20+ Voice Over Rate Sheets & Resources
Voice Over 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.
Voice Over Rate Sheets
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 Voice Over Resource Guide
- AFTRA Union Rates (scroll to bottom of page for links to Radio, TV, etc)
- SAG Commercial Contract FAQ – updated 2017
- 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
- Voice Over Xtra (by James Alburger) Part I
- Big Fish Media
- World Wide Voices
Individual Voice Over (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
WoVo World Voice Over Rates Roundtable Episodes
Past articles of mine on Setting VO Rates
Voice Over Rates – Setting VO Rates
Do you have any other VO resources, examples or updates you’d like to share?
CourVO
Thanks for this Dave. You’re super. I’m always making notes of things I see on the various forums. Nice to have this list all in one place.
Rates are truly a volatile area, so much to think about — you have your ballpark figures, and then there are the special considerations — a client’s budget, would this gig fill up a hole in my resume if I went for it, etc.
It’s nice to have some measuring sticks. Thanks again!
Stefania
🙂
Hi Stefania! I’m glad you found something worthwhile on the list…and thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Dave C
Dave, thanks for sharing your resources–much appreciated! I’ve bookmarked this link and added it to my resource list–so helpful to have this information, and I’ll echo Stefania’s comment, consolidated in one place. At this point in my career, another consideration for me with pricing a project is the fact that I’m competing with other talent for the job, so, how I bid on VO work not only reflects fair compensation for my services and time, but the necessity of how do I separate myself from the field in order to get a client’s attention and attract business–many factors to consider. Thank you for these references!
Dan
Dan,
Yeah, I’m a list-maker…and like having it all aggregated too. I think the value is not so much in the hard numbers…but looking at them all, you get an overall sense of what’s possible. Then you concoct your own rate taking into account your experience and the uniqueness of your client and the marketplace.
Thanks for commenting!
Dave C
Great article! Thanks for sharing Dave and including Voices.com rate sheets.
Ashley,
Thanks for noticing, and OF COURSE the posted rates at Voices.com would be on the list….great resource!
Dave Courvoisier
Stefania used the perfect word to describe this area: “volatile”. The conversation can become emotional, defensive and irrational very fast.
I can’t emphasize enough that while it’s obviously OK to make mistakes and underprice your service, and use bizarre, negative mechanisms like “per produced minute” pricing etc, while you’re getting your feet wet in the business, once you’re armed with what the industry views as standard payment for the service we offer as voice actors, it’s important to respect it.
This information is so much easier to come by now and a large part of that is due to people like you Dave who believe that sharing this information (rather than hoarding it and protecting turf) makes the community stronger, more well informed and more professional. In our own small way, you are purposefully fostering a sense of community and responsibility in your audience for our careers.
Having the information also makes people more accountable for repeatedly making mistakes. What’s the old saying “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me”?
By undercharging (and accepting sub-par budgets) and not having the business smarts to analyze the full consequences of, for example, low-balling because you feel your experience doesn’t warrant a higher amount, or because you ‘want the work’, you not only undermine your own short-term, and perhaps long term future negotiating higher and more appropriate rates for yourself (at least with that client), you also are pulling the rug out from underneath a community of people who have sweat blood to get the rates to a point where a career in voice acting is sustainable.
Fully exploring the links Dave provided, and particularly the AFTRA site, is incumbent on everyone who reads this post. That’s not advocating being a member of the union; it’s recognizing that working with a rate structure that has served the community really well, *without* the hassle of the attendant paperwork and conditions for you and your client is really important to continue to evolve a sustainable industry.
Thanks for taking the time to gather all these links in one place Dave.
One last point: it’s OK to say no to clients. I’ve personally found that closing that door has almost always resulted in a better opportunity coming my way as fast as the same day. It’s like some big Karmic wheel.
On that note Dave, I think you’re rapidly building up enough karmic points that you’ll be able to loan them out soon.
Paul,
You are very kind to comment in that way….but it took me all of one hour to compile that list… all that info is “out there” if one but looks. I am just an itinerant curator, list-maker, and aggregator.
However, you’re absolutely right, the undercutting has to stop, notwithstanding all the “I have to feed my family..!!” arguments. Call it “spine” or “making the hard decision”…being part of the VO community comes with an unwritten responsibility to uphold a minimum standard that benefits us all.
I also love what you mentioned about saying “no”. Most clients take that as a negotiating point anyway.
Always good to see you here, Paul!
Dave Courvoisier
Seriously Dave, you are too much. I can’t even count how many times you have been kind enough to share incredible information like this with the community. Amazing.
Erik Sheppard visited my blog! Cool!
Your comments will only prompt me to try harder… I’m havin’ too much fun!
Dave C
Dave – I echo the sentiment here of how much you share and how gracious you are with all your knowledge and resources!
Thanks for the aggregate listing and for all you do. I have learned a lot form your blog(s), websites, mentoring, and friendship! Thank you! You are a Gentleman and a Scholar – (not to mention a darn good journalist and talented VO talent and anchor)!
Mike,
Thanks, but before you get too effusive in your praise, you should know that there’s a dark side to Dave….the side that refuses to change the toilet paper roll when it’s out…who doesn’t make his bed in the morning, and who forgets to floss. OH, the shame of it all!!!
Seriously, thanks big Mike… ‘means a lot!
Dave C
Hey Dave,
Thanks for including my post about fair rates among the individual VO resources! It’ll take me a while to go through all the links you’ve provided but I love the variety of opinions and perspectives, and this post is another great compilation for the industry. I really enjoy your blog and level-headed insight, and that you don’t hesitate to crack a few jokes as well. While VO is definitely business, there’s room to be light-hearted and enjoy what we do and enjoy talking about it.
Hi Arielle…. thanks for visiting, and for the embarrasssingly nice feedback. I enjoy blogging about VO AND paying it forward…so this fulfills me in many ways.
Glad you like the piece about the rates. ‘Hope you stop by again!
warm regards,
Dave C
Hi Dave,
I recently wrote this. http://thevoiceoverguide.com
Do you think it should be on the list?
best to you!
Steven
Sure, Steve…thanks! I’ll add it in!
Dave C
Hi Dave,
nice recource, thanks. You should not forget our Mixwerk voice over Blog. It is in 5 languages and has a lot of tips and tricks. Also you find our Mixwerk Babelfish where you can guess over 40 languages. Best Uwe
Uwe,
Great! Thanks for this tip, and the URL to your site. Are you accepting new talent? I could pass this along to my readers (and I’d like to apply too!)
Very nicely designed site, and your blog is VERY helpful. Here’s the address, folks: http://www.mixwerk.com/.
I look forward to your future contributions.
Dave Courvoisier