Stock asset giant, VideoBlocks, has officially launched VideoBlocks Marketplace, a premium pay-per-clip tier to augment their existing subscription based offering. Because they love content creators, they’re letting them keep everything they earn.
First rolled out in an invite-only beta last November, VideoBlocks Marketplace’s library has already ballooned to over 160,000 clips available for purchase. Now that the marketplace is publicly available, anyone can submit footage, animations, and After Effects templates, without any requirement for a subscription.
To submit content for approval, creators will need to create an account to set up particulars. Name, address, how they want to get paid. That sort of thing. Once set up, they are free to begin uploading content. There is a web uploader as part of the marketplace’s contributor site, or secure FTP will get the job done.
On the footage front, beyond the usual suspects (1080p, MOV files, etc.), 4K .r3d files can be uploaded directly to the marketplace without any transcoding or funny business along the way. This is the home for high end stock clips.
Once the content is uploaded, contributors can add metadata to each clip using VideoBlock’s intuitive interface, or there is an option to upload a CSV file. Even CSV files formatted for Shutterstock or Pond5 will work.
The next step is the fun part. Collect earnings. 100% of em.
That’s right. VideoBlocks Marketplace leverages the success of their subscription program to pass on 100% of sales to content creators. Apart from the occasional credit card processing fee, the entire sale price of the clip is paid to the creator.
Pricing for the clips is pretty decent, too: HD clips are priced at $49. 4K clips are priced at $199. After Effects and Apple Motion templates are priced at $19, $29, or $49, based on complexity and market value.
VideoBlocks asked some of their beta adopters why they chose the new Marketplace offering, and the feedback was pretty clear:
Dan Talson (username dubassy) – Portfolio: http://www.shutterstock.com/video/gallery/dubassy-59071/
VideoBlocks: Why did you decide to submit your library to the new VideoBlocks Marketplace?
Dan: It’s always a risk as a submitter to commit our time and energies to a new agency, but the new VideoBlocks Marketplace came along with an offer that is very different from all the other sites, namely the commission rate. I think this is something worth exploring.
VideoBlocks: You work with many of the top stock agencies already, what do you think is different about the VideoBlocks Marketplace that will ultimately make it successful?
Dan: Again this comes back to the commission structure. No other agency offers close to this, as VideoBlocks has the subscription side of the business that allows them absorb the costs. So I would think a lot of other artists will be intrigued and willing to try uploading here, just to see how it goes. There are a lot of video stock agencies around but if VideoBlocks can bring in strong collections from great artists around the world and at the same time bring the clients in then they should be successful.
VideoBlocks: Is there anything else about your experience working with VideoBlocks that you think other artists would like to know?
Dan: So far the process has been very smooth. VB has helped ingest my content using my CSV file and taken on most of heavy work of getting the content online and ready for sale.
Helen Sarah Fields (username hotelfoxtrot) – Portfolio: http://www.shutterstock.com/video/gallery/Hotelfoxtrot-204001/
VideoBlocks: Why did you decide to submit your library to the new VideoBlocks Marketplace?
Helen: I made the decision to submit to the new VideoBlocks Marketplace because I was impressed by their progressive approach to both contributor input and the demands of the industry. VideoBlocks’ team is easy to work with and has a very pro-contributor attitude – it can feel as if you’ve been forgotten as an artist – so having good communications and agency staff who really understand what you’re up to is essential.
VideoBlocks: You work with many of the top stock agencies already, what do you think is different about the VideoBlocks Marketplace that will ultimately make it successful?
Helen: I work with a number of agencies, although I’m selective about who holds my portfolio. VideoBlocks are putting an emphasis on 4K in a very proactive way and have been very helpful in terms of making it easy for me to go through the slightly painful process of outputting and transferring so many large files. As an industry we’ve been avoiding taking the 4K bull by the horns for a while but it’s time to get on with it now and that’s exactly what VideoBlocks is doing. VideoBlocks struck me as determined to stay a step ahead of the technology that our industry is structured around without sacrificing sensitivity towards what the creatives are trying to achieve. It’s a winning combination.
VideoBlocks: Is there anything else about your experience working with VideoBlocks that you think other artists would like to know?
Helen: What you can do at VideoBlocks is establish an open line of communication with a team member and have honest, practical conversation with them about problems, requirements and creative processes. It’s easy for agencies to forget that customer service includes providing good service to contributors. My experience with VideoBlocks has been quite the opposite. It’s the benefit of joining with an agency in the building – you have the opportunity to learn, grow and achieve together. It’s incredibly exciting!
To check out the program or sign up, head to http://www.videoblocks.com/contribute/
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