{"id":4041,"date":"2021-03-16T14:39:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T14:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tonycollinsfogarty.com\/?p=4041"},"modified":"2023-11-14T17:34:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T17:34:14","slug":"cost-of-a-voice-over-artist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tonycollinsfogarty.com\/blog\/voiceover\/cost-of-a-voice-over-artist","title":{"rendered":"What is the Cost Of A Voice Over Artist in 2022?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

7-8 minutes reading time.<\/em> Article Updated: 8th Feb 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo by Josh Appel<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

It’s a challenge for many voiceover artists. How much? Everybody wants a simple answer.  If only there was one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll let you into a little secret.  How much to charge for voice over work is one of the most discussed areas by voice over artists in groups and forums.  Sometimes it\u2019s a lack of knowledge from new talent.  Often it\u2019s a lack of confidence.  I\u2019ll leave the \u201cknow your worth\u201d discussion for another blog, but here\u2019s my take…<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Voice Overs Rates – Why Is It So Complicated?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Well, there are 3 key reasons I would say. I\u2019ll list them out and then take you through each in detail:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Usage and Performance rights.   <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Established practices in different genres.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. You\u2019re buying from a business, even if it feels like hiring a person.  <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So let\u2019s get to the issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Issue 1 – Usage and Performance Rights.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    An issue that is often mis-understood is that you don’t ‘buy’ a voice-over recording. Instead, you buy a ‘licence’ to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Voice-over pricing generally divides into two components. The recording and the usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The recording component, often called a B.S.F. (Basic Studio Fee) is an hourly in-studio fee to make the recording. That is time spent in the room, not the finished length of the recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The second component is usage. Voice-over is a performance, much like a musician. It is a bespoke, provided service. The usage is a fee to reflect the exposure the performance receives and the value derived from the voice-over by the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There is a creative value in the performance. The benefit from its use is more than the sum of time taken to make it. (This is no different than a royalty or equivalent in other creative industries).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As an aside it\u2019s worth pointing out that in many parts of the world there is either existing law or proposed law coming that offers some protection to performance rights.  Essentially, fair remuneration is to be expected.  The Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances or a variation of it is being adopted by many countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Voice Over \u2018Conflicts\u2019.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Voice over artists can often be subject to \u2018conflict\u2019 clauses and exclusivity requirements, particularly in advertising.  So for instance, a sports brand like Nike or Adidas might only hire a voice that has no work with other customers in the \u2018sports apparel\u2019 sector in current usage.  This means that a professional voiceover artist has to exercise some control over the use of their work.  Otherwise, work intended for one use, could end up somewhere else, potentially breaching a contract.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Returning to the music analogy, you already buy products in this way. Think of it like an Ed Sheeran CD.  You buy it and have the right to listen to it, but that doesn\u2019t mean you \u2018own\u2019 the rights to his music. (Read the small print on the disc). If you were to play the CD to a public audience, you would likely need a PRS licence. If you were to sell pirated copies of that CD, you’d be in legal hot water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All Rights, All Media, In Perpetuity.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s been a rise recently in production companies and clients requesting an \u201call rights, all media, in-perpetuity\u201d licence.  This is a convenient catch-all that pleases the legal department, but actually can really seriously limit your choices.  A true professional is not going to agree to these terms because of the implications it might have on other work.  That is unless the fee compensates for the loss of major contracts.  Instead, you\u2019re left with non-professionals who don\u2019t realise what career-damaging harm they are doing.  Quality suffers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Understanding Usage Can Save You Money.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Using the \u2018all rights\u2019 request will rule many out.  Being clear about usage can rule many people in and save you money.  Usage is usually calculated around the likely number of people to hear something.  If you\u2019re specific about where the content will be used, you\u2019d be surprised at the value you can achieve.  I recently had a potential video client say to me, \u201cwe probably can\u2019t afford you\u201d because they know I\u2019ve been the voice of international TV campaigns.  Once I explained usage to them, they realised they didn\u2019t have to pay TV commercial rates for a corporate video.  They were very happy with the end product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Issue 2 – Established Practices in Different Genres.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There are many different genres of voiceover work which have evolved over time from different industries.\u00a0 This means that voiceover rates can differ in both the amount that is charged and the mechanism that arrives at the figure. This can be quite confusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Basic Studio Fee (B.S.F.)