Payout Overview

We give our contributors the flexibility to set pricing for their content and earn an industry-leading commission on all sales. Our payout percentages are as follows:

Video: Exclusive video contributors receive 60% revenue share. Non-exclusive video contributors receive 40% revenue share. Learn more about our Video Exclusivity Program here.

Note that based on the Pond5 Contributor Agreement, Non-exclusive artists are not permitted to price their content higher on Pond5 than on other Marketplaces.

Music & Sound Effects: Revenue share for these media types is 35%. We also offer Pond5 Publishing, an optional free music publishing service that collects performance royalties on your behalf.

All other media types: Contributors who license photographs, illustrations, 3D models, After Effects, and other templates receive 50% revenue share.

Referral program earnings: With the Pond5 Referral Program, artists earn a commission on every new buyer they introduce to Pond5, no matter what they buy. Referral Commissions are in addition to the regular Marketplace Royalty share. To learn how to earn up to 90% royalty rate click here.

Subscription: In addition to traditional marketplace sales and the Refer and Earnral program, artists can earn revenue through Pond5 Subscriptions.

Subscription payouts are based on the price paid for each item downloaded through a subscription. A commission rate is then applied depending on the media type to calculate the artist’s final payout for the item. Learn more about Pond5 payouts here.

Pond5 Marketplace payouts:

We send out payments on the 15th of each month. You must reach a minimum balance of $25 before the 15th to receive a payout.

Referral Program payouts:

Referral Payouts work in the same way as your regular Pond5 commissions. They are processed on the 15th of every month when you earn $25 or more. We’ll roll your earnings into the following month if you haven’t reached $25.

Subscription payouts:

All subscription payouts will be automated and integrated into your monthly payouts.
Each month, Subscription earnings will appear in the My Financials section of the Artist Dashboard. Those earnings will be for all Subscription downloads in the previous month.

Payout is on the 15th of every month, together with regular Pond5 Marketplace earnings if it is above the $25 minimum for payouts.

You can set up an automatic payout on the 15th of every month within your Payout preferences. All payouts are in US Dollars.

Learn more about Pond5 Earnings.

You have the option of receiving your payments safely, via electronic transfer. Set your Payout Preferences by choosing the option that works best for you.

To successfully receive payment, please ensure that you have already registered with one of the following payment services.

Note: Due to fees charged by Skrill, 4% of your payment will be deducted at each payout if this option is selected.

To ensure you receive your payouts in a timely manner, please make sure that your payout preferences are always current and up to date.

Contributor prices set by you are always denominated in USD.  To the extent items are licensed to customers in a currency other than USD, your Contributor payment will still be based on your revenue share of the USD price set.

To remain compliant with U.S. tax reporting requirements, we require all U.S. based individuals, corporations, and entities earning $600 or more in any calendar year to submit a Form W-9.  Failure to provide a W-9 may delay your future payouts.

Please keep in mind, we do not provide tax or legal advice. We do our best to make this process as seamless as possible.

Keep Your Taxes Organized with a Few Simple Steps:

•      Make sure your account information is up to date

Sign into your account > Hover cursor over account avatar > Click on Dashboard > Account > Account Info & Payout Preferences

Please confirm all information is correct, most importantly, your name, mailing address, email, and phone number.

•       Downloading a W-9 Form

Click Here to download a blank W-9 Form directly from the IRS.

•       Filling out Your W-9

You must first fill out and sign and submit the W-9 form. Form must be exported/scanned into a digital file format, preferably .pdf, but we also accept .jpg and .png.

Note: Attachments that exceed 2MB in size cannot be accepted

•        Uploading Your W-9

Once you have filled-out, signed, and digitized (.pdf, .jpg, or .png) your W-9 form, it is time to upload it on your Taxes page.

To navigate to your Taxes page, Sign into your account > Hover cursor over account avatar > Click on Dashboard >Account > Taxes

•        Click on Choose a file to upload your filled W-9
•        Find your W-9 and click Open
•        Your W-9 will upload
•        Uploaded W-9 will save under YOUR CURRENT W-9 TAX FORM

If you have any further questions outside of this document, please contact your legal and/or tax advisor for further assistance.

Pond5 may extend discounts on content in our marketplace as part of targeted promotional campaigns or as volume discounts to high value customers. The purpose of these discounts is to increase the total revenue opportunity with existing customers and to attract new customers to the Pond5 community.

In accordance with our mission to be the most artist friendly media-marketplace in the world, we pledge to be judicious in offering any such discounts and, as always, Pond5 will honor our industry-leading share in the cost of offering any discounts that we may extend. Our interests and those of our Contributors must always be aligned, and we will never waver from our commitment to do right by our contributors first and always.

How do I participate in Pond5’s new licensing program?

No action is required on your part. The new licenses will automatically be available for all of your commercial video, images, illustrations, and Music, SFX, AE, and 3D files marked Select.

How do the Extended licenses make me more money?

Our new licenses offer you an entirely new stream of income previously unavailable on Pond5.  By providing more indemnification and extra seats on all of your assets, we can attract larger, more frequent customers, giving you the opportunity to earn even more with every purchase. Along with these new offerings, our growing sales team can better serve these customers, and is completely dedicated to bringing you the business you deserve.

How can I calculate what I’m being paid?

