Negotiations can be tricky and sometimes it’s nice to have a third-party guide to reference when quoting a project or navigating budgeting conversations. We want both sides of the negotiation to land on a cost they are comfortable and happy with. To be sure we’re staying current with industry standards and to assist you in these negotiations, we are pleased to provide you with an updated rate guide.
What’s Changed?
In this article
- What’s Changed?
- How Did We Determine These New Rates?
- How to Use It
- Other Considerations
- Continue Researching to Quote Fairly
No two jobs are exactly the same. A three-minute job can be quick and easy to complete or it can be complex and time-consuming. For this reason we have expanded the suggested rate range for non-broadcast jobs. The high-end of the range has been increased to account for the diversity of job and talent that Voices offers.
Broadcast jobs have many additional considerations. This is especially true of in-perpetuity rates. We have incorporated an additional four FAQs to provide further clarity on what in-perpetuity is and how to properly price it. We have also added a cost for 13-week internet ads based on real jobs hired on Voices.
How Did We Determine These New Rates?
In large part, it’s thanks to you, our talent and clients! Our talent informed us of what they deem as appropriate and fair compensation for their work and we are more than happy to adjust our rates to stay current. This also helps our clients, as it gives them accurate guidance when posting jobs, and therefore a higher likelihood that they’ll attract the right talent to their job.
The rate range was developed based on industry standards and real jobs that have been completed on Voices. This combination of information keeps us a leader in the marketplace and ensures both clients and talent achieve their goals.
How to Use It
Download it, print it, reference it—whatever works best for you! This guide is meant to provide you with a baseline of prices to assist in your negotiations.
For non-broadcast jobs, find the finished minutes that best match the job and select a budget within that range based on complexity, effort and quality.
For example, a job that requires highly experienced voice actors and is complex can be on the highest end of a range. A more straightforward job seeking someone newer to VO would be closer to the lower end. That’s the beauty of a larger range; it’s up to you to decide!
For broadcast jobs it’s about the usage. Look at the ranges based on how this job will be used and select a cost within that range.
If you keep a personal rate guide on hand we encourage you to keep it up. You can simply use ours as a reference to see how you compare because that’s what this guide is meant to be, a reference point.
Other Considerations
When using the rate guide, please keep in mind
- Rates are shown in USD.
- Rates are for finished dry voice only. Post-production may increase your quote.
- All rates are for reference only. Each talent reserves the right to charge their own fee.
When calculating your quote or posting your job, we encourage you to consider all aspects of the gig and use discretion.
Continue Researching to Quote Fairly
While we know that finished minutes and a budget range are just the beginning, we encourage you to check out other resources to help you set the best price for your work or job:
- Setting your voice actor salary
- What Voice Actors Want their Client to Know
- How to start voice acting: making a career choice in 2022
Comments
Although I do know how to edit my recordings, is it always necessary?, Doea a client do the editing if the actor doesn’t?
Hi Lynette,
It’s safe to assume that a client will need to hear a polished and high quality audition in order to select a voice actor for their project. So some touch ups on your audition is often suggested. From there, you’re setting an expectation for the client. They expect that your final project files will sound like your audition. That means you should apply the same level of touch ups to your final files, too.
There may be the odd situation where a client will not want you to edit your own recording, but those rare situations would come with explicit instructions in the job description. If you don’t see those instructions in the job description, you can trust that the client expects to receive an audio recording that matches the quality they received in your audition.
The other side to this, of course, is that if you have a well treated recording space, your post production efforts should be minimal and leave the final file so natural sounding that the client wouldn’t be aware of any editing done to it.
Hope that helps!
Niki
where do i find the new rate guide?
Hi Elizabeth!
Here’s a link to the new rate guide. Let us know if you have any other questions.
Best,
Niki
Great information. Thank you for this. It will come in handy.
I am new to the Voices community, this is some great info and that pay guide resource is just what the doctor ordered for someone new to the voice acting world, thank you!
Hi Jason. Welcome to the Voices community, we are happy you joined us!