Let's face it... Strict upload limits? Lengthy review times? vague, generic rejection notices? A site plagued with bugs? 15% commissions? iStockPhoto doesn't respect you. If you're like me, you've known this for a long time. You've perhaps wondered what you can do to make a difference. I am going to tell you.
If you are one of the ones who have pulled their content after the recent pricing restructure, I applaud you. I did not pull my content. I'm a full-time, non-exclusive contributor who made 60K in commissions last year. 25K of that came from iStock, so I think you can understand why I stayed.
But that doesn't mean I'm helpless. For us non-exclusives, it's in our best interest for buyers to shop elsewhere. In fact, it's in our best interest to bring the entire iStock company down so those buyers would shop at the competitors' sites, who will then pay us higher commissions.
A friend of mine who is a contributor and also works at a video production house in Chicago, said that with every client he works with, he always recommends against buying from iStock. I thought, "That's brilliant. Why don't I do that?" So yesterday, I finished doing a custom edit to one of my footage clips for a company that found me on iStock. After the job, I wrote an FYI in the email, just explaining the facts. I told her what iStock pays the artists as opposed to Pond5's 50% commission and Revostock's 45%. I told her how iStock actually reduced my commission rate after I signed up with them and uploaded all my content. I told her how the selection is bigger on the other sites and the prices are generally much lower (of course, this applies to photos as well, not just footage). She wrote back and said that she had forwarded the email to upper management and will see what she can do.
Do you ever work with, or for, companies that require stock media? A simple paragraph at the end of your email explaining the facts can make a big difference. I believe this is how we fight unfair treatment of artists. We don't have unions, folks. It's up to us. If you want to fight, forward this message to anyone you know who is in the same situation.
