Low pricing

Yep. Low priced sales suck. It's not like there are gobs of them. It does NOT mean useful incremental income. It means a kick in the gut. I should talk ... before the new Decree stating Exclusive was also subject to Pond5 repricing and GPP sales or whatnot, I actually spent energy making sure I'd have some footage in GPP. I asked for it specifically. Why? Because I kept hearing of people getting these huge GPP dumps. I was missing out. I have no info on it, but I rather suspect one person's "huge GPP dump" is one of my normal sales. But I don't know. Anyway, I've had one or two "pinner" sales. It's not the end of the world. But I was wrong thinking that my increase in sales I would not have had otherwise would make a difference in my finances. Nope. It just showed that I have no pride in my work and am a weasel just like many. Peasants scrabbling for scraps. Revolting behaviour. FWIW, I did not see any significant rise in sales. Low pricing in any way shape or form has not shown more sales to happen.

However the main point I stress: It is absolutely vital that we do not allow any agency to think that we'd rather get dregs than nothing, and that dregs are better than nothing. It is not so. That is exactly how the race to the bottom works. Small incremental income sales might work for footage conglomerates and agencies .. NOT us, the individual contributors. Prices for everything are going up. It costs more to exist, much less make footage. Don't be a photographer (by that I mean they are the ones still settling for $0.15 and have for years).

Stick to your guns.

@Mizamook "Don't be a photographer (by that I mean they are the ones still settling for $0.15..."

$0.15? Big Buck$! Another agency I'm with (also a P5 "Partner") has been doling out photo license royalties of $0.08 to some of their contributors as a result of the agency's image pack sales.

Could not agree more Cornelius. If I could refuse such sales i would. The $16 was an insult for a lynx photos that took days of standing in sub zero weather. Even my asking price of $175 could be seen as low given all the costs and discomfort. As to not allowing agencies to think it is okay - that is why I decided to write to them and follow up to create a bit of paper trail. But it really is like a fart in a high wind. But, maybe if all of us fired at the same time ... Cheers

I haven't gotten an answer to a question I've asked in one form or another since this present uproar started awhile ago and that is:

Are these GPP/LPP sales a new thing? Have you all been getting these insulting lowball payments for years or is this just since the new Contributor Agreement appeared recently?

First one for me.

Had a few stinkers on my non-Exclusive account. Don't recall any on Exclusive. I will say that the stinkers on the non Exclusive account were almost always balanced (overshadowed) by some great full-priced sales. You can keep the rabble quiet and cooperative if you throw them some bones. Been too few bones thrown lately. Almost worth considering sowing my non-Exclusive footage to the other agencies again, despite all. The only reason I have non-Exclusive at all is that I made some deals early on. And I would be normally quite supportive of Pond5 as Exclusive in general, but for the crappy thing they did with the music royalty grab, and the new fact that even Exclusive pricing is now forced to be prey to lowball pricing maneuvers.

They are rare. I have had 3 since 2019. I even show it in my video. I have had it turned on for a long time now, I am happy with sales I would have not received otherwise, but I found it really plays a small role in the grand scheme of things. I have had 1 on my exclusive account and 2 on this one, could be 4 total I show it in this video and break it down..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yE0vKsiiVs&t=1239s

GLWS
Billy

The difference between your excellent video and now though, is that we cannot choose to opt in, it is mandatory. I don't want these low-priced sales.

I understand my friend. Your videos def are HQ and I am sure you are rocking some expensive glass to get those shots. I def get it. I am on a LOT of platforms and I sell videos everywhere I am on except Canstockphoto, 123rf and the smaller ones but the large players I do ok with but man they are far lower than here on average. Pond 5 is the best thing going from my experience, then again I am a photo journalist not a professional photographer, so my standards are lower in regards to quality, I shoot for content. I hope you get better sales and I am putting some mojo in your path to scare away the LLP and GPP sales :)
Peace brother
Billy

Wasn't there an option in the accounts setting to op-out of making your video files available for sale in other agencies? I remember that a few years ago I op-in to increase sales.