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Rates Rebound

September 19, 2012 By 3 Comments

Mention VO rates, and you’re bound to get a vibrant response.  Such was the case with yesterday’s blog “Low-Balling Liability?”

Certain topical touchpoints in voice acting seem to hit a nerve, no matter how often they’re mentioned in blogs, forums, or groups.  Rates is one of them.  It’s so popular that BOTH of my LinkedIn groups on this subject see new subscribers every day.  (Setting VoiceOver Rates, and Voice-Over Rates – Private)

I’m not trying to beat a dead horse, but in an ever-changing marketplace, talking about compensation levels never really goes out of fashion or necessity.  SAG-AFTRA is a merged union.  Internet-based auditioning and delivery is more the norm than the exception.  New hopefuls are joining the ranks every day.  Rates SHOULD be discussed often and extensively.

Nearly all the responses were incredulously disgusted with the rates being put forth by ExpressVoices.com.  Things like:

  • “…these are bottom-feeders who make it impossible for VO professionals to make a living. It’s disgusting…”
  • “…this cannot possibly be the future of voice over. The writer sounds like an alien….”
  • “…what? Another shark in the murky waters of  the discount VO swamp?…”

And those were the people who wrote me private email.  Others chose to respond in the comments section of the blog.

One particular response stood out, though.  Here it is:  “…What is the minimum someone new to the field should accept?…”

The answer to that is almost beyond the time and space I have here to construct a response.  I suppose it’s best summed up in the words:  “aim high”.  Yes, I suppose a newbie is a little more unsure, less confident, and more willing to accept an entry-level scale.  Meh.  We’ve all been there.  Just….don’t settle for that in the long run.  With your improvements in talent, technology and training, constantly upgrade your pricing structure to match your achievements.

As I mentioned, talent unions’ best contribution to our business is that they ARE willing to set minimum pay standards.  As far as I’m concerned, these should be minimum starting points in negotiating both union and non-union jobs.

Here are three great resources available to us all that help set the standard (not exhaustive by any means, but handy).

Producer’s HandyDandy Voiceovers

VoiceOver Resource Guide

SAGAFTRA contracts

CourVO

Filed Under: Compensation, Freelance, Pricing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Low-Balling Liability?

September 17, 2012 By 4 Comments

In this post, I will not name the whistle-blower to protect the innocent.  It is not me who found this site.  That person received the notice (read below) as an email, and asked my opinion.

Over the years, I’ve moved off-center in the debate about the capitalist laissez-faire system of letting the marketplace settle where it will on the subject of rates.  Of course, it will do that anyway, due to economic forces.  But that doesn’t stop me or you from resisting it, and striking back where and when we can for a more sane level of freelance compensation for all the investment we put into our individual businesses.

I’m not entirely of the opinion that the talent unions have the answer either, but at least they’re willing to draw a line in the sand, and sometimes I think that’s what we all have to be willing to do.

I don’t agree with the proposal below, but ultimately, I pass no judgements on the organization’s business plan, nor on those who wish to be a part.  I could be the one in the wrong. Maybe this is the future. But I know that had I been a recipient of this offer, I would’ve politely said, “no”.

Maybe some of you rec’d the same verbiage you see below.  How are you responding?  How WOULD you respond?

CourVO

______________________________

Moving along to the final phase of talent selection for ExpressVoices.com.

This is an exciting time and before you dive in, I need to be clear of what I need and expect from you.  Here goes:

All talents must be full time VO professionals who, except for relatively brief amounts of time, are in their home studio daily. We are not looking for air talent that will cut a spot when they get off their shift. This is for full time Voice Talents- Pros. There are going to be occasions that you will be out or on vacation. ExpressVoices must be made aware of these occasions before they occur as far in advance as possible.

Turn around: This is Eastern Time. If you receive work prior to noon, it must be returned prior to 4p. If you receive work between noon and 4p, it must be returned prior to noon the following day or on Monday if received on a Friday. This is a no exception policy. Only you can judge if you can make this work in your time zone, with your other responsibilities. You must not miss a deadline. Should that occur, you may be removed from the roster.

