The Voice Over INDUSTRY RATECARD

The Voice Over
INDUSTRY RATECARD


Welcome to the Voice Over Industry Ratecard.

Edge Studio put together the following rates as pure suggestions. It is meant to reflect average and realistic dollar amounts being fairly charged within the industry. PLEASE USE THIS ONLY AS A GUIDE – RATES VARY from city to city, client to client, job to job, and voice talent to voice talent.

     All listed rates are for non-Union buy-outs
     For a listing of Union rates, visit www.aftra.com or www.sag.org
     For notes on rates specific to home studios, scroll down

Use our WORD-TO-HOUR CONVERTER to create your estimates.

USEFUL DEFINITIONS

     Buy-Out: a flat rate which “buys” the right to use your voice. All non-union jobs are considered “buy-outs.”
     Monthly Retainer: An agreement in which the client pays a set amount each month to compensate you for on-going work. The rate should be based on the average amount of work per month. We strongly encourage you to set a maximum amount of work the client is allowed to ask for each month at that rate.
     Per Hour: charging an hourly rate based on the length of time you spend at the studio.
     Per Project: charging a flat rate for a script, regardless of the time spent at the studio.
     Per Session: charging a flat rate for the recording session (the time you spend in the studio) regardless of the number of projects recorded.
     Per Spot: charging a flat rate for each commercial spot, regardless of the time spent at the studio.
     Residuals: Additional compensation for a commercial, above and beyond the initial payment, based on the number of times a spot is run. Paid every 13 weeks. This occurs in SAG or AFTRA (Union) commercials only.
     Scratch Track: a temporary recording that is a “place-holder” for the final voice-over. Not recorded as “broadcast quality” sound. Production facilities use scratch tracks to assist them with designing TV/video/flash presentations.
     Session: the time spent at a recording studio on one given trip. If you leave the studio and come back on a different day, even if you continue to work on the same project, it is a new “session.”
     Union Rates: The negotiated minimum rates for union voice-over work which union members should follow. The two unions governing voice-over are SAG and AFTRA.



GENERAL NOTES
     Always openly discuss rates and method of payment with clients and set rates before the recording begins.
     Do not discuss rates with anyone other than the person with whom you set the original rate.
     When first discussing rates with a client, be comfortable with asking for more details about a project prior to giving them a firm price.
     Rates through subscription audition sites (such as Voice123.com) may vary significantly.
     Charge more for:
          - traveling more than one hour to your client’s studio
          - reading to picture (timing your read to fit with the visuals/graphics)
          - providing voice over in a less common language or special vernacular (medical, legal,...)
     When charging “per hour”:
          - always set a 1-hour minimum.
          - after the first hour, charge in 1/4-hour increments.
          - consider offering a discount after the first hour (e.g. $250 for the 1st hour, $150 for every hour after that)
     “Per Hour” vs. “Per Project”: in general, if you don’t know how long the project will take, charge per hour because you are likely to make more money. HOWEVER if you record quickly, you may not make as much money on “per hour” projects in the SHORT-TERM, but you will gain a reputation for being a dependable, cost-effective talent, which will lead to booking more jobs in the LONG-TERM.
     To determine the length of a script, use our WORD-TO-HOUR CONVERTER.



RATE CARD

BROADCAST: Radio

The following suggested rates are per spot.

LOCAL
     Small Market (e.g. one town on Long Island) - $50 to $200
     Large Market (e.g. Boston or New York City) - $150 to $400

REGIONAL
     $200 to $500

NATIONAL
     $500 to $1,000 or standard Union rates

TAGS (5 to 10 seconds)*
     Local - $25 to $100
     Regional - $75 to $200
     National - $100 to $300 or standard Union rates

     * Note: The payment for one tag is included with the payment for the spot. HOWEVER COMMONLY you will be requested to record multiple tags along with the one spot. It is industry practice that you are paid “per tag” for all additional tags. We strongly suggest that you clarify this with the client prior to recording.

NOTES
     If you record multiple spots in one session you should be paid separately for each spot.
     Rates through subscription audition sites (such as Voice123.com) may vary significantly.
     Consider offering a discount for a series of spots.
     Consider offering scratch tracks for free or for a heavily discounted rate.
     An “unlimited buy-out” may pay more than a “one-year buy-out”.


BROADCAST: TV

The following suggested rates are per spot.

LOCAL
     Small Market (e.g. one town on Long Island) - $75 to $300
     Large Market (e.g. Boston or New York City) - $200 to $500

REGIONAL
     $250 to $750

NATIONAL
     $500 to $2,000 or standard Union rates

TAGS (5-10 Seconds) *
     Local - $50 to $100
     Regional - $75 to $250
     National - $200 to $400 or standard Union rates

     * Note: The payment for one tag is included with the payment for the spot. HOWEVER COMMONLY you will be requested to record multiple tags along with the one spot. It is industry practice that you are paid “per tag” for all additional tags. We strongly suggest that you clarify this with the client prior to recording.

