Do More Images Generate A Proportionate Increase In Downloads?

Posted on 1/9/2015 by Jim Pickerell | Printable Version | Comments (2)

Most stock contributors want to believe that if they continue to produce more and better images more of their work will be downloaded (purchased by customers), and they will make more money. That’s not the way it seems to have worked at iStock in the last two years.

As part of my analysis of sales trends of 430 of iStock’s leading contributors I calculated the percentage growth in downloads since the end or 2012 compared to the percentage growth in images added to the collection. In general the people who added the greatest number of images had the poorest results in terms of downloads for the period.

It is important to note that total career downloads for these 430 contributors are between a minimum of 54,291,100 and 56,658,200. This probably represents one-third of all iStock downloads since the company was founded. (For a more detailed breakdown of these numbers see here.



2 Year Growth Number Images Total Maximum 2 Year
in Size of Contributors Added Downloads Downloads Percent
Collection   Years End 2014 2 Years Total DL
           
Greater than 20% 164 623,423 25,445,000 4,160,000 16.3%
10% to 20% 59 33,977 8,538,000 1,139,000 13.3%
Less than 10% 108 12,672 11,957,000 1,305,000 10.9%
Zero added & Removes 99 -29,021 8,965,000 804,000 9.0%
           
  430 641,051 54,905,000 7,408,000  

Note: Contributors in the bottom group removed a combined total of 29,021 images from the iStock collection. Thus 670,064 were added leaving 641,051. This group now has a total of 2,255,531 images in the iStock collection.



Twenty-three percent of these contributors added no new images to their collections, or removed images, during the two-year period. Nevertheless, all saw some growth in downloads and one-third of the group had double digit downloads with some over 20% growth.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the 164 contributors (38%) who grew their collections by more than 20% during the two-year period did by far the worst in terms of download growth relative to the number of images added. 89 (54%) of this group have more than 100,000 career downloads and are among iStock’s most successful contributors. Nevertheless, only 13 of the 164 saw downloads increase by a percentage greater than the percentage growth of images added to their collections. Most of the 13 who saw growth added just over 20% to their collections.

Fifty-nine contributors added between 10% and 20% new images to their collections. For 28 of the 59 (47%) the percentage of downloads was higher than the percentage of new images added. Many of the rest had high single digits or double digit download growth.



Finally there were 108 contributors who grew their collections by less than 10% over the two-year period. Failing to see the growth in sales they had experienced previously, many of these individuals cut way back on new production. All but 5 of this group had better download growth than images added, and 57 (53%) had double-digit growth. In a few cases the growth was over 20% despite the fact that most added very few new images to their collections.

Thus, almost half of iStock’s leading producers have cut back on production with 23% discontinuing production altogether. The contributors who are working the hardest are for the most part seeing relatively little reward for their efforts.

This raises the question of the value of new production. Undoubtedly, sales will eventually fall off for those who have stopped producing. But those who are investing heavily in new production have to question whether the expense is justified. Many have already made the decision that it isn’t justified.

Chart


The chart below shows the individual results of each contributor. I have indexed on (Column 8) the last column (Image Growth in 2 Years). This percentage was calculated by dividing the “Images Added 2 Years” (Column 5) by the “Images End 2012” (Column 3). For most contributors that actual number of downloads will have probably been somewhat less and thus the percentage might be slightly lower.

Column 1 is the individual contributor, Column 2 is the year the contributor started working with iStock. Column’s 3, 4 and 5 are the images in the collection at the end of 2012, 2014 and the total added during the 2-year period. Column 6 in the minimum total downloads for the contributor at the end or 2014.  

The figure in column 7 is the maximum possible downloads for the two years from the end of 2012 to the end of 2014. This was calculated by subtracting the minimum downloads at the end of 2012 from the maximum possible for 2014. For a better understanding of these figures see this explanation and the 2012, 2013 and 2014 minimums here.

The percent of images added in the two years (Column 9) was arrived at by dividing the images added shown in Column 5 by Column 3.

Note: In the chart below the first three entries (People Images, Yuri and Yuri Arcurs) are all part of Yuri Arcurs business. In the last two years he has moved a lot of his images from one collection to another. Thus, the results should be viewed as a single unit.

People Year Images Images Images DL Max DL Max DL Image
  Start End End Added End 2 years Growth Growth
    2012 2014 2 Years 2014   2 Years 2 Years
                 
