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Rates for Voice-Over…?
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As a 30 year voice talent I’ll say that the whole landscape of VO has changed for good and forever.
Look at just the technology.
Way back in the old days I had to maintain a relationship with half a dozen local studios since home recording wasn’t possible. Only ad agencies and large corporate clients could afford professional production. That was the “demand” and just a select few of us were the “supply.”
Fast forward to today. On the supply side, I can log on to the internet and find 10,000 “voiceover vendors” without breaking a sweat. Via the computer and internet revolutions, the technical work can functionally be done by anyone with a modern computer and a microphone. (Sure there’s a big difference between a talent with a Neumann and a dedicated Voice Booth vs someone with a USB Blue Snowball on their apartment desk, but that’s a distinction – not a difference since they can both “vend” voiceover.)
The only thing that sets anyone apart these days is marketing and trust. People called Don Lafontaine and the pros because they TRUSTED they’d get exactly what they needed. The money was secondary because the budget for the overall work supported the VO cost without blinking.
It’s a different landscape today.
Competition for the gig is insane. High end clients that USED to value the efficiency of placing the gig with proven talent have been replaced with legions of less costly “producers” who don’t have a clue about the value of anything since they’re weaned on the instant gratification of googalized delivery of 1000 digital files to their desktop at the click of a mouse. “Hey, I can go to YouTube or search “Clip art” and get graphics and sounds and videos by the bucketful and they cost me nothing!” is their general experience.
So here we are.
One voiceover costs $1500 and helps a pro be available and still in business the next time you need the VO. Verses $125 for someone working out of their apartment and likely gone tomorrow if someone else in another apartment decides to do the work for $50.
This is NOT a slam at the $50 talent in the apartment AT ALL. They might be fabulous and meet your needs perfectly. It’s just like anything else. When the big game changes, all the little games get disrupted as well.
Bigger pond for sure, but float the same number of dollars that used to float on the small pond – on the bigger pond- and it looks like a LOT less money.
And so it goes.
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It’s a changing landscape, for sure, thanks to both audio technology and the ol’ world wide interweb.
We used to regularly record VOs at our place, either using local talent or bringing people in. We still have a voiceover booth in the studio. It hasn’t even had a mic in the cradle for years, because we just don’t use it anymore.
The technology change has certainly hurt a lot of VO artists. Just as it as helped producers like me… so naturally, I’m for it.
In the “olden days” I was limited to the narrators that I knew or could find easily. If I were to watch a reel from our place from 15 years ago, you’d hear a lot of the same voices over and over. Today, I can get anyone in the world… almost instantly.
If I put out a cattle call for a specific VO project in the morning (with Voice123, or whomever), and as long as I offer a decent rate (say, $300-$400 for a :30), I will have a hundred auditions or more within 24 hours. Many will be mediocre, a few will be terrible (and make me wonder if they actually do that for a living), but some of them will be great. We’ve hired some awesome talent that way. And if you look at the last 50 spots I produced, you’ll probably hear 40 different voices… we’re no longer locked into hearing the same people over and over again.
Even for ultra low dollar stuff it works, which just shows where the payment floor is now. A short while back we had a long-time client with a tiny project, just updating their phone answering system. They had literally no money for this… I put out a casting call with a job that was, if I recall, less than a hundred bucks ($75, maybe? Don’t remember). Within four hours I had almost 50 custom auditions waiting to be heard. Amazing.
I just think it depends on what a project deserves. I’ve never exactly counted, but by my best guess in my career I’ve directed, produced, or in some way been responsible for about 6,000 commercials. And let me tell ya, they weren’t all winners, that’s for sure. Some barely deserved that hundred-dollar track, so it’s good to have options.
But on the flip side, if I have a great project with a decent budget and find myself thinking “Stew Herrera would be great for this” or “This seems like a Rino Romano spot,” then we certainly don’t mind paying what those guys get (and jumping through the union hoops… although don’t get me started on that). Sometimes it’s worth it.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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Hi all,
You are all right regarding the rates, and all wrong…
Right, because a project can be paid according to a client’s budget, budget that can be very high or very low (obvious)…
Wrong, because a project’s rate should be based according to its final use and to the professionalism / experience of the NATIVE talent; in addition, the studio’s quality plays a major role too: a good voice recorded in a low quality studio will give a bad voice at the end;
And if we talk about famous people, the rate can raised up to the sky.