NOTES
     If you record multiple spots in one session you should be paid separately for each spot.
     Rates through subscription audition sites (such as Voice123.com) may vary significantly.
     Consider offering a discount for a series of spots.
     Consider offering scratch tracks for free or for a heavily discounted rate.
     An “unlimited buy-out” may pay more than a “one-year buy-out”.


BROADCAST: Promos, Trailers, Imaging

The following suggested rates are per spot.

RADIO
     Local Promo/ Station Imaging – $50 to $200
     Regional Promo/ Station Imaging – $200 to $500
     National Promo/ Station Imaging - $300 to $750
     For on-going Station Imaging (you are “the voice” of the station) – Custom Retainer*

TELEVISION
     Local Promo – $100 to $200
     Regional Promo – $200 to $500
     National Promo - $500 to $1,000
     For on-going Station Imaging (you are “the voice” of the station) – Custom Retainer*

TRAILERS (Radio and TV)
     Local/Small Market play - $100 to $300
     Regional/Medium Market play - $200 to $500
     National/Large Market play - $1,000 to $2,000 or Union rates

NOTES
     If you record multiple spots in one session you should be paid separately for each spot.
     * Custom Retainer: You may be hired to be “the voice” of a station, meaning that you will record promos or imaging spots on a consistent, on-going basis. In this situation, we recommend negotiating a monthly retainer based on the average amount of work. The client will pay you a lump sum per month rather than per individual job. We strongly recommend setting a maximum number of spots to be recorded each month at the retainer rate.


NON-BROADCAST and BROADCAST:
Animation, cartoon, videogame,…

A standard animation session fee compensates you for doing up to 3 voices. If you are hired for a fourth, fifth, etc., you should be paid an additional rate per voice.

This category covers “pre-lay” recording, meaning you are voicing characters before they are animated. See the “Dubbing” category for rates for re-voicing foreign animations.

RATES:
     Broadcast (Saturday morning cartoons, Nickelodeon, etc.) - $100 to $600 per hour
     Non-Broadcast (talking toys, interactive CD-ROMs, Internet, etc.) - $85 to $300 per hour

NOTES
     Expect to charge lower rates for animation produced overseas.
     Rates vary by TV station and by client.
     If a show is sold to another station, you should receive an additional buy-out (because the usage has changed/been extended).


NON-BROADCAST:
Audiobook

Audiobooks have their own special way of determining rates: they usually pay “per completed hour” (the length of the final product) rather than “per hour” (the length of time you are in the studio).

RATES:
     Inexperienced narrator - $85 to $140 per completed hour
     Moderately Experienced - $90 to $175 per completed hour
     Very Experienced - $150 to $250 per completed hour

NOTES:
     Companies may have very different rates due to their place in the retail market (for instance, the Library of Congress – which does not produce for retail sale – pays less than Talking Books, which does).
     Even the unions differentiate between inexperienced and experienced talent. The current AFTRA rate for a “new reader” is $139.25 vs. $168.25 for experienced.


NON-BROADCAST:
Corporate, Industrial, Training Video,...

You may choose to charge per project or per hour for this type of script. (See the general notes at the top of this page for more information).

“PER PROJECT” RATES by length of script
     0-5 Minutes - $100 to $200
     5-10 Minutes - $150 to $300
     10-20 Minutes - $200 to $400
     20-30 Minutes - $300 to $500
     Longer – add $100 to $150 for every 10 additional minutes

“PER HOUR” RATES
     $75 to $400

NOTES
     When charging “per hour”:
          - always set a 1-hour minimum.
          - after the first hour, charge in 1/4-hour increments.
          - consider offering a discount after the first hour (e.g. $250 for the 1st hour, $150 for every hour after that)
     Consider offering a lower “bulk rate” If a client hires you for an on-going project (you’re guaranteed a new script once a month, once a week, etc.).
     Use our WORD-TO-HOUR CONVERTER to determine the length of the script.


NON-BROADCAST and BROADCAST:
Dubbing

Dubbing occurs in both animation and live-action projects and requires you to match pre-recorded/pre-animated mouth movements. For “pre-lay” animation rates see “Animation, cartoons…”

RATES
     Broadcast (anime, movies, etc.): $60 to $200 per hour
     Non-Broadcast (Internet): $50 to $150 per hour

NOTES
     Animation dubbing involves replacing the original language with English (or replacing English with another language for a foreign market).
     There are multiple applications for live-action dubbing:
          - replacing the original voice
          - fixing lines when the live audio is faulty
          - “cleaning up” language for a TV broadcast of a film (if the original actor is unavailable a “sound-alike” will be hired)
          - providing background “murmur” for crowd scenes


NON-BROADCAST:
Education, eLearning, ESL,…

Much of this work is long-form and/or on-going work. Therefore clients in this category often pay less than other types of narration. Since recording times tend to be lengthy for this type of work, we encourage you to charge per hour.

