The voice actor's daily success resource · since 2007
What to charge and what to sign. Rates by category, usage and buyouts, union scale, invoicing, and the contract terms — including AI and voice cloning clauses — worth reading twice before you agree.
Are some of your voice over clients slow pay – or no pay? Voice actor/coach Paul Schmidt details how to set up an on-time payment before you even record the project, in this video and article. It’s a matter of being clear on all the terms, setting expectations, and being proactive in diffusing potential problems …
Red flags about AI / synthetic voices abound in today’s voice over contracts. Look for them and know what they mean in order to protect your vocal identity – and income. Either negotiate changes to those onerous terms or charge appropriately for your work. In Part 2 of this series, Vocal Variants details what to spot in contracts, and what to do when those flags arise …
Hey! That’s YOUR voice being cloned! Without your permission – or payment. What to do? As AI’s synthetic voices creep deeper into the voice over world, new organization Vocal Variants details how to protect your vocal identity and the use of your voice. Part 1 …
The voice over contract specifies a BUYOUT? It’s not necessarily a bad option, says VO talent/business coach Tom Dheere. What’s a BUYOUT really mean, and how to figure what’s best for you?
J. Michael Collins makes some dire predictions for the future of low-end, low-paying voice over jobs in the advancing age of AI. So he’s taking the high road: Verified Human. Here’s why you might want to, as well …
Are you training your voice over clients to expect things for free? Top voice actor/coach Paul Strikwerda reminds us that “We teach people how to treat us, and what we are worth.” Follow his tips here to be sure you’re not giving away your valuable services …
How’s your voice over BUSINESS performance going? Voice actor / business and marketing coach Tom Dheere shares 15 money tips – some helpful reminders, and some you’ve probably never thought about …
You’ve got enough competition in VO without competing with yourself. Attorney / voice actor Rob Sciglimpaglia warns that It’s ‘career suicide” to record text-to-speech / artificial intelligence projects that clone your voice – without giving yourself any control over where your voice will appear. He reports here on a new breed of projects that DO give you that control, and what to look for in contracts …
Voice actor Bev Standing’s legal case against TikTok over unauthorized use of her voice in the social media giant’s text-to-speech feature has concluded – but not the entire story. Here are the lessons learned and a pay-it-forward gift …
Popular voice actor Christi Bowen tells us she recently lost an eLearning job – not to a colleague, but to a machine. To a voice created by artificial intelligence. This is happening more and more, especially in eLearning projects. What can we human voices do about it?