New Sale Type on Shutterstock
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The popular stock photo site Shutterstock, like other agencies, is constantly evolving. Recently, it announced another update, emailing contributors about upcoming changes.
Since the email was in English and some contributors may have trouble understanding it, here is a general translation of that message:
Dear Contributors,
We’re excited to share updates that can help increase your sales on our platform. We’ve updated the Contributor Submission Agreement (CSA), introducing new image sale types with payouts up to $75 per single sale (download).
Shutterstock serves both small and large buyers. In addition to our standard and extended licenses, we’ve added a custom license tailored for large buyers (for example, major advertising agencies).
These buyers require broader rights and usage options than those provided by standard or extended licenses.
This may include “sensitive use.” Examples of “sensitive use” include pharmaceutical advertising or political advertising. Many stock agencies, including our direct competitors, have already added a clause allowing “sensitive use” by default in their licenses.
Unlike those agencies, Shutterstock gives contributors the right to choose. We want you to decide whether to participate in such sales.
We will update the CSA regarding “sensitive use” to allow our large buyers to use images for these “sensitive subjects” under the following conditions: the buyer must indicate that no model is depicted, and the image is used for illustrative purposes only.
However, our policy remains strict regarding the use of images for tobacco advertising, pornography, advertising or promotional materials for adult clubs or similar venues, and services related to escorting, dating, and similar activities.
If you choose to opt in to these sales, you’ll have the opportunity to receive significantly higher royalties from top global ad agencies.
“Sensitive use” will be a small add-on within the license to attract large buyers, and your consent gives you access to all potential sales initiated by the buyer.
To learn more about the new sale type, please visit the FAQ page.
If you do not wish to participate in these sales, please visit your account page to change your settings before March 1.
If you have additional questions, contact us at [submit@shutterstock.com](mailto:submit@shutterstock.com).
Sincerely, Shutterstock Team
By the way, the opt-in request appears in a pop-up when logging into your account. Personally, there seems to be nothing wrong with agreeing to such sales.
However, there could be nuances—what do you think?
This article is available in the following categories: About Microstocks, Shutterstock