ExpressVoices.com will be built around the very best voices ( you!), and quick service at a low price point. There will be a substantial marketing effort and advertising budget to make the company a success and you hopefully a great deal of money. It is not out of the realm of possibility for you to make four figures a month. Not the first day, but I would expect we will be doing quite well within six months.

Over three hundred talents have expressed a desire to part of ExpressVoices.com. From that number, we are down to fifty or so. The final roster will be between 8-15 men and 8-15 women. These talents must be pros in every sense of the word.

We’re looking for a 60 day initial commitment  after which you give us a thirty day notice if you’d like to move on.

Pay structure:
$20 for a dry :30. One take minimum. Should you wish to supply additional takes that is up to you.

$30 for a dry :60. One take minimum. Should you wish to supply additional takes that is up to you.

$20 for a dry:15 Must give two takes. Should you wish to supply additional takes that is up to you.

$20 for two different dry :10’s One take each minimum. Should you wish to supply additional takes that is up to you. If there is only one :10 the you must supply 2 takes minimum. Should you wish to supply additional takes that is up to you.

$20 for up to 3 different dry :05 tags. One take minimum. Should you wish to supply additional takes that is up to you.

Long form pay will be in 100 word increments- $30 for the first 200, $20 for each 100 or portion thereafter.

What about revisions?  If a spot needs to be redone due to client error, they will be charged. If you make an error, you redo the spot free of charge. There are going to be occasions where you followed the client direction and they are not happy for some reason. You may be asked to redo once at the discretion of ExpressVoices.com for no charge. We’ll keep a look out for abusive clients to make sure this isn’t ongoing.  Hopefully these occasions will be few and far between.

Audio Delivery:
Clean stereo MP3′s
-224kbps @ sample rate of 44100.
-Remove pops, clicks, loud breaths etc.
-All takes on one MP3
-Levels should be no more than -3
-No audio compression, time compression, EQ etc.
-Any edits should be within natural voice cadence regardless of the speed you are speaking (normal pauses etc).  In other words, do not edit things together in an unnatural way.  We should assume clients have no editing ability and will air your audio as is.
-All spots must be recorded at a minimum of .25 under requested time, example; :29.75 for a :30

The quicker you turn your work around, the better job you do, the greater likelihood clients will return to you again and again, often for years and years.

As you are professionals, all of the above will not be difficult. The better your quality control, the more work you will get.

ExpressVoices.com will not choose talent for the client. So, your initial work will be strictly from your commercial demo. It should be around one minute in length and represent your range. It should not include characters or voice effects of any kind or wild production values, whiz bangs and the like. All of those things take away from what the client wants to hear which is your voice and what you can do with the copy. The first spot on your demo should represent what you do best. Your commercial demo should not include promos, narrations, etc.  Commercials only.  I know many of you know all this, please forgive the lesson.

You will be paid monthly.

Please find a piece of :30 copy attached.  Please voice it and return it to this address.

I look forward to hearing you and am excited with the opportunity to work with you!

Filed Under: Compensation, Pricing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting Rates

October 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Not quite 30 voice artists braved an answer to my VOAT question dealing with setting rates…but they were the meatiest answers of the month, and deserve a quick run-through in case you didn’t see them all.

I consider this to be the thorniest question for freelance voice over talent, ’cause it opens up a can of worms that leads all over the place — into the realms of what constitutes a free market, what IS capitalism, where do unions fit into the picture, what variables enter into YOUR formula for setting rates, and most of all:  how do you guage your own self-worth?

‘Not to get too deep on ya here, but this can get real philosophical.  Luckily the respondents had their heads on straight.

For instance, Paul Strikwerda said:  “…My fee reflects my experience, expertise and my expenses on one hand, and a realistic sense of my value in the market place on the other. For this I need facts about the cost of doing business, the client’s evaluation processes and competitive activity. This allows me to calculate my price floor, the point below which my service should not be sold or I won’t turn a profit…”

Jodi Krangle stated:  “…I do have a minimum fee. Once that’s met, it’s a matter of weighing the customer’s needs and my own and seeing where they meet. There’s a magical, mystery convergence somewhere in there..”