PeopleImages 2014   14862   7100 7200 100%  
Yuri 2013   77925   70000 71000 100%  
Yuri Arcurs 2005 11962 67434 148259 1500000 200000 13.3% 1239%
shironosov 2006 9109 37678 28569 320000 80000 32.0% 314%
monkeybusinessimages 2008 6453 25684 19231 610000 190000 44.8% 298%
CEFutcher 2008 5870 21165 15295 170000 60000 50.0% 261%
Rawpixel 2006 3620 11510 7890 220000 80000 53.3% 218%
julos 2006 6935 21552 14617 73000 15000 25.4% 211%
Ljupco 2005 5512 14941 9429 99000 21000 26.6% 171%
Eraxion 2006 1563 4127 2564 120000 20000 18.2% 164%
mattjeacock 2006 10471 23461 12990 130000 40000 40.0% 124%
Dean Mitchell 2008 4453 9703 5250 96000 25000 34.7% 118%
mediaphotos 2008 15210 32295 17085 140000 53000 54.6% 112%
4x6 2002 26855 55150 28295 360000 60000 19.4% 105%
kathykonkle 2005 2107 4218 2111 70000 11000 18.3% 100%
adventtr 2007 1397 2769 1372 110000 21000 21.2% 98%
ChrisGorgio 2005 2769 5473 2704 58000 9000 18.0% 98%
ktsimage 2006 673 1328 655 72000 8000 12.3% 97%
selensergen 2005 1811 3406 1595 59000 6000 11.1% 88%
coloroftime 2005 15968 29465 13497 75000 10000 15.2% 85%
Urbancow 2004 4085 7534 3449 400000 30000 7.9% 84%
nyul 2006 3897 7153 3256 170000 30000 20.0% 84%
GlobalP 2006 8903 16309 7406 320000 60000 22.2% 83%
aldomurillo 2005 7646 13765 6119 280000 50000 20.8% 80%
bortonia 2003 2450 4403 1953 72000 11000 17.7% 80%
jsmith 2003 935 1665 730 140000 20000 15.4% 78%
humonia 2004 2029 3581 1552 63000 6000 10.3% 76%
nullplus 2003 4875 8492 3617 74000 12000 19.0% 74%
anouchka 2005 8700 15060 6360 100000 18000 19.6% 73%
fstop123 2006 9877 16986 7109 100000 21000 23.6% 72%
Devonyu 2005 6354 10919 4565 91000 16000 21.1% 72%
stevecoleimages 2006 2915 4918 2003 190000 30000 17.6% 69%
JJRD 2003 1936 3281 1345 61000 3000 5.1% 69%
bubaone 2006 15684 26344 10660 320000 70000 26.9% 68%
mammuth 2002 4749 7928 3179 110000 20000 20.0% 67%
andresr 2004 4522 7505 2983 330000 50000 17.2% 66%
kertlis 2006 1523 2535 1012 75000 6000 8.6% 66%
Stockphoto4U 2006 6521 10775 4254 160000 30000 21.4% 65%
RapidEye 2006 13526 22241 8715 230000 40000 20.0% 64%
xavierarnau 2006 3342 5492 2150 60000 8000 15.1% 64%
skynesher 2006 17232 27748 10516 430000 120000 37.5% 61%
kirstypargeter 2004 4998 7975 2977 250000 30000 13.0% 60%
A-Digit 2005 6022 9647 3625 240000 40000 19.0% 60%
ThePalmer 2003 11353 18102 6749 160000 20000 13.3% 59%
AlexRaths 2006 2468 3933 1465 130000 40000 40.0% 59%
exdez 2005 1850 2935 1085 90000 9000 11.0% 59%
endopack 2005 972 1540 568 78000 8000 11.3% 59%
macroworld 2006 2229 3522 1293 62000 5000 8.6% 58%
asiseeit 2004 12441 19460 7019 240000 70000 38.9% 56%
ValuaVitaly 2007 5346 8359 3013 170000 40000 28.6% 56%
Aaltazar 2005 2465 3852 1387 77000 11000 16.4% 56%
duncan1890 2002 9623 14920 5297 370000 20000 5.6% 55%
sx70 2004 2139 3304 1165 190000 10000 5.3% 54%
mammamaart 2003 2053 3140 1087 240000 20000 8.7% 53%
onurdongel 2005 927 1419 492 100000 10000 10.0% 53%
damircudic 2004 1084 1654 570 76000 8000 11.6% 53%
neustockimages 2006 10468 15919 5451 360000 60000 19.4% 52%
Squaredpixels 2009 11208 17014 5806 140000 62000 70.4% 52%
Bim 2005 2904 4420 1516 110000 20000 20.0% 52%
blackjack3D 2007 663 1000 337 100000 16000 17.0% 51%
davidf 2003 6717 10076 3359 99000 8000 8.7% 50%
kzenon 2007 5715 8519 2804 130000 40000 40.0% 49%
ZoneCreative 2006 3827 5692 1865 130000 20000 16.7% 49%
inhauscreativbe 2005 3976 5932 1956 79000 8000 11.1% 49%
talaj 2006 13978 20713 6735 100000 21000 23.6% 48%
RyanJLane 2005 3053 4498 1445 77000 16000 25.8% 47%
izusek 2002 8039 11758 3719 220000 40000 21.0% 46%
plainview 2007 940 1377 437 110000 10000 9.1% 46%
cdwheatley 2007 1676 2439 763 90000 11000 13.8% 46%
Juanmonino 2006 18302 26478 8176 200000 40000 23.5% 45%
LPETTET 2002 4256 6189 1933 110000 20000 20.0% 45%
aleksandarvelasevic 2006 600 861 261 220000 50000 27.8% 44%
edge69 2007 403 579 176 100000 25000 29.4% 44%
solarseven 2006 795 1133 338 110000 20000 20.0% 43%
prill 2006 9801 14037 4236 98000 10000 11.2% 43%
enot-poloskun 2005 480 681 201 210000 20000 10.0% 42%
mariusFM77 2005 1863 2638 775 66000 3000 4.7% 42%
malerapaso 2008 2548 3601 1053 140000 30000 25.0% 41%
Petrovich9 2006 240 339 99 88000 4000 4.7% 41%
FotografiaBasica 2005 4433 6244 1811 76000 8000 11.6% 41%
georgeclerk 2006 2682 3783 1101 63000 9000 16.4% 41%
