Rates based on usage for commercials/ads
The Case
There's a lovely town an hour north of me called Fairfield. Population: 416.
Currently an ice cream shop in Fairfield, and a national campaign for Walmart pay the same rate for a 0:30 radio spot on VB.
While a ton of voice over work these days is web work, TV & radio are still alive and well (I can say this from experience as a current full time voice over talent).
Voice talents should have the option (and be required) to fill out rates for small market, mid market, large market/regional, and national spots. Per cycle!
Clients should be required to specify usage and cycles. Buy outs would have a higher rate than per cycle.
Common objections:
1. "You can set your own rates."
The reason setting your own rates doesn't solve this issue is because:
- You wouldn't and shouldn't charge the same rates for all 0:30 spots. Large clients pay more for larger campaigns because the odds are very high they're reaching a lot of people, as opposed to a YouTube video which may or may not reach a lot of people.
- In a marketplace that favors lower-priced voice talents in search results (and this is not a complaint at all, I understand the reasoning), pricing yourself according to national rates ONLY means you are ranked much lower in search results, and probably lose out on the local clients paying $25 a spot. And the ones paying $3,600 (this is a real figure from a recent audition I did, btw!) for a national radio campaign are unlikely to find, much less hire, someone charging 100x more than another talent.
- Don't forget, web video work operates on a different payscale than broadcast. The cost and ease of putting a voice over on a website is way lower. Why? It's much less guaranteed to reach an audience than an ad playing in people's cars in 10 giant cities. It's not a guarantee, but odds are much higher that a voice is reaching people. And that's what you're paying higher rates for with a voice over: reach.
2. Yeah, but web work has done away with this pricing model. For example, Spotify and Pandora are both web AND radio commercials. Are you suggesting clients should have to pay more for those too?
Possibly. Don't forget, businesses choose the size and budget of their Spotify or Pandora campaigns. Voice talents should be compensated accordingly, just like terrestrial radio. A 13-week cycle is just as relevant a term in Spotify as it is in Aunt Barb's car radio in Fairfield.
3. Won't that be too confusing for clients?
Not any more confusing than selecting search criteria to find a voice talent. It's all about the presentation. It can be done turnkey, easily, and look pretty.
Besides, that's a peripheral issue compared to larger issue at stake: compensating talents appropriately. Remember, hiring a voice talent isn't ordering a pizza, it's hiring the construction company to build the pizza place. There are variables, like experience, equipment, and expertise at stake.
NOT having usage be taken into consideration for commercial work forces voice talents to undercut the competition, and ultimately hurts the industry.
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Thank you for your post.
This is a topic that has been on our radar for a long time and we understand your point. The debate continues as we know that setting rates is a delicate topic. We want to do all we can to make your experience better with us! To make it clearer for you, allow me to explain the logic behind our pricing model.
We created our business model based on the audience we want to target. If you've been working with us for a certain amount of time, you'll notice that most of the projects we get are on a smaller scale than the projects you're referring to. Because of this, we have built a system that makes the process of getting a voice over product simpler for those who need it but are not sure of how to get it. The success that our platform has achieved throughout the years has been thanks to the system and policies we have built based on this premise. One of the most important reasons why our clients prefer our platform is because we're really easy to use and the process to get a voice over is less complicated than going to an agency.
Since we offer clients the chance to get a recording from the voice actor of their choice with a specific script, asking for applications to their projects would make the process much more complicated. This process might reach the wrong client base for which our current platform and business model would not work. A good example I can find to explain this model is Amazon. When you need a microphone to record, you can go to Amazon and the service won't ask what you'll use it for. You put your order for the desired mic and Amazon will contact the seller, send it over to you and, in the end, the product is yours for whatever you want to do with it. Now, if what you need is just to get a mic, then the easiest and fastest way to get it is to head over to Amazon. However, if what you need is help with choosing a microphone to record voice overs and would actually need guidance, to listen to the microphone, see if it suits your vocal range etc., Amazon may not be the best place to make your purchase. Our service works in a similar way. We offer our clients the possibility to get a recording of their script to make it easy and fast for people who just need a voice over. We give them some help and guidance submitting the projects, but that’s how our business model works. When clients need something that goes beyond that scope (like getting directed sessions with the voice actors, for example) maybe they should try other services to complete their project.
Fortunately, to be able to please different types of clients, we have both VoiceBunny and Voice123. Both services have different scopes when it comes to voice overs and we strongly believe we have been able to succeed in both areas. I invite you to join Voice123 as well if you haven't done so already!
As mentioned, the debate doesn't end here. Every day we brainstorm ways to get better and this is a topic that we don't abandon. We have a lot of room for improvement and that's exciting! We work every day so we can keep innovating and reinventing ourselves all the time.
I disagree with your statement Angela. Amazon's business does not revolve around the size of project. That's not the nature of the business they are in. They sell things based on what the manufacture charges them and their need to make a profit, Along with supply and demand. VO is different, usage is used to determine a fair price. I understand your business model maybe set for those who have small businesses or smaller budgets. Like you said if you've been here for a length of time you can see that. However, that doesn't mean check and balances don't need to be maintained. There should be something...it doesn't even have to be exactly the national average but there should be something for usage. Internet is different from radio, is different from National TV, is different from Local (small market), is different than whiteboard presentation. That's like me charging $2 for french fries and $2 for a Filet Mignon Steak and saying it's all classified as food, so same price. A 50 word script for mom an pop's voicemail is a very different project than a production house casting a VO for a TV ad! or for TV tags. Those 50 words are not the same. The talent is cheapened, we lose money and so does Voicebunny. I like we serve the small market. I like that prices are manageable for them but it's as simple as finding numbers that work for each category. Create a drop down menu and letting them pick what their project is. Maybe just a percentage that's added on to whatever prices the talent has set for themselves. Since talent set their own prices.
I totally agree with Peter and Ra. Moreover, Voicebunny's Rates and Preferences page doesn't leave a choice: agree with everything or leave. I find it a bit short. For instance I could choose to record only 500+ words projects and therefore refuse commercials via Voicebunny and accept only longer recordings such as corporate or e-learning. But this option doesn't exist (or I missed it?).
Recently my voice has been chosen for a recording quoted EUR 24.95 by Voicebunny.
When I opened the project page and listened to the reference track the client provided, I found out that it was obviously intended to be broadcasted on TV or radio in France. The starting price for such a job is EUR 600+ so I rejected the project, saying that the fee was way too low. Then, to make it short, Angela told me "this is our business model and we won't change it". In other words love it or leave it...
I think I should at least have the choice of accepting or not a project...
Absolutely agree with Peter's post, Ra and Benoit.
I have twice mentioned the same thing in VB support and got the answer that this is a talent management issue etc...
I have the same problem with some scripts that has been payed something like 10 -20$ and found them on heavy National TV Broadcast in all top rated channels in Greece. (At the same time due to the insane VB mark up the client still pays 150-200$ for this).
I guess i have to start rejecting projects but the problem is that you usually don't know where the VO is going to be aired
p.s. Amazon example is really fail
p.s 2 I am also in Voice123 (premium) but never got one job there