I like that. You really should read the rest of Jodi’s comments.  It captures my sentiment exactly…but then so did Craig Burnett:  “…While I have a price in my head that I’d like to meet, I always try to remain flexible.  That doesn’t mean I’ll lowball…I’ve turned down a LOT of work simply by saying, “Thanks anyway, and let me know when your budgets improve.”  But I’ve nabbed a bunch of clients by understanding that sometimes their budgets are stupidly low, and sometimes they have extra dough that they’ll pass along…”

Sometimes you have to make exceptions, and sometimes it really pays dividends.  Like Jeff Conwell:  “…While I try not to even crack the mic for less than $150, I recently saw a script on a pay to play that was so good, I auditioned without even looking at the pay. I got the booking and the pay was only $50. The good news was it was for an agency that I have a strong relationship with and it really help their small client and in the end, strengthened our relationship further…”

Since I was the first one to post on this question, many responded to my statement that I’m not union (yet).  I think most of those who responded here are not union, and for instance, Robin W. acknowledged that:   “…I am not Union.  I have a set rate sheet, but look at every client’s situation.   Some don’t have a lot of money are upstart companies, or are having it rough with the economy   For these clients I work within their budget, not only does this help them out financially, but cultivates a great relationship…”

Dana Marks also gave a tip of the hat to the unions:  “…I start with the union scale and work from there, depending on the scope of the job and the pocket depth of the client.  I try to be fair about it and not leave too much money on the table…”

Arnaly A. summed-up what a lot of us go through when we consider the rate setting issue:  “…I try to find our as much as I can about the project and the client’s budget before quoting. Then I have a minimum rate that I will work for. If that standard is not met, I don’t even audition. After deciding if I will audition, I take this points into consideration for defining my rates:

- Purpose of the job (national commercial, psa, narration, etc)
- How big is the company I will be working for (if known)
- Possibility of repeat business.
- Have I work before with this client?
- What feedback does he or she have?
- I compare the client’s budget with how much I am being paid in the currents job I have and go slightly higher in order to try to increase my rates.

All of these parameters help me decide if I will raise or lower the rates in comparison to the client’s budget.

I’m not going to go on…all you have to do is go to the VOAToday Week-3 question, and bask in the collective wisdom of the VO community.  Even though VOAToday is but a September memory, I’m leaving up the site for a few more weeks, so everyone gets to see all the great responses you gave.  Thanks!

CourVO

Filed Under: Pricing, Unions, VOAT Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Convert Text Speech

August 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

David Radtke wrote an excellent article on rates, just posted on  VoiceOverXtra called “Lowballing Hurts”.

I agree wholeheartedly with his argument.  But even  he admits people who lowball are often newbies who just want to get their foot in the door.  Been there?  yeah, me too.  I had NO IDEA what to charge when I started out.

No matter how much you agree with David or Paul Strikwerda or any of a number of other erudite and well-versed apostles for this point of view, the low-balling will not likely stop.  There will always be the poor.  I”m not recommending that we give up the fight.  Just prepare that the battle will  never end.

Niche Business Model

I had an interesting chat yesterday with a guy who’s developed an enterprising business model.

He’s found a niche that would require the use of voice actors.  The venue is long-format narrations, and he admits the pay would fall into the “lowball” category..that, after we had a talk on Skype and I explained it to him.

He’s not looking for excellent quality. But he’s pretty sure he wants human  readers.

His idea is text to speech with REAL narrators, not the synthetic voices that are making inroads in some areas of our business. The copy is mostly business documents…pdf’s, spreadsheets,  analyses, proposals, technical reads, and other content generated by any of an endless number of offices in an endless number of companies in hundreds of cities across our nation.