alexsl 2005 6913 9680 2767 610000 60000 10.7% 40%
caracterdesign 2004 4811 6737 1926 310000 20000 6.7% 40%
kupicoo 2009 9168 12837 3669 160000 70000 70.0% 40%
nycshooter 2007 1683 2364 681 80000 10000 14.1% 40%
clu 2002 4570 6399 1829 75000 5000 7.0% 40%
sisoje 2005 8666 12089 3423 90000 6000 7.1% 39%
Grafissimo 2005 4646 6422 1776 170000 20000 12.5% 38%
francisblack 2006 1283 1770 487 150000 30000 23.0% 38%
Henrik5000 2006 1051 1447 396 130000 40000 40.0% 38%
ImagineGolf 2005 4696 6464 1768 130000 20000 16.7% 38%
LauriPatterson 2009 8850 12236 3386 100000 30000 26.3% 38%
pidjoe 2007 5937 8195 2258 67000 6000 9.7% 38%
dashek 2003 4640 6411 1771 66000 6000 9.8% 38%
LordRunar 2006 2416 3333 917 65000 8000 13.8% 38%
appleuzr 2005 1228 1688 460 210000 30000 15.8% 37%
mipan 2005 761 1044 283 84000 8000 10.4% 37%
subjug 2006 640 870 230 100000 10000 10.0% 36%
Nikada 2005 9864 13333 3469 450000 60000 15.0% 35%
filo 2005 3519 4765 1246 240000 40000 19.0% 35%
kate_sept2004 2005 4915 6646 1731 130000 20000 16.7% 35%
borchee 2006 2708 3666 958 73000 13000 21.3% 35%
domin_domin 2006 2293 3107 814 67000 9000 15.3% 35%
Tolchik 2005 2028 2738 710 59000 3000 5.3% 35%
Romaoslo 2006 4172 5629 1457 55000 5000 9.8% 35%
Floortje 2006 6387 8547 2160 180000 30000 18.8% 34%
sdominick 2002 6305 8376 2071 250000 20000 8.3% 33%
Leontura 2005 2641 3522 881 150000 30000 23.1% 33%
mxtama 2003 458 607 149 92000 18000 24.0% 33%
tunart 2006 6923 9234 2311 82000 8000 10.7% 33%
ozgurdonmaz 2007 6565 8745 2180 75000 12000 18.8% 33%
TommL 2006 2933 3864 931 240000 40000 19.0% 32%
fotosipsak 2007 988 1303 315 75000 10000 15.2% 32%
Palto 2006 2524 3312 788 180000 30000 18.8% 31%
jaroon 2006 7191 9395 2204 96000 9000 10.2% 31%
Deejpilot 2006 2098 2747 649 74000 9000 13.6% 31%
gmutlu 2007 3912 5130 1218 70000 8000 12.7% 31%
BenGoode 2005 406 532 126 59000 6000 11.1% 31%
walik 2005 1744 2281 537 55000 4000 7.7% 31%
YinYang 2006 10043 13037 2994 250000 40000 18.2% 30%
mbbirdy 2003 6725 8737 2012 160000 20000 13.3% 30%
piksel 2004 6100 7907 1807 120000 20000 18.2% 30%
GeorgePeters 2005 2709 3510 801 80000 7000 9.5% 30%
alvarez 2005 3581 4638 1057 79000 10000 14.3% 30%
Fertnig 2007 4163 5393 1230 73000 10000 15.6% 30%
aykuterdogan 2006 223 290 67 63000 4000 6.7% 30%
sunnyfrog 2006 2397 3106 709 60000 4000 7.0% 30%
mstay 2005 8154 10532 2378 280000 50000 20.8% 29%
ooyoo 2006 4611 5969 1358 160000 20000 13.3% 29%
apomares 2005 3946 5092 1146 59000 5000 9.1% 29%
skodonnell 2005 3517 4507 990 340000 40000 12.9% 28%
studiovision 2006 454 582 128 93000 7000 8.0% 28%
DenisTangneyJr 2006 5279 6754 1475 76000 16000 26.2% 28%
mikdam 2005 2044 2619 575 72000 10000 15.9% 28%
billnoll 2003 4811 6130 1319 180000 20000 11.8% 27%
slobo 2005 4515 5742 1227 100000 19000 20.9% 27%
ideabug 2005 3793 4829 1036 77000 9000 13.0% 27%
EHStock 2006 6102 7689 1587 150000 20000 14.3% 26%
creacart 2005 3997 5053 1056 76000 6000 8.5% 26%
Maica 2005 6884 8575 1691 190000 20000 11.1% 25%
Brainsil 2005 6177 7719 1542 55000 4000 7.7% 25%
clintspencer 2006 1163 1456 293 49000 3000 6.4% 25%
digitalskillet 2006 6001 7420 1419 230000 30000 14.3% 24%
Big_Ryan 2006 3221 4009 788 170000 40000 28.6% 24%
TriggerPhoto 2004 2589 3199 610 130000 20000 16.7% 24%
MCCAIG 2006 3646 4519 873 71000 6000 9.1% 24%
DrGrounds 2003 1657 2055 398 71000 4000 5.9% 24%
DNY59 2005 10134 12483 2349 1100000 200000 18.2% 23%
TerryJ 2004 3161 3874 713 78000 7000 9.7% 23%
Inok 2006 646 796 150 63000 4000 6.7% 23%
stevegeer 2004 7042 8687 1645 60000 5000 8.9% 23%
evirgen 2005 650 790 140 100000 11000 11.1% 22%
BartCo 2006 5062 6167 1105 73000 12000 19.4% 22%
pictafolio 2008 1716 2081 365 140000 30000 25.0% 21%
wragg 2008 8962 10846 1884 130000 30000 27.3% 21%
da-kuk 2005 2605 3143 538 98000 8000 8.8% 21%
laughingmango 2007 2923 3532 609 89000 9000 11.1% 21%
Renphoto 2004 4274 5182 908 83000 6000 7.7% 21%
PaulCowan 2004 4104 4951 847 56000 5000 9.6% 21%
JoeBiafore 2007 1816 2190 374 55000 6000 12.0% 21%
Elenathewise 2005 7880 9430 1550 180000 40000 26.7% 20%
Sbayram 2006 1204 1450 246 130000 20000 16.7% 20%
andipantz 2002 8525 10195 1670 120000 20000 18.2% 20%
lovleah 2003 4503 5388 885 110000 20000 20.0% 20%
Paha_L 2005 6293 7532 1239 100000 18000 19.6% 20%
Pingwin 2006 1114 1336 222 60000 10000 19.6% 20%
                 