“PER HOUR” RATES
     $50 to $300

NOTES
     Be sure to set a 1-hour minimum
     After the first hour charge in ¼-hour increments
     Consider offering a lower “bulk rate” If a client hires you for an on-going project (you’re guaranteed a new script once a month, once a week, etc.).


NON-BROADCAST and BROADCAST:
Film, Video, Documentary,...

MODERATE-PLAY/NON-BROADCAST NARRATIONS (Documentary on local PBS affiliate only, Internet video, DVD, etc.)
     Per Hour: $100 to $300
     Per Project: $200 and up, based on length of script *

LARGE-PLAY/BROADCAST NARRATIONS (National Geographic documentary, etc.)
     Per Hour: $300 to $500
     Per Project: $500 and up, based on length of script *

NOTES
     When charging “per hour”:
          - always set a 1-hour minimum.
          - after the first hour, charge in 1/4-hour increments.
          - consider offering a discount after the first hour (e.g. $250 for the 1st hour, $150 for every hour after that)
     * Use our WORD-TO-HOUR CONVERTER to determine the length of the script.


NON-BROADCAST:
Medical, Pharmaceutical,...

Medical narration is a “special skill”, so we suggest charging slightly more than for other types of narration. (See the general notes at the top of this page for more information on “per project” vs. “per hour”)

“PER PROJECT” RATES by length of script
     0-5 Minutes - $150 to $200
     5-10 Minutes - $200 to $300
     10-20 Minutes - $300 to $400
     20-30 Minutes - $400 to $500
     Longer – add $100 to $150 for every 10 additional minutes

“PER HOUR” RATES
     $150 to $400

NOTES
     If you are very familiar with the terminology and write well, consider offering copy-writing services to your medical clients ($50 to $100 per hour)
     When charging “per hour”:
          - always set a 1-hour minimum.
          - after the first hour, charge in 1/4-hour increments.
          - consider offering a discount after the first hour (e.g. $250 for the 1st hour, $150 for every hour after that)
     Use our WORD-TO-HOUR CONVERTER to determine the length of the script.


NON-BROADCAST:
Telephony, IVR, On-hold, Menu-prompts...

This category can be charged in several different ways.

RATES:
     Per Word - $.08 to $.25 per word
     Per Prompt - $2 to $5 per prompt
     Per Hour - $50 to $150
     Per Project – Custom rate
     Monthly Retainer – Custom rate

NOTES

     PER PROJECT: This rate should be determined by the length of the script, as some Telephony projects are simple (welcome message + a few prompts) and some are very involved (voicemail prompts for main menu, sub-menus, sub-sub-meus,...). In many cases you can charge a “project” rate for the initial recording, and then charge per word, per prompt, or per hour for updates.
     MONTHLY RETAINER: You may be hired to be “the voice” of a company, meaning that you will record for their telephony system on a consistent, on-going basis. In this situation we recommend negotiating a monthly retainer based on the average amount of work. The client will pay you a lump sum per month rather than per individual job. We strongly recommend setting a maximum number of spots to be recorded each month at the retainer rate.
     Use our WORD-TO-HOUR CONVERTER to determine the length of the script.


NON-BROADCAST:
Web, Online Tutorial, Flash,...

You may choose to charge per project or per hour for this type of script. (See the general notes at the top of this page for more information)

“PER PROJECT” RATES by length of script
     0-5 Minutes - $100 to $200
     5-10 Minutes - $150 to $300
     10-20 Minutes - $200 to $400
     20-30 Minutes - $300 to $500
     Longer – add $100 to $150 for every 10 additional minutes

“PER HOUR” RATES
     $75 to $400

NOTES
     When charging “per hour”:
          - always set a 1-hour minimum.
          - after the first hour, charge in 1/4-hour increments.
          - consider offering a discount after the first hour (e.g. $250 for the 1st hour, $150 for every hour after that)
     Consider offering a lower “bulk rate” If a client hires you for an on-going project (you’re guaranteed a new script once a month, once a week, etc.)
     Use our WORD-TO-HOUR CONVERTER to determine the length of the script.



HOME-STUDIO NOTES

Usually, expect to invoice your client the same fee whether you record at your home-studio or if you’re brought into their studio. EXCEPTIONS:

We recommend charging more from your home-studio for:
     separating the audio into multiple files, and naming them
          - charge $1 per file
     removal of breaths, mouth clicks, and so on
          - charge additional studio time (usually the same as your voice over rate)
     phone-patch
          - charge between $10 to $25 per “connection” fee
     ISDN and Source Connect
          - charge between $25 to $100 more per hour
     translation / localization
          - farm it out (to us, for example), and mark-up our discounted price 25%
     reading to picture (timing your read to fit with the visuals/graphics)
          - charge between 10% to 25% extra
     reading to lip sync (timing your read to fit with a speaker’s mouth)
          - charge between 25% to 50% extra
     copy writing / editing
          - charge between $25 to $100 per hour
     music / sound effects
          - farm it out (to us, for example), and mark-up our discounted price 25%