His argument is that most of the people who are supposed to READ those documents don’t have the time, and would rather have someone read the document TO them.  He believes the listener is not too discerning, and won’t mind if it’s not a totally professional read.

Is he right?  Is this the kind of thing a newbie should take on as an “intern”, for minimal pay, while he/she practices?  Could a voice-actor take this on as a successful “niche”?

I’d like to hear what you think about it.

In the meantime, here’s the website to Convert Text Speech.

CourVO

 

Filed Under: Pricing, VO Jobs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

20+ Voice Over Rate Sheets & Resources

July 14, 2011 By 18 Comments

Rates are a moving target.   Union-repped talent would tell you differently, but for the rabble…the vast unwashed masses of VO which now predominate the field…it’s a negotiation.

Still…it’s nice to have a starting point, a reference point, a standard of some sort, and yes, the union rate sheet is one of those standards.

While you’re encouraged to devise your own formula, there is not shortage of available rate sheets for voice over talent.  I’m listing 20+ sites below that will give you a starting point.  I’ve visited and qualified each of the following links:

The VoiceOverResourceGuide

AFTRA Union Rates (scroll to bottom of page for links to Radio, TV, etc)

SAG Commercial Contract FAQ

Voices.com and Voices.com and .pdf doc

Voice123.com

Edge Studio -NYC

Producers Handy Dandy rates

Body Tone Multimedia

RGM  (Australia)

PieHole (UK)  How NOT to Quote for VO Work 
PieHole: Quoting for VO work

Animated VoiceOver Rates from Alliance Online

Payscale.com

VoiceOverXtra (by James Alburger) Part I
VoiceOverXtra (by James Alburger) Part II

Big Fish Media

World Wide Voices

INDIVIDUAL VO Talent EXAMPLES/RESOURCES:

Kevin Sanderson

Arielle Delisle -  Having the Guts to Charge a Fair Rate

Paul Strikwerda – 10 Consequences of Predatory Pricing

Graffitti Studio

Richard Heathcote (UK)

Todd Shick (Canada)

Voice-Over-Training.org (video by Bill DeWees)

Dulcet Tones (Australia)

Crayon Mouth

7 Tips to Setting Freelance Rates

 

Do you have any other resources you’d like to share?

 

CourVO

 

 

 

Filed Under: Pricing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Overflow

February 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Not sure if it’s just that there’s that much going on in VO-land right now, or if my contacts in the business are just bringing so much to my doorstep…but my voice over cup runneth over!

There would just be no sense in trying to write a separate blog article for each of the tidbits I have, so please peruse the list of links below for some incredible goings-on in our business right now, and if you feel so moved, contribute to the dialogue.  My job is to try to keep the information flowing so you can be in the know!

DEFINING YOUR PLACE

Lots of discussions seem to be popping right now concerning the VO marketplace.  The conversations are verging into also sorts of issues:  rates, your perceived value in the market, unions, freelancing, certification, agencies…all revolving around what is fair compensation in today’s world of VO, and your place in it.

To that end, top VO Pro Joe Cipriano inserted an incredibly erudite article into the conversation we have going on in the VO Friends FaceBook Group.  If you are not a member, just do a search for the Voice-Over Friends group, and request access.  I’ll approve you in a snap.  When you go to the site, scroll down to the thread that starts with me saying:  “Friends: The threads calling out…”.  There are 45+ comments here, and Joe’s is among them.  These are incredibly pertinent discussions.  Be a part.

Also, the discussion about fair pay in the LinkedIn Group:  “Setting VO Rates” is still raging, and if you take the time to read…the give ‘n’ take will open your eyes to many points of view…all worth considering.  The discussion about “Insulting Rates” has more than 180 entries!

SEEKING EXCELLENCE

My voice-over friend in Social Media, Terry Daniel, has written a wonderful article on how you should “Surround Yourself with the Extraordinary“.  Terry addresses the negativity that can grip a community, especially in terrible economic times.  Well worth a read.