      1427048 623423 25445000 4160000    
                 
narvikk 2005 2856 3404 548 210000 30000 15.8% 19%
simonkr 2005 23053 27442 4389 130000 40000 40.0% 19%
Pgiam 2008 5169 6166 997 110000 28000 30.4% 19%
tomazl 2003 3481 4133 652 110000 20000 20.0% 19%
pringletta 2005 959 1146 187 69000 6000 9.3% 19%
Robynmac 2006 3900 4603 703 150000 40000 33.3% 18%
Viorika 2006 1902 2241 339 130000 20000 16.7% 18%
Rtimages 2006 2309 2717 408 89000 14000 18.4% 18%
adlifemarketing 2006 3765 4454 689 70000 9000 14.5% 18%
compassandcamera 2006 2484 2923 439 66000 7000 11.7% 18%
Spanic 2005 6213 7321 1108 52000 4000 8.2% 18%
LiseGagne 2003 8380 9766 1386 1200000 200000 16.7% 17%
diane39 2002 2731 3189 458 240000 20000 8.7% 17%
Kemter 2006 2695 3166 471 74000 5000 7.1% 17%
hidesy 2003 18273 21233 2960 730000 40000 5.7% 16%
jacomstephens 2006 2972 3439 467 160000 20000 13.3% 16%
Thomas_Eyedesign 2005 5641 6569 928 96000 14000 16.9% 16%
ZargonDesign 2007 2063 2391 328 96000 11000 12.8% 16%
blackred 2003 5577 6438 861 370000 40000 11.8% 15%
diego-cervo 2005 3587 4123 536 150000 40000 33.3% 15%
Okea 2007 1145 1317 172 90000 21000 30.0% 15%
dmbaker 2005 3855 4447 592 69000 12000 20.7% 15%
browndogstudios 2006 1174 1338 164 180000 30000 18.8% 14%
LeggNet 2005 10049 11503 1454 160000 20000 13.3% 14%
johnwoodcock 2006 3130 3577 447 140000 30000 25.0% 14%
chuwy 2005 1630 1854 224 110000 20000 20.0% 14%
jamesbenet 2004 3201 3635 434 74000 4000 5.6% 14%
SchulteProductions 2006 3924 4466 542 67000 6000 9.7% 14%
Pannonia 2006 3934 4497 563 63000 5000 8.5% 14%
totallyjamie 2005 1766 2007 241 57000 7000 13.7% 14%
Mandygodbehear 2005 978 1112 134 53000 6000 12.5% 14%
pagadesign 2007 6741 7614 873 220000 40000 21.0% 13%
kycstudio 2002 2514 2837 323 130000 20000 16.7% 13%
Vasko 2004 3863 4355 492 120000 10000 8.3% 13%
pawel.gaul 2007 4701 5311 610 100000 19000 20.9% 13%
gbrundin 2003 3808 4298 490 70000 5000 7.6% 13%
og-vision 2005 903 1017 114 65000 7000 11.9% 13%
Rouzes 2006 2586 2922 336 62000 6000 10.5% 13%
timsa 2006 1349 1518 169 59000 7000 13.2% 13%
acilo 2007 2335 2649 314 59000 6000 11.1% 13%
bigredlynx 2004 556 628 72 51000 3000 6.1% 13%
ranplett 2002 1577 1773 196 270000 20000 7.7% 12%
Mlenny 2005 9839 10992 1153 230000 30000 14.3% 12%
PeskyMonkey 2007 9868 11061 1193 180000 30000 18.8% 12%
konradlew 2005 1638 1837 199 130000 20000 16.7% 12%
rontech2000 2005 2640 2944 304 99000 9000 9.9% 12%
amriphoto 2007 6457 7254 797 98000 11000 12.5% 12%
sodafish 2005 861 953 92 350000 30000 9.0% 11%
pavlen 2005 1700 1881 181 79000 5000 6.7% 11%
klikk 2003 1454 1615 161 75000 6000 8.6% 11%
chihhang 2006 612 677 65 67000 4000 6.3% 11%
loooby 2004 1504 1661 157 120000 20000 18.2% 10%
H-Gall 2007 584 640 56 120000 10000 8.3% 10%
deliormanli 2006 2123 2336 213 110000 20000 20.0% 10%
adamkaz 2005 1995 2193 198 68000 8000 13.1% 10%
thumb 2005 4899 5383 484 67000 6000 9.7% 10%
Tpopova 2006 6270 6916 646 65000 10000 17.9% 10%
prawny 2003 1567 1721 154 56000 3000 5.6% 10%
AlexMax 2006 1095 1209 114 53000 5000 10.2% 10%
                 
