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AUDIOBOOK NARRATORS BUSINESS SURVEY 2015
Respondents' Comments To Question #6:
If You Do Not Belong To A Union, Does Non-Membership Enhance
Or Diminish Your Chances Of Obtaining Audiobook Projects?
5/20/2015

Respondents to the VoiceOverXtra Audiobook Narrators Business Survey - 2015 made the following comments to Question 6. For the accompanying article, please click here.



Comments:
  • I assume union membership would increase opportunities for high paying jobs, but i don't know.
  • Has had no effect on my business.
  • I do not join unions.
  • Diminishes the chances of obtaining better paying projects, in my opinion.
  • Neither enhances or diminishes
  • not sure
  • No idea as yet
  • does not matter
  • I think that if a new narrator was willing to work for a low rate of $50 PFH  he/she would be offered zillions of projects.
  • Don't know.
  • Union work means not working unless you're an elite and union membership does not guarantee eliteness.
  • You get hired because your the best person for the project.
  • I don't know, really.
  • I certainly don't think it's ever gotten in my way.
  • I could be wrong, but I book lots of work, and I've never been told I needed to be Union for a gig.
  • unsure of chances
  • Don't know.
  • I don't feel like it has any effect on my chances of getting an audio book job.
  • UK based where Union Membership probably enhances my reputation ... here Union Membership does appear to give some kind of quality recognition, but there are no guarantees.
  • No influence
  • Too soon to tell
  • Seems to have no bearing
  • Membership seems to open up more opportunities to be Listed and to network, however, I'm not convinced that membership alone results in any kind of increased work opportunity. 
  • Union insurance benefits are predicated on earnings, I believe. 
  • Most of the networking/ training conferences, Union sponsored or not, are independently operated and priced separately. And the major publishers don't seem to care if you're Union affiliated, their bottom line is the amount of quality audio you can produce.
  • Actually, the union negotiated with Bee Audio to raise the normal cpfh to $210. This benefited all Bee narrators, including non-union.
  • I don't know if belonging to a union enhances chances of employment.
  • Neither that I can tell.
  • I have never belonged to a union, so I cannot answer this question.
  • In the short time I've been working as a freelance voice actor, I have not noticed any impact on obtaining gigs. However, it seems that perhaps the "honey" jobs are kept within those union-based enclaves, accessible only via who knows you.
  • I don't think it makes a difference if you're Union or non Union
  • I have no comparison.
  • I think it neither enhances or diminishes chances.
  • I don't think it matters either way.
  • I'm not sure yet
  • Not being famous, my books will be lower-budget  - so publishers and authors may well perceive a cost advantage in a non-union reader. 
  • Ethically, I would rather belong to a union.
  • Diminishes chances with the large publishing companies. However, it does not make any difference with ACX.
  • In the case of audiobooks, I've done better in a right-to-work state as a union talent.
  • I seem to do better in audiobooks than in any other genre as a GA talent.
  • it hasn't hurt my employability to date. i've stayed steadily busy alongside my full-time teaching job.
  • Don't know I'm still too green to know. Currently, I am only doing projects via acx, hence I am not aware of an impact
  • I am not sure - I do plan to join SAG AFTRA this year though. 
  • I am very fortunate to be offered more work than I can take on.
  • I think neither!
  • I have been encouraged to join the union by one producer I work for.
  • Don't know.
  • Not being Union seems to help with lower-end books.
  • I obtain most contracts through ACX, which has union-sanction contracts in place.
  • I don't believe it would be a help or hindrance.
  • I have found that being non-union doesn't preclude you from projects through ACX, but does diminish the chances through some of the larger publishing companies.
  • Not applicable Union status had way less impact on getting audio books than knowing the right people.
  • Union member Makes no difference.
  • Don't know enough to answer.
  • Neither, again, tho if I had to pick door 1 or 2 I'd pick 2. 
  • Sorry to editorialize here for a moment, but the biggest wild card in the insane world of audio books is the fact that talentless people are now narrating who would never have been hired as recently as six to ten years ago. Audio books are by far the most difficult area of voice work, yet but that fact seems to be lost on people in charge of the casting process.
  • Many channels available that don't require union membership, but blocks you from those that do, I assume.
  • At my lower level, union membership is not a requirement, so it neither enhances nor diminishes.
  • I wish I knew. I have no idea. I'm not even certain how to get audiobooks from the big guys.
  • neither is true
  • I'm still sussing this out . . . I may see the results of this survey and decide to join a union
  • It's not clear that non-membership has any impact - positive or negative.
  • Unsure, as I have no experience with membership. I don't believe it makes much difference
  • I don't believe that either is true.
  • Authors don't know the difference, and that is how I have gotten my audiobooks.
  • I begrudgingly agree with "enhance." However, I have no experience to base this thought. I have no idea. All I know is I get cast one after another. Feeling very lucky.
  • I don't think it makes any difference.
  • No way to know
  • Quite possibly enhances chances for Brilliance Audio.
  • Being non-union does not seem to affect my ability to get "union" audiobook work. Probably because audiobooks fall into a grey area with the union.
  • No opinion
  • unknown at this time
  • Not sure. I will join union if there are advantages. I do not need the benefits the union has valiantly negotiated - so that is not a draw for me.
  • I belong to SAG-AFTRA. I understand that being in the union means you can not take non union jobs
  • I don't think it matters.
  • I do not know. I have not compared. I assume being part of the Union means you aren't supposed to take lower-paying jobs
  • No idea how this might or might not impact my prospects.
  • I plan to join SAG/AFTRA this year.
  • No difference.
  • Neither if I understand Union rules
  • not sure, but hoping to join SAG-AFTRA this year. I am qualified, just trying to justify the cost!
  • I do not belong to a union.
  • I believe Union membership is neutral with respect to audiobook narration; I believe it neither enhances nor diminishes opportunities.
  • It makes no difference.
  • Unsure Don't know. May increase the chances because the fees are really quite low for the amount of work required.
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