THE BASICS

Cairo-based voice-actor Mahmoud Taji reminds us of the incredible security, normality, and abundance we all have here in the US (UK and elsewhere) that we take for granted.  Although he and his family are surviving an extremely volatile situation on the outskirts of Cairo, he’s dealing with shortages and a lot of uncertainty.  I’m not sure we would all be so sanguine as he is.  Read Mahmoud’s travails in an article on VoiceOverXtra.com.

PROFILING

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of research online.  Particularly FaceBook and LinkedIn.  My travels bring me in contact with a lot of your VO websites and FaceBook profiles.  Frankly, I’m astonished at how many accomplished VO pros neglect their profiles.

I’m no SEO wizard, but I understand the value of clearly stating your title in high-profile areas where you have an online presence.  In a number of cases, I’ve had to drill down quite deep to see if a certain person is even a VO talent.  Almost nothing on their FB or LinkedIn profile tipped me off.  Only when I’ve done a Google search or followed a few links have I been able to find out that.

Please visit the profile you configured when you first joined FaceBook, LinkedIn, Voices.com, V123, Twitter….ANYWHERE that you have an online presence.  Somewhere in that profile, you should be clearly stating that you are a VOICE OVER, a VO talent, a voice-over actor, a voice-actor…something like that should be a given in your profile.

The sum total of your online presence will raise you to a threshold at some point where you start getting noticed consistently.  Over the weekend, I was emailed an offer from an overseas production company, seeking more English-speaking VO talent.  They just wanted to know if they could add my name to their database.  Uh…YEAH!

LOOKING AT YOU

Finally, I invite you to check out my CourVO FaceBook Page.  I’ve configured the photos at the top to appear as though it’s one big “Dave” peering at you when you see the homepage.  I think it brings a very personal feel to the page, and if you want to know how it’s done,  just email me, and I’ll walk you through it.

Have a great week!

CourVO

Filed Under: Advice, Pricing, Social Media/Networking, Unions, VO Community Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

VO Rates Rants

February 1, 2011 By 1 Comment

Maybe the economy is wearing us all down.
Or maybe changing VO rates have come to roost in on our radar screens for real.
Could it be that nerves are more frazzled that we think, or livelihoods are being threatened?

I’m not sure.

But I DO know that recent discussions about rates for VO work are getting more intense.

Take for instance the public LinkedIn group I started called “Setting VO Rates”.  An initial post reflecting disdain for low rates, at last count had more than 150 posts. The dialogue drifts back and forth in a passionate and philosophical thread that at times gets testy, but is more marked by a roundhouse discussion that goes DEEP into the core of this question.  If you have the time, take a half-hour and read through every word.  Lots of great points made on all sides.

Also, on the FaceBook group “Voice-Over Friends” (yep, ‘started that one, too), one of the members posted a couple of instances of VO talent who have existing ads on Ebay that offer rates with which the member took issue.

Never before have I seen members of the VO community so willing to vocalize their feelings on this issue.  Clearly the voice over business is in the throes of changes that are challenging old paradigms…rewriting established assumptions…and forcing a hard look at the marketplace.

Freelancers of all walks traditionally struggle with setting a level of compensation that they feel is commensurate with their worth.  It’s a highly individualized cipher.  Typically, a great deal of acceptance is granted all around.  Those entering the profession usually accept a different scale than the seasoned pro.

Lately, however, even talent with a mature portfolio seem to be edging downward in their asking price.

Should the market seek its own level?…or should minimums be enforced?

Do the so-called P2P sites contribute to this bickering,?… or are they merely designing new acceptable standards?

I take no sides for now, nor am I sure, yet, where my allegiance lies…but whatever the discussion…maybe we can all gain from a tempered discussion, and eschew polarizing statements, and inflammatory language?

CourVO

Filed Under: Pricing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Best VO Rates Discussion Evar

January 26, 2011 By 3 Comments

This is why I love social media.  My little fledgling group on LinkedIn called “Setting VO Rates” hosts some incredible discussion threads sometimes.

One of the most recent ones was initiated by Boston area Production Director Matt Forrest, and over the last few days, now has more than 95 comments.