      262812 33977 8538000 1139000    
                 
Trout55 2006 3014 3300 286 78000 6000 8.2% 9%
Kuzma 2005 4047 4414 367 76000 12000 18.5% 9%
thelinke 2005 2080 2259 179 74000 4000 5.6% 9%
ShyMan 2005 3815 4163 348 60000 3000 5.2% 9%
Lya_Cattel 2006 4223 4612 389 58000 7000 13.5% 9%
Andyd 2003 1270 1378 108 52000 2000 3.9% 9%
jhorracks 2003 7771 8361 590 560000 40000 7.5% 8%
leezsnow 2005 4404 4746 342 130000 20000 16.7% 8%
ArtisticCaptures 2006 4437 4804 367 120000 20000 18.2% 8%
belterz 2004 4627 4991 364 100000 10000 10.0% 8%
chictype 2006 837 907 70 88000 6000 7.2% 8%
Beboy_ltd 2007 1362 1477 115 87000 8000 10.0% 8%
angelhell 2002 1517 1642 125 76000 6000 8.5% 8%
Terraxplorer 2006 2290 2462 172 58000 5000 9.2% 8%
stphillips 2004 1822 1963 141 51000 4000 8.3% 8%
enjoynz 2005 3247 3486 239 330000 40000 13.3% 7%
mevans 2002 1815 1941 126 270000 20000 7.7% 7%
russelltatedotcom 2005 2763 2967 204 150000 20000 14.3% 7%
ayzek 2007 1240 1329 89 150000 20000 14.3% 7%
rzdeb 2002 1996 2135 139 110000 10000 9.1% 7%
matka_wariatka 2003 9376 10039 663 100000 20000 22.2% 7%
CostinT 2006 964 1032 68 68000 6000 10.0% 7%
dwphotos 2005 656 703 47 66000 11000 19.6% 7%
Avtg 2005 2764 2938 174 160000 20000 13.3% 6%
kickstand 2002 1511 1599 88 110000 20000 20.0% 6%
lucato 2002 7255 7721 466 100000 10000 10.0% 6%
Claudiad 2005 11978 12723 745 77000 8000 11.4% 6%
aleaimage 2007 1816 1932 116 74000 5000 7.1% 6%
bkindler 2002 976 1033 57 71000 4000 5.9% 6%
mecaleha 2004 2333 2466 133 68000 6000 10.0% 6%
EasyBuy4u 2007 3096 3267 171 66000 8000 13.6% 6%
Gizmo 2004 3707 3924 217 50000 4000 8.5% 6%
Sportstock 2006 3262 3425 163 140000 20000 15.4% 5%
willselarep 2005 1086 1142 56 130000 10000 7.8% 5%
1001nights 2006 16860 17680 820 110000 20000 20.0% 5%
small_frog 2006 2699 2827 128 100000 22000 25.0% 5%
Acik 2007 376 393 17 55000 6000 12.0% 5%
jallfree 2004 922 970 48 51000 3000 6.1% 5%
duckycards 2003 3446 3593 147 130000 20000 16.7% 4%
dlewis33 2006 4148 4314 166 130000 20000 16.7% 4%
jangeltun 2004 1041 1081 40 110000 20000 20.0% 4%
kameleon007 2004 14567 15179 612 100000 16000 17.0% 4%
ggodby 2003 627 653 26 100000 10000 10.0% 4%
procurator 2007 721 751 30 91000 11000 13.6% 4%
susaro 2006 1024 1067 43 74000 5000 7.1% 4%
porcorex 2008 2876 2992 116 71000 11000 18.0% 4%
Andrew_Howe 2005 5523 5744 221 70000 7000 10.9% 4%
ShaneKato 2006 656 680 24 55000 3000 5.6% 4%
Digical 2004 1307 1363 56 52000 4000 8.2% 4%
spxchrome 2003 2855 2928 73 370000 30000 8.6% 3%
bluestocking 2005 948 980 32 200000 20000 10.5% 3%
Turnervisual 2006 978 1010 32 160000 20000 13.3% 3%
PhotoEuphoria 2004 5130 5261 131 130000 20000 16.7% 3%
