How would you choose the names that should go on that list?
Well, you won’t have to. BENZTOWN is going to do it for us.
Benztown is “… an international radio imaging, production library, programming, and voiceover services company with over 1,900 affiliations on six different continents.”
Visit the site and see the names of your VO colleagues featured there. Joe Cipriano is listed, so is DB Cooper, Erick Abraham, Joe J Thomas, AJ McKay, Ross Huguet, and Darren Altman to name a few I know, anyway. That’s the VO side of their service.
But, just a couple of days ago, Benztown announced it was going to create a first-ever list of the top-50 biggest radio voices. From their site: “…Even though we’ve worked with 100′s of VO talent over the years, it will be a challenge to best identify those professionals whose VO careers have truly hit the highest heights. With the professional research team at SparkNet Research & Consulting, we will dig deep and look at VO artists and their achievements from multiple angles and metrics...”
Applications begin May 12th. “The exclusive annual ranking will be based on several criteria, including number of radio station affiliates, station size and market.”
Despite the naysaying I hear from my VO brethren and sistren who LEFT radio, I know the industry is still huge, making money (at least some), and thriving in many markets. The robust position of a radio services company like Benztown shows how much of a presence radio has in the marketplace.
So why do I see people leaving in droves with statements like: “…it’s not fun anymore…” –or– “…it’s all bottom-line and automated, not personality-driven…” –or– “…it’s dog-eat-dog; no one can make a decent living as a DJ anymore…” Well, I’m not sure being a DJ or a radio announcer was EVER a decent living. 🙂
More from their announcement: “…the purpose is not only to highlight the achievements of these Top 50 performers, but to shine a much-needed light on the value of VO at its finest– to shape iconic station brands, to captivate the imaginations and attention of listeners, to greatly enhance a station’s unique sound…”
There it is again…Benztown alloying the words RADIO with VO.
We all work to audition for spots on TV and radio, but how many times have you heard it said that to be a success in voice-acting, you have to lose the “announcery voice”….or learn how NOT to “puke” into the mic from your radio days?
Am I wrong?
So when Benztown says they’re going to find the top-50 radio VO talents… that sounds like an paradox to me.
What am I missing?
CourVO
