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INCOME
In New Poll Results, Full-Time Voice Actors
Continue Trend Toward More Annual VO Income
February 2, 2016

(VOXtra) - Full-time voice actors are consistently earning more money year-to-year, according to polls taken by VoiceOverXtra - and the most recent poll finds 66% of the respondents reporting more VO income in year 2015 than in 2014.

On the other hand, 29% of the full-timers earned less VO money in 2015, and another 5% said income remained about the same between the years.

The current poll (initiated on January 29 and still open - see the RED POLL box at the bottom right of the VoiceOverXtra.com home page) asked:
If you've been earning money as a FULL-TIME voice actor for at least two years - did you earn MORE money as a voice actor in the year 2015 than in 2014? (Your answer is anonymous.)
The poll was conducted at the VoiceOverXtra website and via social media. As of this writing, 56 full-time VOs have participated. Part-time voice actors will be polled about income soon.

The income trend for full-time voice actors is remarkably consistent with the results from earlier VoiceOverXtra polls.
  • In October 2015, 65% of the full-timers reported making more VO money in the past 12 months than in the previous 12-month period. Another 13% reported less income, and 6% "no change."
  • In June 2013, 56% of the respondents were full-time VOs earning more than in the previous year. And,
  • In October 2012, that number was 58%.
PERSPECTIVE, PLEASE

Of course, this polling method can only reveal possible trends. And as VO pro Debbie Grattan notes, "Asking such a broad question gets to brass tacks, but we're not sure what the overall results can show without more detail."

For instance, she adds:

"If someone is full-time VO but in the ramp-up stage of a business, they may be steadily making more income as the business ramps up from one year to the next.

"For others in a steady flow of 6 figures, over many years, there may be decline due to the influx of new competition, in turn contributing to a disturbing decline in rates due to the "buyer's market" mentality, driving down prices.

"Perspective and positioning is everything."

Indeed. That's why we'll soon poll for income perspectives, as well.

Meanwhile, thanks for those who participated! And if you'd like to add your perspective now about voice over income, please do so in the COMMENTS section below.

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Comments (3)
Don Leslie
2/2/2016 at 7:26 PM
I agree with Debbie; much more specificity is necessary before one can interpret this poll with any degree of accuracy. Just including ageism, for instance, as one important variable would skew the results. The shift to home studios from professional ones for audio book narration is another. And there are many more such variables that you should think about including in your next go-around.
j. valentino
2/2/2016 at 4:01 PM
"The poll was conducted at the VoiceOverXtra website and via social media." Right, and everyone always tells the truth online and on social media. Let's see the tax returns. I am 100 percent sure VO talent didn't make more. Budgets being offered for national TV commercials are at an all time low. The average budget for a vo project is 300 dollars on the Pay for Play sites, which the "full timers" are flocking to. I like optimism, but there is no truth in what people say on social media. Take Facebook for example, it thrives on pretentiousness.
Rick Riley
2/2/2016 at 10:55 AM
Agree with Debbie. If you are starting out and $25k last year and $35k this year, that’s a nice increase but it doesn’t say anything about the industry. It just says you’re building your business. But if you’ve been doing this for a while and made $220k last year and $200k this year, that shows up as a decline, yet you’re still doing well. And a 10% decrease could be a just a standard business fluctuation. You probably need to ask along with the ‘better or worse’ question, last year’s $$ figure along with the previous year figure and how long you’ve been full time. Using the criteria of ‘Two years’ in any business is just getting your feet wet.
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