I'm interested in hearing your opinions of the new Getty contract offer to Istock Xclusives. I'm definitely NOT interested in ever being exclusive, at least not in micro. But I wonder what you think this new deal holds for the future of microstock. Good, bad, no difference..? It looks to me like just another way for them to hook in more exclusives. When you deal with the word "contract," that implies a locked-in obligation on both sides, and you can bet a company as big as Getty is going to get the far better end of the deal. I've never been impressed by IS' exclusivity program. The perks sound good, but I don't see a financial advantage especially for being locked in. If you're not so much interested in the $, then it's probably a comfortable deal. But I have a feeling that Getty is going to slowly put the squeeze on all IS'ers, exclusive or not, and one day all members who make it past a certain point will get "an offer you can't refuse."

On a sadder note: my IS earnings have overtaken SS earnings for the first time :cry:

Initial response is that there are going to be a lot of upset Getty Photographers

I think it's a good deal. A lot of exclusives at iStock sell via RM through other places like Acclaim, Alamy, etc., etc. and this gives them the option to work under a Getty contract which is VERY appealing to a lot of people. I got into the micros as a stepping stone as I know a lot of other people have and this is a big honor to a lot of people.

With relation to going exclusive - it's all about priorities. I became exclusive at DT earlier this year for RF because of my own priorities. The money is about the same for the time I put in.

With relation to the comments about squeezing photographers - do some searching about the Getty/iStock merger and you'll find a lot of talk about "turning the tap on and off". The squeeze you're seeing is just that. They're turning down the tap and a lot of people are seeing it through submission limitations.

Good or bad, Getty is delivering as promised.

The people that they are targeting with this offer are probably good enough to be getty photographers in their own right. Anyone with over 25,000 downloads is good, probably as good as any photographer already with getty.

Any idea what the contract offered by Getty actually says? Haven't heard any details...just a lot of excitement about a "contract" that no one seems to know much about.

Everybody's always trying to stir stuff up...

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Top Sellers ? Shutterstock ? Fotolia ? Dreamstime ? BigStock ? StockXpert ? FeaturePics ? MostPhotos ?

They can only submit 5 photos per month, they have to be exclusive to Getty and they can not upload photos from the same series to iStock.

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I copied this directly from their front page blog:

" Quote ? Posted Mon Dec 4 11:38AM
On 2006-12-04 11:37:12, bitter wrote:
Today, everything changes. Everyone at iStock has their sights set on reaching Diamond. Now, that accomplishment means more than a higher royalty and a satisfying twinkle. The hard work, talent, and dedication that makes a diamond isn't the end of the battle; it's the start of yet another revolution.

As much as iStockphoto delivered and continues to do so, iStockpro never conquered some markets in the way we expected ? but now you can conquer them yourself. iStock is now the only agency you need to make a career out of making images. As of today, we're parachuting you right into the heart of the traditional 'professional' market.

Starting in January 2007, the creative team at Getty Images will offer contracts to all of our Exclusive Diamond photographers and illustrators.

You proved you are a professional a long time ago. Now there's a whole other market for you to dominate. No one is ever going to call you an 'amateur' again.

With this new pilot program, our Exclusive Diamond photographers and illustrators can choose to submit images for Royalty-Free distribution at Getty Images (as part of the Photodisc collection), while still remaining Exclusive here at iStock. It's the best of both worlds.

This is not subject to the terms of the Lifesize program at Getty. There is no fee to join or submit. You are being offered a contract. You are in.

During the pilot stage, Exclusive Diamond photographers and illustrators can upload up to 5 images a month to Getty through iStock. Once we move beyond the pilot stage, Gold Exclusives will be brought on board as well. And when the kinks are worked out, we will include video, and the option to sell Rights-Managed images. We expect everything to be running smoothly in the summer of 2007.

We aren't taking our top contributors away from iStock. We're making iStock the complete agency for our exclusive contributors, with access to every aspect of the industry for those who reach the top. You've trusted us by becoming exclusive. Now we're expanding our relationship, by opening up the terms of Exclusivity to offer our hardest workers a connection with our special friends at Getty Images. It's what we've been working towards ever since the idea of joining Getty first appeared. Now it's time for another revolution.

You've done it. Congratulations. If you haven't already, go quit your day job.

(Edited on 2006-12-04 11:44:12 by bitter) "

End quote.

:?: :?: :?:

Alright, pardon my ignorance. I have some idea what being part of Getty means... but

What exactly does a contract with Getty mean and why does that mean you can quit your day job? Do you get a salary or are you still just paid for what you sell?

I still don't like the concept of being exclusive to one agency. I would prefer that my photos are available through as many outlets as possible. Maybe my opinon will change in the future... who knows.

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Getty is know for earning people big money (ie. the elite pros). However, with only 5 uploads per month (at what acceptance rate??) I dont think it will make anyone rich quickly. If i was exclusive, i would be happy (another avenue), it not, who cares.

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I don't understand why people go exclusive on IS. You'll get a 25% commision instead of the 20%, but you can't sell your work on SS (wich has about 5 times more sales then IS for me) and you can't sell your work anywhere else. Are those people not aware of the excistence of other stock sites? Or is there something else I don't know?