Your revenue share is factored out of the Net Revenue for each sale. Net Revenue is the item sale price (which you set), plus the Extended License charge, minus a legal guarantee fee to cover our insurance costs for providing higher levels of indemnification, along with any discounts that may have been applied.

Where can I see how much I get paid?

You’ll be able to view license purchases in the same area as the rest of your sales. Once you’re logged in, access your payment history via the My Financials tab from your Dashboard.

How will I get paid?

You’ll still be paid the same way as you are currently — nothing has changed here. Payments are made collectively on the 15th of every month, via the payment system you’ve chosen as your preferred method. (Our $25 minimum payment still applies.)

You can review your payout preferences here.

How does our Extended License compare to competitors?

Pond5 offers:

• Some of the highest levels of indemnification in the industry
• Unlimited seats for a competitive price, which opens the door to bigger companies that require more collaboration
• Above industry-average net license revenue share
• One of the few marketplaces that gives you the ability to set your own prices

Pond5 engages in programs that expand the reach of your sales potential to global partners, Enterprise clients, and creators around the world. You may see sales from these programs noted on your dashboard. Here’s a summary of what each of those programs is all about.

What are the GPP/LLP sales in my dashboard?

In addition to normal sales through the Pond5 marketplace, artists earn additional revenue through third party partnerships and incremental revenue programs. These licensing sales are labeled in the LICENSE column of your sales dashboard as GPP or LPP.

GPP (Global Partner Program): This program introduces your work to a global network of content resellers and creative software tools, expanding the reach of your content into new markets and emerging creative platforms where content is in demand. Our partners are highly-vetted market leaders with an established following. By uploading to Pond5, your work becomes accessible to an expansive global creative audience.

Examples of a GPP sale include: licensing a clip for a Japanese TV show or an internal training video for a large Chinese corporation.

LLP (Limited License Program): Sales labeled as LLP are part of large bulk content deals to Enterprises, including various types of subscription plans. Many of these deals also restrict usage to a limited distribution channel, geography or audience. Examples include digital-only, streaming, or in-app limited use of the content. The sale price is typically lower for these sales than a regular marketplace purchase given the highly restricted license rights and/or the bulk licensing commitment.

 
How do I know I made a GPP/LLP sale?

Pond5 reports all sales made through reseller platforms with full transparency. We label these sales as GPP or LLP in the LICENSE column on the Financials section of your Pond5 Dashboard. Some GPP sales are reported in real-time, while others are paid out quarterly, based on the technical integration with the partner. Quarterly payouts can result in multiple GPP sales appearing on the same day.

How is artist commission calculated for GPP & LLP Partner sales?

Our partners retain a portion of the revenue for any sale generated through their platform. The artist will receive their usual royalty rate based on the Net License Revenue received by Pond5. Many partners license content at a higher price than Pond5, so the artist payout is often similar to direct marketplace sales.

What are the Pond5 Subscriptions?

Pond5 offers four types of subscriptions to its customers:

• Music Subscription – this subscription plan includes all music tracks.
• Music & Sound Effects Subscription – this plan includes all music tracks and sound effects.
• Footage Plus Subscription – includes all eligible videos, photos, after effects, etc., and the entire music and sound effects library.
• Custom Subscription – This solution is not self-serve and is handled by our Sales organization. We target Custom subscriptions toward high intent buyers with specific needs, and all media types in the Pond5 Marketplace are eligible through this plan.

How much will I get paid per download?

In addition to regular sales through the Pond5 Marketplace and the Referral program, artists earn revenue through the Pond5 Subscriptions.

Subscription payouts are based on the price paid for each item downloaded through a subscription. A commission rate is then applied depending on the media type to calculate the artist’s final payout for the item.

When will I get paid?

All Subscriptions, including the legacy Membership (now Footage Plus), will get paid out on the 15th of every month, together with the Referral program earnings and regular Pond5 Marketplace earnings if they are above the $25 limit for payouts.

Where can I find my Subscription earnings?

Each month, Subscription earnings will appear in the My Financials section of the Artist Dashboard. Those earnings will be for all Subscription downloads in the previous month.

Where can I find what items were purchased through Subscription?

In the Subscription Downloads section of the Artist Dashboard, you can see all items downloaded through a subscription and the number of times each item was downloaded. You can also download a CSV file with all your subscription downloads.

My items are not part of the Subscription collection. Why do I see Subscription sales?

These sales are part of the Pond5 Custom subscriptions handled through our Sales organization. They are not self-serve. We target Custom subscriptions toward high intent buyers with specific needs, and all media types in the Pond5 Marketplace are eligible through this plan.

How can I add my items to the Subscriptions?

We automatically add all music tracks and sound effects in the marketplace to our subscriptions.

Are Subscription purchases included in the Referral Program?

Yes. With the Pond5 Referral Program, artists earn a commission on every new buyer they introduce to Pond5, no matter what they buy. Referral Commissions are in addition to the regular Marketplace Royalty share.

When you refer a new customer who purchases a subscription, they get a 20% discount on their first Subscription billing cycle. And you take home 20% of their purchase.

For example: if your new referral purchases a monthly subscription for $199/per month, they will get a 20% discount on that first $199 purchase, and you will earn 20% of that purchase as the referrer. Only the initial subscription purchase is eligible for commission. Reoccurring monthly payments do not qualify for the Refer & Earn program. 

Learn more about the Referral Program and how to earn up to a 90% royalty rate.