Vox Daily

Sure would like to get a Word document of the rates found on the PDF file. Easier to have for quick reference.

Sorry, guys. I cannot agree with my colleagues thoughts on rates for non-broadcast, corporate and industrial reads. $125 for an hour session is absurdly low-stone age in fact. This is giving it away! Anyone who works for that is either desperate or not that good. Sorry.

Hi Dick,

A word document version is in the works. We'll link it from this post when it is ready.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Nice rates, of course all talent should remember outside of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles there is vast difference in "local" spots. San Francisco and Amarillo Texas are a long way apart in size! Also I agree with PJ. $125 an hour for industrial is crazy low...unless it takes you an hour to voice ONE page!

Stephanie,

I agree with PJ that the rate for non-broadcast is too low; but I've already replied to your earlier post with my rates to I won't rehash here.

On the other hand, you have made it very clear that we talent are all free to set our own rates. When a lead arrives in my inbox that has a budget below what I'm willing to work for, I just delete it and never think about it again.

Be well,

Bob

$125/hr for industrial? Those are jobs I pass on to my VO students! Minimum industrial rate in my book is $300! I may go below that if it's several hours long...or there are a lot of projects for same client. But never to $125!

On occasion, I'll do a freebie for a worthy cause, but for a paying client, $125 isn't worth my time.

OK!

Thank you all for your feedback on the industrial narration rate :)

We'll be changing it to better reflect what you have suggested.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Agreed... $125/hr? Is that supposed to reflect the studio rate, and then the per page rate applies as well? That might make more sense (if someone's going to a studio).

The per page that I charge (everyone sets their own rates) is usually $100.

Hmmm.... not sure I'm comfy using this as a guideline.

Caryn,

Thank you for your comments. I'd like to address this issue now before the day is over:

The rates were compiled with insight from those who responded since Friday and over the weekend.

If you have not yet made your voice heard and would like to see a particular change on the board, for example, the per page rate, we'd be happy to hear it now!

All rates are for dry voice only and do not include studio, etc.

Please remember that when you are suggesting changes to a rate to identify the exact numerical fee that you would charge - otherwise, it is incredibly difficult to make things better :)

Stephanie

P.S. Thank you Bob Souer for pointing this out on your blog :)

The rate sheet is nice but, I think, only for the largest markets. In markets outside the top 50, it is difficult to get local TV stations to break $50 let alone radio stations. And believe me, if my rates were that much below the norm I would be getting far more inquiries.

I see how a :30 or :60 radio spot is listed at $200 but an hour of TV animation is $125. I don't get how that equates.

If I am "giving it away" let me know but, I find difficulty in getting higher rates in today's economy.

It's a delicate balance of not pricing yourself out of the market and not pricing so low to where it isn't worth the effort.

I am interested in any thoughts as long as we do not venture into the area of "price fixing".

JR

Saw your new rates and while they seem workable in most areas, I agree with the comments from others regarding industrials. They make up 50% of my billing a year and $125 for an hour is absurd. A good talent can easily breeze through an 8-10 minute script in that time. I charge a base of $400 for the first 90 min, then $100 for each additional half hour should it run long. Good luck.

Your suggested rate for non-broadcast is way out of line. Certainly not "slightly lower than union rates." Non-broadcast, union talent base rate is currently $405 for the first hour.

I feel the industrial rate is completely wrong, and I hope nobody in voices.com , even a beginner would work for that. I believe a graduating rate scale, based on script length would be best to gauge compensation on. My standard rate would be: $300.00 for 0-5 minutes, 400.00 for 6-15 minutes, 500.00 for 16-30 and so on... Thanks for listening.... Bobbin Beam

Hi everyone,

As of just past 6 this evening, we have updated the rates sheet.

We have also added a Word version of the rates for you to customize own your own as you see fit.

Thank you for your input,

Stephanie

As a total newbie to the biz I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the rate sheet, the downloadable script book, all the comments and helpful newsletters via e-mail. Many, many thanks!! Now for a quick query, what is the difference between "1 hr. recording session" & "per finished hour of audio"?

Let's take another direction with rates and etc.

Could I suggest a forum or blog or the like for "add-ons", the non-voice components.

For some time now I have been in a dilemma especially regarding music.

Royalty Free still costs and choosing for a client may be fraught with perils... and in the same way we safeguard our work from being used without consent and fees, we must equally respect the work of musicians and writers/composers.

How do different folk address these and other issues and charge for them, and indeed where do you get the music in the first place at a reasonable cost?

