweaks this month that gives you two options for your portfolio.  First up you can now exclude video files from subscription sales.  Second they have changed the pricing for extended license files that now requires a minimum of 20 credits.  It also can't be lower then your highest price offering, so you cant have a 24 credit Standard XXL license and get the Extended License under 24 credits.  Log in and check out the changes.

 A few changes to note that have gone into effect at a few sites. Dreamstime : Dreamstime has launched a mobile image section allowing you to submit cell phone photos and digital model releases.  To celebrate this new feature their next assignment will be mobile shots.  Also their is now a new category called "Mobile."  Other requirements are 3 MP minimum resolution still applies and we will not accept upsampled images.  DT is accepting model releases from: Model Release, ASMP Release and Easy Release (on both iOS and Android).  Join today ! Shutterstock : SS has launched a new features called Portfolio Pages that allows contributors to show off their work via personalized URL's.  Another feature on your portfolio page is allowing you to create public sets.  So log in and and set up your today or join Shutterstock here . Bigstock : Bigstock has launched a new partner system that will open their collection to other companies with ...

Alamy has adjusted their contributor contract for the coming year.  The biggest change was a 10% increase on commissions to Alamy from the Photographers side.  Alamy still has one of the highest payouts rates to photographers, but still following the trend of dropping royalty rates in the industry.  See Alamy writeup below. The latest version of the Alamy Contributor contract, published on 20th November 2012, included some important changes to our terms. For Contributors who registered before 20th November 2012, the new contract came into force on 5th January 2013, 45 days from the notification date of 20th November 2012. For Contributors who registered from 20th November 2012 onwards, the new contract was in force from the point of registration. What changed? The most important changes to our terms were increased Alamy commission on direct and third-party distributor sales. All key changes are summarised below, for...

Shutterstock launched on NYSE yesterday with a strong opening.  As of closing today (10.12.12) it was priced at $22.00 with ticker as SSTK.  See the write up below from the CEO/Founder Jon Oringer Dear Shutterstock Community, Today was a very exciting day for Shutterstock – a day that wouldn’t have been possible without each of you. This morning, Shutterstock became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. This milestone is the result of many years of hard work and innovation, and perhaps most importantly, the incredible talent of each of our contributing artists. Together we have built a thriving, diverse, global creative marketplace that spans more than 150 countries. I can still remember the day I started Shutterstock in 2003, out of my apartment. I was trying to solve a business need I had for quality stock photos at an affordable price. Before I knew it, demand for these images surpassed what I could provide an...

Below is the layout of iStock's 2013 Royalty rates.  Overall there are very few changes from last year.  All the percentages are the same, but some of the redeemed credit categories have dropped.  For example for non exclusive last year the credits where 2,000 and are now 1,500.  Where do you fall on the chart below? 2012 Redeemed Credit Targets Below are the 2012 Redeemed Credit targets for iStockphoto contributors. We know that this news is behind schedule and we apologize for the long wait. Other projects and factors, both at iStockphoto and within the wider Getty Images business, have delayed our ability to definitively publish these numbers. We are happy to announce that there is no increase in any of the RC targets over the previous year — all redeemed credit targets for all file types will stay the same for 2012. These targets will determine your starting/minimum royalty rate for 2013. If you reach a new target during the remainder of ...

Shutterstock launches a Viewfinder Contest that focuses on photography challenges.  For example the first challenge this month is " Celebrating Life " so any image that you feel captures that enter it in for a chance to win some great prizes.  Check out their full write up below and join Shutterstock here . Shutterstock contributors are some of the most creative in the business, and to us, that’s something worth celebrating. Cue the Viewfinder Challenge – a themed competition that gives you the chance to show off your best work and bask in the brilliance of your fellow creatives. You can even score some great prizes and major exposure while you’re at it. The theme for the first challenge is “ Celebrating Life .” Submit your best photos, footage, or illustrations that capture  “a spirit of celebration, whether it’s personal, local, global, or universal.” For reference, check out these collections of  examples of “Celebrating Life” our curator pulled to...