But not just any comments.  What you will find is probably the most exhausting, thorough, and philosophical dissection of the quandary over rates I’ve ever seen.  Why are rates being driven down?  Should we work towards a minimum fee schedule for the good of our business, or should we let the free market have its way?

If this issue interests you at all…this is THE MOTHER of all discussions on setting VO rates.  It’s civil, deep, comprehensive, the best I could hope-for in social media, and with the attitude I would wish all intelligent, concerned voice over talents could engage in.

Since setting the value of your worth in the marketplace is one of the most bedeviling challenges in voice over work (indeed, all of freelance work), here’s what I suggest you do:  Reserve 30-45 minutes, follow this link on “….To Call This Rate Insulting….”, read, and get a true education in rates AND civility.  Kudos especially to Paul Strikwerda and Elizabeth Grattan, not to mention Matt for starting the whole thing.

Seriously, this dialog is SO far-ranging, that it may decide, once-and-for-all how you define your worth in the VO market.

CourVO

Filed Under: Pricing, Social Media/Networking Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Setting VO Rates…

June 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

….is more than just a quandary, it’s actually a group forum over on LinkedIn.

Lately, there’s been some lively discussion about pricing long-format narrations (with some side-notes about how the industry is in the throes of trying to decide how much it wants to pay).

You can find the discussion HERE if you are a LinkedIn member.  If not, you should be. It’s one of the “Big 4″ social media sites, and it’s free.

Also, my partner in Social Media ventures — Terry Daniel – has posted a new YouTube video about FOURSQUARE.  Terry thinks FourSquare is the best thing since graham crackers, and talks about it in his video on SocialMediaVO.com.

I’ll have some video of my Social Media teleseminar with Edge Studio — recorded on my FLIP  during the session — in the next blog.

CourVO

Filed Under: Compensation, Pricing, Social/Professional Networking, SociaMediaVO Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Setting VO Rates

March 11, 2010 By 8 Comments

So many variables go into the setting of rates for freelance entrepreneurs.  That’s my opinion.  Others differ.

The arguments can get quite philosophical — wrapped up in value judgements of self-worth, market conditions, and even personal relationships.

I’ve heard ‘em all.  I especially love the hard ‘n’ fast rules that always seem to come from the highly successful long-time voice actors who typically will say something like:  “….I never even turn on my mic for less than $450…”

Well that’s just all fine and good.  Did you start with that?

Those of us still struggling to keep a daily flow of work…who are developing a full stable of clients…who are ever seeking the threshold of fair pay for hard work… THOSE kind of hard ‘n’ fast rules are elusive.   At least they are for me.

Let me relate a story that just happened to me:

The call came out of nowhere.  A local producer wanted to hire me to be the voice of a conference being held in Vegas…I quoted directly from my rate sheet, and he seemed happy with that, AND my work.  All good all around.

Then he asked if I could refer him to a voice actor of the female gender.  He had another project, and needed a certain type of voice.

I returned to him a couple of names and contact information.

One of the referrals — a seasoned voice actor with a sterling reputation — returned a thank you, and continued to keep me in the loop with communications back and forth.

Then came the e-mail today.   She quoted him a price for the project they were negotiating, and then he returned to her an email ATTACHING MY RATE SHEET. She then very nicely mentioned in an email to me that she hoped she hadn’t scared-off my client because her rate was “…significantly higher than mine.”

OUCH!

Reactions:

– The client faux pas’d by sharing my rate sheet in the first place (I told him so)

– I launch into a gut-wrenching rationalization of my rate sheet

– I also launch into a soul-searching re-evaluation of what I’m worth and what I charge

On the VO-BB some time ago, the notion of “SPINE” became popular.  Rightly so.  The idea being that only those Voice actors with spine will stand up and ask for the price they truly think they’re worth.  Raise the bar.  Take charge.  Have chutzpah.

Great!…but there’s just this one caveat….

CourVO

Filed Under: Business-end-of-things, Compensation, Pricing Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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