I have the new Audition 2 with Loopology, BUT as I understand it, none is available for commercial use ??!!

Thanks for re-working the guidelines. I have my own rates I quote, but its good not to have the baseline rates so low I look greedy. Its great for the novices to see where to start. Also, hats off to Stephanie and the crew at Voices.com. You guys have come a long way and are generating great jobs. Keep it up.

The new sheets are a nice touch. I agree on the non broadcast. For my clients, it's on the low side. I would use that maybe for phone menus and low exposure work. Most of what we are paid for is the use of our voice, not the hours worked in front of a mike. The larger the audience or stakes...the more we can charge. And the other way, too. I have no problem having that rate on the sheet. I get at least $300 but sometimes there are pretty easy industrial things that are short, low maintenance and will fall my way only with a low ball quote.

This entire discussion is a great help; I've been working as a voice talent for 30 years, but never have tried to make a living at it. It's hard to take the first steps when you don't have anywhere to step from - a starting point is critical, and - in my case - especially for the business side of all this. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone piping up on this issue, and particularly to Stephanie and your crew. Good stuff!

These rates in most areas can cause headaches for all of us. If all the voice seekers have this document, they will try to base their pay on these specific rates. Another issue that we should point out is that these rates do not include the studio fees. I think that most of us have a recording studio and as basic as it could be, we all put time, effort, experience and dedication in every job we receive. I understand that not only in Puerto Rico, but in many studios in the US, the basic studio fees per hour is $85 - $200, whether it is broadcast or non broadcast. We are all spending money in terms of time and equipment.

With regards to royalty free music: There are many buy-out libraries in the marketplace. I own a couple of them. Prices do vary, but anyone charging $400 an hour for corporate narration should be able to afford it.

Hi Abner,

Thank you for your comment.

I'd like to clarify that there are suggested studio hourly rates included at the bottom of the sheet. Most clients are aware that the voice is only part of the equation. It also says that talent reserve the right to charge their own rates, which of course could be higher than the rates listed for their voice, etc.

Could you please elaborate for us on which areas of these rates would cause headaches?

Your feedback is valued.

Best,

Stephanie

My apologies to the Voice team, I know that you guys have a lot of hard work to do.

My point is for example, in the "Radio Commercial: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago" the rate is 300.00. I can consider that rate for the voice only, but what about the studio fee?

My suggestion is that you guys can create a chart based on recording studio facilities with fee ranges, from the most basic studio requirements to do voice over to the most sophisticated recording studio. I think that all the voice seekers should have a real idea about how much it can cost for both the studio fees and the voice over.

A sister post about where to find royalty-free music and sound effects has just been published on VOX Daily.

An opportunity to share your fees for producing voice-overs with royalty-free music has also been provided.

You can read and comment on the article here:

http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2006/07/royaltyfree_music_and_sound_ef.html

Best,

Stephanie

Hello Stephanie & Crew-

Thank you so much for amending the pricing. It sends a good and realistic message to everyone involved in this business.

Thank you for your responsiveness to us in the talent community.

Keep up the excellent work!

Best, Bobbin Beam

Hi Maarit,

To answer your question, the difference between finished minutes and per hour is as follows:

Hourly rate means you charge for the time you spend voicing/editing the job (excluding production)

Finished Minute charges based on how long the finished product is--not how long it took you to do it.

It's advisable to decide rates for both types, because clients budget based on differing criteria... then if a client doesn't have a preference, bid the way you're comfortable.

Good Luck!

What about IVR and On Hold Messages on the rate card? That's the one I find hardest to price. Thanks!

Thanks for the new rate sheet!
How are potential clients being exposed to these rates?

When they fill out a request for talent, do they specify the type of project and then are they briefed on typical rates for that project type?

And while I'm here, I find the current way for me to specify my quote when submitting for a job to be inadequate.

Of course, I'm specific in the text of my proposal, but in the quote box, we can only enter a number.

(And I fear that my carefully formatted proposals with rate information are arriving in clients' in boxes as garbled masses of squished-together text.)

There is no way to say "per page," "per word," "per hour," "per spot," etc.

Very, very few IV jobs are specified precisely enough that an actor can say "I can do that for you for $250." I think that, unless it can be made more flexible, useful, and precise, the quote box should be eliminated.

Also... what about IVR/phone messages?

Fellow Voice Folks - for a radio PSA do you all think that $200 for either a :15, :30 or :60 is too low? If so, what is a better amount?