I am not famous, but experienced, professional, and my studio is A VERY high quality one. Replace this topic in its context: “non broadcast 60 mn recording”, without sound effect or special edit;
In that case I can write that $ 1500 is well paid: imagine a simple narration or description that will not bring any money back… I usually charge per word count, and the rate is different if it is an internal E-Learning / tutorial, in store video, a user manual on the client’s website, an introducing new product video to be marketed, a business presentation, a mobile app…
So… for one hour of “non broadcasted, non marketed, non commercial, non business” recording, my rates move from:$696,00 / $730,80 / $767,34 / $805,71
I’ve been working for studios and Companies from all over the word for 10 years now (since I launched my own studio), these are the rates US clients pay me; European clients pays up to 30% more, Asian’s, 25% less…
Where is the difference?? You hired your voice talent directly, while most of us are hired throughout studios, Agents, intermediaries…
Your experience is important to me, please, kindly let me know how does the voice talents market works in your home based country, it can be more than helpful 🙂Claudia | Professional Voice Recording
*** Hight quality Home Studio *** -
[Claudia Rousseaux] “Where is the difference?? You hired your voice talent directly, while most of us are hired throughout studios, Agents, intermediaries… “
Never assume how any of us run our businesses. I sincerely hate generalizations like this.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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The “generalization” you seem to reject is a reality, we always make more money when we record directly for the client who initiated theproject:
When a project starts to emerge in Atlanta (or NY, or Moscow…) initiated by Company “x”, with $ …..,00 budget, then land in a company in charged to translate and find the voices to finally come back to Atlanta with the finished recorded audios… you can make sure that 50% of the initial budget for the talents has been lost in various commissions and fees; at the end, for an initial budget of $1000 (for example) for each talent, we are commonly offered $500.
Sad, but this is the ay it works…Claudia | Professional Voice Recording
*** Hight quality Home Studio *** -
[Claudia Rousseaux] “The “generalization” you seem to reject is a reality, we always make more money when we record directly for the client who initiated theproject: “
Your generalization is that you seem to know how we pay and book our talent. You have no clue, I’m done with this conversation. Have a nice day.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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Oh on the contrary, we’ve hired many many voice actors through their agents.
We’ve also hired many directly, too.
And… I’m going to guess that the vast vast majority of those we hired directly (maybe even all of them), do have agents… but they submitted to me directly in a casting call, not through their agents. So… I hire them directly. If they choose to give their agents a cut (to which I always ask “For what? Doing nothing?”), well that’s their business.
And sometimes things change over time. We’ve used one particular voice guy many times though the years who is probably the top narrator in the country, and has been for many years. After booking him quite a few times and getting to know him very well, one day after it took a little wrangling to get him through his agent he said “Ehhh… just call me at the house. Forget the suits in New York.” And that’s what we do… we hire him directly, and pay him directly. I doubt his Madison Avenue agent would be happy about it, but this guy’s enough of a bigshot to get away with it.
There’s another national talent we’ve used a few times, who SORTA works through his agent. I do call him up directly, book the job, get it done… AND THEN call his agent to let her know that it is happening (or has happened, often the case). That agent is making money (and good money) from literally answering the phone once, and nothing else. She didn’t get him the job, or anything else on our end. But she still gets paid.
I have no problem hiring even represented talent directly. I am also happy to pay an agent if they get their client the job or negotiate the deal, which is what they are being paid to do. But when I’m doing that myself when artists choose to approach me themselves directly, I have no qualms about not paying someone for not doing anything.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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Did I offend someone? I am not at all pretending that I know each single one way of work, not trying giving any lesson or any master class… I was just sharing what talents can experience, and I am glad to read different points of view, from professionals such like you people
so my apologizes if my words was taken as upsetting, not intentionally !!Claudia | Professional Voice Recording
*** Hight quality Home Studio *** -
Yes you did, but don’t worry, no one stays mad for long.
But you do seem to be holding an Old School line, even though you’ve been in the biz ten years there’s been momentous changes on ALL our rates lately. Besides some folks who do spots and TV most of us are in the non-union realm and we can’t even begin to keep track of our clients’ usages. I don’t know how big shops with SAG contracts can keep track. In fact, the trade rag Advertising Age has this article about signatores sneaking around usage rules because of the new digital realm we are all in:
So when you speak of how the video will be used has something to do with VO rates, as of August 2015 I think most of the biz says: Screw That. I know I do. I don’t get paid extra based on usage so why should I care if the VO (or on screen) talent gets paid more?
We are all under extreme budget pressure and I think it’s fair to say the VO folks are being faced with what the rest of us have to deal with: “This is how much we have. Can you do it for that much?”
Followed by, “Take it or leave it”.
So when I am faced with a VO talent or anyone telling me their rates, and if I don’t have that in the budget or there is a comparable quality talent for less, then bye bye the higher priced talent. The crowd sourcing sites like Voice 123 have eviscerated your rate structure just like Thumbtack, and the rest ruined ours. Sorrrrry!
Ned Miller
Chicago Videographer
http://www.nedmiller.com
www,bizvideo.com -
Thank you for your response Ned, I didn’t mean to offend anyone;
You are 100% right, the business works that way today, so we do! My rate sheet is not a bible, it’s a guide, and in my country (France) like in others, we have to deal with tremendous changes, and we adapt each other to these changes. I don’t belong to the SAG realm for voicing but I do for radio Hosting; I better not belong to any Union or guild, free to make my rates and adapt them to my clients budget if needed; As you said, Take it or leave it !
About voice123, even French TV announcers are sourcing voices from them: the result can be heard watching TV: Huggly ! They may be save money, for what result…
Is Tiffany at the same level of Macy’s? Don’t think so… SorrrrrryyyyClaudia | Professional Voice Recording
*** Hight quality Home Studio ***
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