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I’m a British voiceover artist<\/a>, and for most of us based in the UK, the starting point is something called a B.S.F. (Basic Studio Fee).  This is a charge per studio hour for the voice over artist\u2019s services.  So not a fee for the studio hire, but a fee for the artist\u2019s time in-studio. Where a B.S.F. is charged, an additional usage fee is normally agreed as a percentage of one hour\u2019s B.S.F. In 2021, a typical Voiceover B.S.F. in the UK is around \u00a3250 – \u00a3300.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alternative Ways To Price.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    E-Learning Voice Over Rates.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    E-Learning<\/a> has become a more important sector since the rise of broadband internet.  For reasons even I don\u2019t know it is historically charged on a word count.  So you might see a charge \u201cpw” (per word).  Some companies translate this into time.  I tend to work to 150 words per minute for example.  This assumes no external usage, as most content is for internal business use.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For the record, historically the word count is based on \u2018spoken word\u2019, so if we\u2019re being absolutely precise here, then \u201c146\u201d is actually five words: \u201cOne hundred and forty six\u201d.  Although actually, depending on the context, you might want me to say \u201cOne Four Six\u201d: three words.  Microsoft Word\u2019s word-count struggles with this, so  most of us overlook it, unless your script is littered with numbers and acronyms. Individual discretion is key here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Audio-Book Narration.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Audio-books tend to be priced by the \u201cfinished hour\u201d.  So, a voiceover artist working in that genre will tend to know how many hours are needed and what the total price will be. I understand that in this sector, the price per hour isn’t rounded up, so 2.5 hours is 2.5 times your finished hour agreed rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Radio Commercial Voice Overs. (UK Only)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Equity have collective agreements with the two largest UK radio groups (Global and Bauer). This means there is a rate-card for all commercials produced by these groups. As a British voice over<\/a>, I work to this rate-card. This agreement only covers commercials made in house by the radio stations or their appointed producers.  This is based on a per voice, per station basis.  So you get a fee for one station, but 4 fees if it airs on 4 stations.   The fee can vary depending on station size. If you perform 2 characters in one commercial, you would be paid 2 fees etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It’s worth noting here, that many stations are listed on the rate-cards that are not owned by Global or Bauer. This is because sometimes Global or Bauer may produce a commercial that also airs on other stations. This is the rate they have agreed for those stations. Stations outside of these groups haven’t necessarily agreed to this rate and may, or may not follow it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A word that often gets lost in this discussion is “minimum”. It’s a minimum agreed Equity rate. A voice-over artist is free to decide their own fee if they feel it should be higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The agreed local radio rates doesn’t have an additional session fee, but live sessions tend to be very short (15 minutes), and if a client is present (in-person or remotely) an additional fee is charged to cover the additional time involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For radio commercials produced outside the local agreement, for instance by an agency, you would expect to charge a BSF, and then a licence fee for each station where the commercial airs. The licence tends to be for a 3 month period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    On-Hold \/ IVR – Interactive Voice Response Voice-Overs.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    On-Hold voice over<\/a> rates tend to be priced per prompt (usually with a limited number of words per prompt), although larger projects may book by B.S.F.  Some artists will distinguish between informational messages and commercial messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Minimum Studio Fee.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s worth noting that on IVR and E-Learning, many voices will set a minimum studio fee.  This isn\u2019t an additional fee, but a minimum fee you will need to surpass with work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What\u2019s Your Voice Over Price Per Minute?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019ve only ever worked in E-Learning, this might seem like a totally logical question. But it can be a problem when you\u2019re trying to price for another sector.  An explainer video producer who moves into TV commercials, might not have considered the impact of usage on the price.   A radio production team extends from radio commercials into producing a video for a client\u2019s website, but have no appreciation of market rates for that product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stepping into another pricing sector can mean getting a handle on pricing using a different model. Most pro voice overs will be happy to chat about this. We’re here to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Studio Time versus Fixed Rate.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    What I do see in these differing price structures that tends to make more sense of them, is that where the voice over artist is operating alone, a fixed rate is more likely, such as audiobooks or e-learning. This is where essentially the voice over artist is responsible for the time management.   Where a voiceover artist is engaged in a studio and the time taken is dependent on other factors or people, then they are generally paid by the studio hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019ve never seen Channel 4\u2019s \u201cToast Of London\u201d, you\u2019ll have missed this clip, which is possibly my most favourite ever.   You\u2019ll understand watching, why being paid by the word isn\u2019t ideal for a directed session.  (p.s. it’s a comedy, not a documentary!)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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