Below is the chart featuring the commission numbers for the month of May.  The three top stock sites this month where Dreamstime , Shutterstock , 123RF .  The chart only features sites I had a sale with and for a full list of stock sites my work is at see the right column of the screen.

April was very close to March as far as sales and earnings go.  The top three sites this month are: 123RF , Shutterstock , Dreamstime .  Above is the full chart breakdown of all the sites I had earnings this month at.  For a full list of sites I have content with see the right side of the blog.

Zoonar adds Getty Images to their partner distribution list.  Its interesting that they have it in their clause that you cant send the images to their biggest competition Veer and Corbis.  The second bit of news is they are dropping the commission rate by 10%  for partner sales.  Zoonar sales will still get commissions up to 80%. Dear photographers, we have important news for you: 1. We are pleased to present Getty Images as our new distribution partner. As of now you can only submit photos which don’t require a model or property release. We hope to offer you a new release management tool by the middle of 2012, which will make it possible for you to submit photos that require a release. Getty Images has generated high sales through its platforms Jupiterimages and Thinkstock which has made many photographers want to submit photos for this partner. We are expectant to see how many photos will be accepted by Getty Images. We have no figures based on exp...

So another month of 2012 is in the record books.  Below is the chart for February sales and this month was a great one.  I had a huge increase from last month and also a couple of EL sales at CanStockPhotos .  Other big leaders where Dreamstime , 123RF , Photodune and Depositphotos .  Like always, if I didn't have a sale on the site this month then they aren't listed.  Full list of sites I upload to is on the right of the blog.

123RF launched their new royalty rates that will go into effect on Jan. 1st, 2013.  Originally they stated that a new rate would be fore new contributors, but it looks like that might have been abandoned for this new system at the end of this year.  They are leaving plenty of time between now and the end of the year to hear the feedback.  Below is their breakdown of how your rates will be give.  Join 123RF here .  It will be hard to swallow $0.216 for the lowest sub sales in the industry.  123RF.com will be changing its Contributor Commission Payout on January 1, 2013. From now till then, 123RF.com shall continue paying our Contributors at a rate of: 50% net value for credits $0.36 per download for subscriptions From January 1, 2013 onwards – 123RF shall adopt the new Contributor Commission Payout schedule depicted in the table below :      123RF shall round the monthly cumulative earnings to the nearest $0.01. ...

Above is a chart feature the sales data for January, also so far total sales are up compared to January of last year.  The leader of the pack this month was Alamy which was due to a larger extended license sale.  Other top sites for the month included Dreamstime , Depositphoto , and 123RF .

Shutterstock launches a sensitive use license that will allow an increase of sales of up to $75 per image.  Unlike several other companies, SS is going to let you opt out of this feature which will keep your models from being featured in sensitive ads for healthcare or other topics.  This is a great new revenue stream and also gives photographers great control of how their photos should be used. To Our Valued Contributors, We would like to tell you about an important update with great potential to increase sales for you. We are updating our Contributor Terms of Service (“TOS”) to enable new sales with a royalty of up to $75 per image download. Shutterstock services both small and large buyers. In addition to our standard and enhanced licenses, we provide custom licenses to buyers such as large advertising agencies. These agencies require more rights and some flexibility in how an image might ultimately be used. That flexibility may include "sensitive uses." ...

Commission changes are on the horizon at 123RF for new users.  The memo below has been posted about what is required to stay on the old commission rate for photographers.  No word on what the changes will be or how they will affect us, but guessing by point 3 they will be moving more to match the other big companies with lower payout rates.  At lest they seem to be honest and trying to hang in there for the long run.  123RF is based here in my home town, so we will keep a close eye on them and let you know more down the road. We will be changing our Contributors’ commission structure effective February 1, 2012. Here’s what you need to know: All existing contributors shall continue to enjoy the current 50% nett commission share ONLY IF they fulfill ALL of the following criteria.: Have registered with 123RF.com before February 1, 2012 . Have at least 150 accepted images in their respective portfolios by January 9, 2012 . Have had a ...