I hadn't actually realized that Getty was a free-standing company with listed shares (I knew that about Shutterstock).

If you can't beat them, join them?

We downtrodden, underpaid contributing photographers could save our pennies and buy shares in these companies, and make money on both ends.   However, the problem with stock market investments is that the senior managers of corporations often get away with overpaying themselves, so you could be both a photographer and a shareholder owner of these companies, and still get the short end of the stick.

They appear to have sorted out the problem, as the missing files just popped up in my portfolio this morning.

Alamy's opaque bookkeeping drives me nuts.

Alamy is the only agency that I deal with that refers to the total sales value in my "Revenue" chart, prior to deducting their commission.   The other agencies at least are honest enough to report what we actually got paid after they deducted their large cut.

Adobe has suddenly gone from accepting about 90% of what I submit to rejecting 80%, including many that I consider to be quite high quality, and not too similar to others.   There must be something going on with their review process.

When they do accept something, they sit on it thinking about it for about a week.

I have stopped uploading to them for the time being.  Might as well save up my files for when they are ready to accept them again.

For the last few months, Shutterstock has fallen to third place for me, well behind Adobe and even Istock, though my portfolio at SS is considerably larger.   It's not the level royalty calculation that did this, but the fact that most subscription sales are now 10 cents compared to 35 cents previously.  By the end of January, I will be at level four, but most sub sales are at 10 cents regardless of what your level is. 

If they ever explained the radical change for subscription sales, I missed it, but explanations are beside the point anyway.  The bottom line is that they are paying out a lot less.  They've suddenly gone from being one of the more generous payers to one of the worst.

As a result, I've paused in uploading to SS and I'm working on building out my Adobe portfolio, particularly in catching up with editorial (which I find is selling reasonably well there).  It will take years, but eventually buyers will notice that SS does not have as good a selection of new material as it used to.

I have to say I'm feeling quite pleased with Adobe recently.   Yesterday afternoon I took some nice fall color shots, and then uploaded them in the evening.

This morning, when I checked, they hadn't been reviewed yet.  The next time I checked my account, it was around noon to look at my sales.  One of the shots I took yesterday had already sold (for 0.99).   From pixels to pennies in less than 24 hours. 

It looks like face detection software has been implemented.  I uploaded a photo with a crowd of people with their backs to the camera.  There was one person I hadn't noticed in the corner who was facing the camera.  The system flagged it right away.

I don't think Canada withholds  (and note the word "think", I'm not sure).  They are probably doing non-U.S. photographers a service by paying through a Canadian company.  Remember that the IRS didn't get the bright idea to withhold until sometime in the last few years/decade.  [Question - does Canstock withhold, they are Canadian and did the original Istock withhold?]

But.... they do have to issue documents to Canadian residents.  Has anyone received those?

AND - if this contract went into effect on that date (without looking it up June 2018)..... they should not have collected taxes on International photographers since that date.  Some non-treaty countries had 20- 30 - 40% withholding rates!  If that's what I understand from above, and the contract was retroactive, Adobe better set it right.

9.1. Relationship. If you reside in the United States, your relationship is with Adobe Systems Incorporated, a United States company. If you reside outside of the United States, your relationship is with Adobe Canada Services Corporation, a Canadian company. 

Your guess is correct.  Royalties are exempt from Canadian withholding tax "if the payment is made on, or for, a copyright for the production or reproduction of any literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work."

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/t4061/nr4-non-resident-tax-withholding-remitting-reporting-2016.html#rents

And 9.1.  As a Canadian - has this always been the case?  Does a Canadian Company pay me and how do I receive a T-5?

9.1. Relationship. If you reside in the United States, your relationship is with Adobe Systems Incorporated, a United States company. If you reside outside of the United States, your relationship is with Adobe Canada Services Corporation, a Canadian company.

Payment has been from Adobe Canada for the past couple of years.  I'm registered for HST in Canada, and I suspect that I should be collecting HST from them.  I wrote to them last year to ask about it, but they never responded.

They never sent me an e-mail about the problem.  I had to come to this forum to learn about it.

I contacted support, and they just replied telling me to enter "forgot password."
I have entered a "forgot password" request a few times.  It promises that a reset link will be sent, but it never comes. 

I wonder if this affects customers also, or just us lowly contributors?

Remind me never to complain about Getty again

This came up in Reply #52 in the other thread with Mat Hayward, http://www.microstockgroup.com/fotolia-com/important-fotolia-announcement/50/

Mat agrees that having a search feature is very important and he has sent a request for it to their development team.

Quote from: Herg on November 14, 2018, 14:09

Quote from: angelawaye on November 14, 2018, 11:57

I only "synced" to adobe because I was forced to. I liked the fotolia interface much better.

For instance, how do you search and delete an old file to replace ?

You can't you have to wade thru all the images

It is a very poor interface

A peculiar thing has happened.   Two of my photos that were marked as accepted about a week ago have not shown up in my portfolio.  I notice now that the typical notation is accepted/published, while these two languish with just "accepted" beside them.

Has anybody else encountered this?