Rates in the voiceover industry are somewhat of an enigma. In days of past, Union work was the only work, agents held the keys, drove the bus, and took care of everything. Talent went to their agent to audition, got direction, then went home, wiping their hands from the “business” aspect of their job.
Enter the internet…
Once the internet grabbed a hold of the industry, it changed dramatically. Now talent could audition and complete jobs from home, anywhere in the world, not needing to rely on agents and studios. No longer was work confined to the traditional methods and Non-Union work began to explode.
The internet also allowed an explosion of talent into the industry. Advancing technology meant that good, even professional, quality audio was available to even beginner talent and at a fraction of the cost in previous years.
To accommodate the increase in Non-Union work and connect buyers with this growing supply of voice talent, online casting sites were born. At first it seemed like these sites were great, they provided a source of auditions outside of agents and your own marketing efforts. But as we would come to learn, a downfall of this new business format would be the impact on rates.
Rates for voiceover are complex with so many different types of voiceover work, all commanding differing values based on genre, usage, recording time, recording amount, etc.
The traditional values for voiceover, held by agents and more traditional voiceover industry participants, was no longer the rule of the land. Now, a client’s budget dictated the rate, not the value of the service they were getting.
This created a large problem for the industry from the talent perspective. As the barriers to entry as a talent dropped, so did the amount of industry education of business norms and rates. New talent were flying blind and becoming a victim of the gig economy auditioning and accepting jobs for FAR below industry averages. It became the Wild Wild West.
While this rising problem grew, I happened to come across my own rates quandary and the help of my mentor, Cristina Milizia.
What happened next would change the Non-Union voiceover industry and propel my career in new and unbelievable ways…
Stay tuned for The GVAA Rate Guide & Me