Ivanovainga 2007 1993 2061 68 79000 13000 19.4% 3%
groveb 2005 1836 1893 57 71000 4000 5.9% 3%
Brasil2 2006 2934 3014 80 69000 6000 9.3% 3%
alptraum 2005 2694 2772 78 61000 7000 12.7% 3%
janrysavy 2006 194 199 5 59000 4000 7.1% 3%
LawrenceSawyer 2006 1567 1607 40 48000 3000 6.5% 3%
peepo 2006 8363 8491 128 300000 30000 10.7% 2%
lugo 2002 4464 4536 72 210000 20000 10.0% 2%
joshblake 2004 1796 1838 42 160000 20000 13.3% 2%
tacojim 2004 4337 4413 76 150000 10000 6.7% 2%
misha 2005 1665 1705 40 130000 20000 16.7% 2%
Franck-Boston 2006 3105 3157 52 110000 21000 21.2% 2%
Art-Y 2005 697 711 14 100000 10000 10.0% 2%
ftwitty 2005 2719 2771 52 100000 10000 10.0% 2%
sculpies 2006 309 316 7 78000 11000 16.2% 2%
zentilia 2008 1641 1667 26 75000 13000 20.6% 2%
nicolesy 2006 7043 7193 150 71000 7000 10.8% 2%
jpa1999 2002 1445 1468 23 71000 4000 5.9% 2%
intergalacticDesign Studio 2004 678 691 13 64000 4000 6.6% 2%
MistikaS 2006 1643 1669 26 56000 3000 5.6% 2%
jtyler 2003 5096 5191 95 55000 4000 7.7% 2%
webphotographeer 2005 11332 11434 102 370000 50000 15.1% 1%
jgroup 2005 1938 1957 19 290000 40000 15.4% 1%
Cimmerian 2003 3034 3041 7 240000 20000 8.7% 1%
Kativ 2006 2432 2457 25 200000 20000 10.5% 1%
scottdunlap 2003 400 405 5 140000 20000 15.4% 1%
Graffizone 2004 4537 4543 6 140000 20000 15.4% 1%
fpm 2005 458 462 4 140000 10000 7.1% 1%
MarsBars 2003 1269 1271 2 130000 30000 27.3% 1%
iofoto 2007 1573 1578 5 130000 20000 16.7% 1%
abzee 2005 4768 4808 40 120000 10000 8.3% 1%
molotovcoketail 2005 587 588 1 120000 10000 8.3% 1%
aabejon 2004 3544 3580 36 100000 15000 15.8% 1%
simonox 2004 9376 9420 44 100000 12000 12.2% 1%
manley099 2006 3170 3176 6 88000 8000 9.9% 1%
sweetym 2007 245 247 2 78000 2000 2.6% 1%
eyecrave 2003 17219 17462 243 77000 6000 8.3% 1%
Ceneri 2004 1730 1749 19 76000 5000 6.9% 1%
pkline 2005 2730 2733 3 75000 4000 5.6% 1%
gchutka 2006 1838 1843 5 73000 8000 12.1% 1%
keeweeboy 2003 4996 5069 73 72000 6000 9.0% 1%
theboone 2005 3237 3272 35 70000 6000 9.2% 1%
Livingimages 2007 3519 3556 37 69000 6000 9.3% 1%
zoomstudio 2005 2779 2801 22 66000 3000 4.7% 1%
pederk 2002 943 951 8 65000 5000 8.2% 1%
imagesbytrista 2004 1168 1174 6 63000 3000 4.9% 1%
dreaming2004 2004 842 848 6 62000 3000 5.0% 1%
Spanishalex 2005 2899 2902 3 61000 5000 8.8% 1%
Tammy616 2005 1472 1476 4 60000 3000 5.2% 1%
johnnyscriv 2006 2220 2224 4 59000 6000 11.1% 1%
jane 2004 2510 2532 22 59000 4000 7.1% 1%
MichaelDeLeon 2006 3286 3292 6 58000 7000 13.5% 1%
absolut_100 2004 1211 1227 16 57000 5000 9.4% 1%
Soubrette 2002 882 889 7 54000 3000 5.8% 1%
rdegrie 2005 1229 1240 11 51000 3000 6.1% 1%
DSGPro 2006 2169 2177 8 110000 20000 20.0% 0%
                 
