The Prophetic Symzio

Nice article. I built it in to a blog post I did this morning about the advantages of having your own site with Symzio:

http://www.backyardsilver.com/2016/01/the-advantages-of-your-own-stock-photo-site/

Steve

I have to say that I really appreciate all of the efforts that are going in to this artist friendly networking environment for stock media.  As a producer and a purchaser of stock, I am excited about working inside an environment that levels the playing field for both the buyer and the artist.  I never understood why photographers submitted to “penny stock” agencies.  Hopefully, now that alternatives are becoming available, thousands of submitters will pull down their portfolios and realize more rewards for their investments.

I would however like to submit that their is an aspect of subscriptions and credit systems that are desirable and appreciated by people who license stock.  I did not fully understand this until I started working for an organization where I often have to license material.  While it may be quite easy to do a PayPal checkout when I am working on my own projects, the purchase process at an organization requires paperwork and accountability for every transaction.   Even though my organization has given me a company credit card, once a month, I have to file a grueling on-line form for every transaction, complete with a photocopied and physical receipt for EVERY transaction.  Lets say I need 100 shots over the course of a month, I would find it extremely tedious to file the monthly report if I was making individual purchases.  Even if I wanted to support individual artists more by licensing through Symzio, I would probably just stick with Shutterstock, simply because there is just one transaction a month to deal with…

I would submit that there are ways to set up subscription and credit programs that will benefit both artist and licensee, without compromising what you are trying to accomplish here.