iStockphoto: New pricing, a new premiere collection of "best exclusive content" and more changes

In a nutshell the changes at iStockphoto with a new three-tier offering:

• "Low end": new Dollar Bin (around 200,000 images at start, priced by size at much lower rates, starting in spring 2009):
  
• "High end": a new Premiere Collection "of our best, exclusive content" called The Finite Collection:
  • Starting in May 2009 with a higher pricing:
    
  • "We'll be looking to put about 200,000 images in collection by the end of the second quarter [2009]".

• "Middle" with new prices for the Standard Collection:
  
• iStockvideo: HD 720 up from $60 to $75, HD 1080 from $75 to $90.

• iStockaudio: apparently soon open to PRO artists (ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN, etc.)*.

• "iStock now pays its contributors almost $1.1 million in royalties" - per week.

 

Full overview here: A Year in Review and a Look Ahead and in 2009 Pricing.

In comparison: iStock´s 2007 pricing and 2008 pricing.

As Douglas puts it: "The [iStock] forums seems to have had a fresh injection of "woo yay!" culture, but the earnings continue to decline relative to the competition".

 

Related:

• Micro Machines (PDN/David Walker, Nov. 03, 2008)
• *A Short Fall Conversation With AudioMicro´s Ryan Born on Microstock Audio (Oct. 22, 2008)
• Some Contributors Disenchanted with iStock (Jim Pickerell, Dec. 08, 2008)