      352494 12672 11957000 1305000    
                 
nico_blue 2004 3466 3465 -1 350000 20000 5.9% 0%
pixdeluxe 2008 12792 4853 -7939 280000 40000 16.0% 0%
laflor 2006 15784 9131 -6653 270000 40000 16.7% 0%
AndrewJohnson 2006 4233 4046 -187 250000 20000 8.3% 0%
viafilms (MorganL) 2006 8544 5506 -3038 200000 40000 23.5% 0%
Kevinruss 2004 13020 9605 -3415 190000 20000 11.1% 0%
geopaul 2004 2254 2238 -16 190000 10000 5.3% 0%
kcline 2003 2382 2343 -39 190000 10000 5.3% 0%
aldra 2005 8085 8080 -5 150000 20000 14.3% 0%
kemie 2002 1019 1016 -3 150000 10000 6.7% 0%
buzbuzzer 2005 2014 1931 -83 140000 20000 15.4% 0%
barsik 2004 2291 2285 -6 140000 10000 7.1% 0%
snapphoto 2004 4458 4456 -2 140000 10000 7.1% 0%
koun 2006 233 233 0 140000 10000 7.1% 0%
Jbryson 2004 6646 6150 -496 130000 20000 16.7% 0%
RBFried 2004 2871 2867 -4 130000 20000 16.7% 0%
shapecharge 2004 9516 7241 -2275 120000 30000 30.0% 0%
akurtz 2005 1600 1522 -78 120000 20000 18.2% 0%
veni 2006 1369 1358 -11 120000 20000 18.2% 0%
nano 2002 956 936 -20 120000 10000 8.3% 0%
eyeidea 2005 2969 2509 -460 120000 10000 8.3% 0%
LajosRepasi 2007 1460 1460 0 120000 10000 8.3% 0%
redmal 2004 1538 1537 -1 110000 20000 20.0% 0%
phildate 2005 4667 4667 0 110000 20000 20.0% 0%
gmnicholas 2003 3878 3731 -147 110000 10000 9.1% 0%
NickS 2002 1779 1769 -10 100000 10000 10.0% 0%
Illustrious 2006 511 511 0 95000 5000 5.5% 0%
penfold 2005 949 936 -13 94000 6000 6.7% 0%
Natural_Warp 2004 1131 1129 -2 94000 4000 4.4% 0%
arsenik 2002 4982 4976 -6 93000 6000 6.8% 0%
sandocir 2002 713 713 0 92000 3000 3.3% 0%
YanC 2004 2693 2685 -8 89000 8000 9.8% 0%
JoeGough 2004 4831 4723 -108 88000 11000 14.1% 0%
CTRd 2004 589 576 -13 86000 4000 4.8% 0%
JLGutierrez 2006 3242 3237 -5 83000 5000 6.3% 0%
webking 2004 3817 3802 -15 82000 6000 7.8% 0%
ziggymaj 2004 1950 1897 -53 80000 8000 11.0% 0%
77DZIGN 2006 1087 1086 -1 80000 4000 5.2% 0%
danielle71 2003 486 486 0 80000 3000 3.8% 0%
Luso 2002 3677 3666 -11 79000 4000 5.3% 0%
grajte 2005 529 527 -2 78000 4000 5.3% 0%
naphtalina 2005 3183 3156 -27 77000 5000 6.8% 0%
LoBoCo 2005 1706 1706 0 77000 3000 4.0% 0%
Goldmund 2005 2481 2152 -329 76000 8000 11.6% 0%
Marje 2002 1923 1745 -178 76000 5000 6.9% 0%
arekmaiang 2005 5361 5162 -199 75000 12000 18.8% 0%
sharply_done 2006 1935 1935 0 75000 9000 13.4% 0%
FreeTransform 2005 876 692 -184 75000 7000 10.1% 0%
Mentalart 2007 2055 1214 -841 74000 6000 8.7% 0%
hypergon 2005 577 576 -1 74000 4000 5.6% 0%
Nic_Taylor 2005 2822 2811 -11 72000 4000 5.8% 0%
Pinopic 2006 740 740 0 72000 3000 4.3% 0%
shorrocks 3003 1671 1666 -5 72000 3000 4.3% 0%
Elerium 2002 570 568 -2 72000 2000 2.8% 0%
winterling 2005 1911 1911 0 70000 7000 10.9% 0%
bonniej 2003 775 472 -303 70000 3000 4.4% 0%
claylib 2002 1321 1314 -7 70000 3000 4.4% 0%
Akirastock 2003 1013 1013 0 69000 3000 4.5% 0%
MaszaS 2005 2259 2249 -10 68000 6000 10.0% 0%
perkmeup 2006 1509 1509 0 67000 7000 11.5% 0%
killerb10 2007 2095 2087 -8 67000 4000 6.3% 0%
StanRohrer 2003 1440 1439 -1 66000 3000 4.7% 0%
matthewleesdixon 2005 2828 2698 -130 65000 8000 13.8% 0%
Silberkorn 2006 2842 2251 -591 65000 7000 11.9% 0%
VisualField 2005 446 444 -2 65000 4000 6.5% 0%
laartist 2004 2109 2108 -1 64000 3000 4.8% 0%
wolv 2003 1640 1639 -1 64000 3000 4.8% 0%
multifocus 2006 5622 5604 -18 62000 10000 18.9% 0%
imagestock 2007 2152 2141 -11 62000 6000 10.5% 0%
CDH_Design 2006 865 859 -6 62000 4000 6.8% 0%
AngelGILD 2006 628 628 0 62000 3000 5.0% 0%
Dizzo 2004 997 996 -1 58000 2000 3.5% 0%
Lingbeek 2004 4799 4685 -114 57000 3000 5.5% 0%
Atropat 2005 192 192 0 57000 3000 5.5% 0%
Enjoylife2 2005 2197 2188 -9 56000 6000 11.8% 0%
absolutely_frenchy 2003 662 449 -213 56000 3000 5.6% 0%
highhorse 2004 500 500 0 56000 2000 3.6% 0%
claudiobaba 2006 771 771 0 55000 6000 12.0% 0%
starfotograf 2005 1121 1121 0 55000 5000 9.8% 0%
Roob 2005 3296 2880 -416 54000 6000 12.2% 0%
Sean_Warren 2006 1408 1404 -4 54000 3000 5.8% 0%
U.P.images 2006 327 326 -1 54000 2000 3.8% 0%
Freezingtime 2005 908 904 -4 53000 5000 10.2% 0%
tharrison 2004 799 799 0 51000 5000 10.6% 0%
Funwithfood 2006 2001 2000 -1 51000 4000 8.3% 0%
ManoAfrica 2006 2523 2517 -6 51000 4000 8.3% 0%
Rpsycho 2005 1128 1126 -2 51000 3000 6.1% 0%
jfelton 2006 340 335 -5 51000 3000 6.1% 0%
Skashkin 2003 1981 1962 -19 51000 2000 4.0% 0%
alwyncooper 2002 499 499 0 51000 2000 4.0% 0%
Atom Studios 2005 2317 2111 -206 49000 4000 8.7% 0%
Flutter_97321 2002 1127 1122 -5 49000 2000 4.2% 0%
Kronick 2007 384 384 0 49000 2000 4.2% 0%
Hartcreations 2006 1229 1215 -14 48000 3000 6.5% 0%
cyrop 2004 550 548 -2 46000 2000 4.4% 0%
creativepictures 2006 296 296 0 46000 2000 4.4% 0%
andhedesigns 2005 223 223 0 46000 2000 4.4% 0%
dstephens 2006 1257 1250 -7 42000 2000 4.9% 0%
                 
