I’m going to start a blacklist here for websites that abuse their power and basically try to crowd source what we professionals work so hard to provide.  I just looked at Seed.com because a friend of mine was saying how AOL just bought a media company he did videos for and now they want to pay less and the rights are wacko.  The model of seed.com is to ask for photo assignments.  Once a royalty is paid, the photo is then infinitely AOL’s.  So they pay about $25 for things like “young latino woman doing yoga” aka hard to find stock image.

There are some stories that pay better, like a full on photo essay about Detroit and its failing economy.  The assignment would take about a week and it pays $900.  But it and one $200 assignment on boyscouts nationwide are the only two out of the bunch that pay more than $30 and even then they’re asking for the moon for so little AND they want infinite rights to use and sell the photos to 3rd parties.  It’s horrible.

I’m asking all of you to add in the comments any other sites that should be blacklisted publicly for their overreaching rights grabs, underpayment and abuse of unsuspecting amateurs.  Add links in the comments and lets get this list rolling!