      213177 -29021 8965000 804000    
                 
      2255531 641051 54905000 7408000    
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 


Copyright © 2015 Jim Pickerell. The above article may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted or distributed in any manner without written permission from the author. All requests should be submitted to Selling Stock at 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 162, Bethesda, MD 20817, phone 301-461-7627, e-mail: wvz@fpcubgbf.pbz

Jim Pickerell is founder of www.selling-stock.com, an online newsletter that publishes daily. He is also available for personal telephone consultations on pricing and other matters related to stock photography. He occasionally acts as an expert witness on matters related to stock photography. For his current curriculum vitae go to: http://www.jimpickerell.com/Curriculum-Vitae.aspx.  

Comments

  • Thomas Wear Posted Jan 10, 2015
    In the beginning of the article you seem to suggest that adding more images to a photographer's collection does not bear fruit in terms of increased downloads (and therefore increased revenue, though with varying price-points those numbers will not move exactly in tandem anyway.) However, your figures show that for EACH level of increased submissions, the number of downloads DID increase, with the greatest increase going to those who uploaded the greatest numbers. Which directly contradicts your claim in the first paragraph.

    Later, it appears that what you are really trying to show is the much less sensational, though still disappointing, trend (according to your numbers that according to your notes are at least partially estimates and not solid numbers) that the increase in the number of downloads does not track with the number of new uploads, as one would hope it would.

    However, there are at least two important factors that could influence that statistic, that you don't seem to take into account, or at least you don't report on.

    1.Most importantly, you do not look at the age of the images in the contributors' collections. If these are all large contributors with a very substantial number of images in the collection, it stands to reason that for most of them they will have been fairly long-time contributors. (Note the "year start" in your second table to bear this out.)
    They will have a substantial number of older images, which will show a much greater drop-off in number of downloads than more recent ones. So by adding new images, they are able to avoid what would be a significant reduction in number of downloads, and instead net an increase in downloads overall.

    2. Less important, but possibly also significant (we don't know since the information is not provided) is the question of WHEN those new images were uploaded. For a contributor who had been uploading very regularly over this period the download percentages would probably track pretty well. But for those contributors whose uploads were mostly toward the end of the survey period, the number of downloads could be misleading since there is always something of a lag between the time an image is uploaded and the time it starts to see significant traffic.

    So I would caution any readers against concluding that, as you seem to imply at the beginning of the article, adding more images to iStock (or any stock collection for that matter) is not worthwhile or will not provide an expected return. For anyone who has been and still is producing actually salable images (which is not everyone who uploads images by a long shot) adding more images is the only hedge against even more precipitous drops in downloads and income.

    Thanks,
    Tom Wear

  • Thomas Wear Posted Jan 10, 2015
    I should note, for anyone who might recognize my name, that while I formerly worked for Getty Images (owner of iStock) I left Getty in August to pursue freelance editing and consulting, so anything I write is my own opinion and NOT in any way official (or even unofficial) information or response from Getty.

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