It’s one of the most commonly asked questions and topics of much debate…just how much do Voice Over Artists get paid? (or how much SHOULD they be getting?)
The answer to this is actually quite straight forward as there’s an industry recognised rate card for commercial voice overs developed by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance in consultation with the communications council of Australia.
This rate card sets the minimum Voice Over rates for Australian voice over artists for commercial uses across all mediums such as radio, television, online and even phone on hold.
If you’re serious about getting into voice over work, these are the rates you would be aiming to work for as a professional voice over artist.
In recent years we’ve seen much confusion and discussion around these rates with an increase in the number of voice over service providers prepared to work for much lower rates in order to secure the work.
This aside, here are some examples of common voice over jobs and the industry pay rate.
Radio Commercial
You get booked for a voice over at a commercial radio station. The job is 3 x 30 second scripts promoting various products on special for a large supermarket chain. The ads will run for 2 weeks and only on radio in Melbourne.
Voice Over talent fee = $330
If you did the exactly same job but the radio commercials were going to air on radio stations in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin…and be on air for up to 12 months the fee would be $470.
For radio you would be paid the same rate to read up to 5 scripts, as long as they were for the same client / product.
Television / Internet Commercial
You’re booked to read a single 30 second script for a Television commercial. The ad will also run online on Facebook or a website as paid advertising and will run for 2 weeks.
Voice Over talent fee = $715
If the commercial was just on free to air and/or pay tv, broadcast in more than one state of Australia, the rate would be $530.
Unlike Radio, for Television the voice over fee is per script.
Phone-on-hold message
Sound boring? If you’re booked to record a basic on-hold message the runs less than 60 seconds for a small business the fee would be $190 for a recording session of up to 30 minutes.
Where do I sign up for that!?
Ok. It’s important to set some realistic expectations for anyone who is new to the Voice Over industry.
If you put the time and energy into your skills as a voice over artist and live in a city like Melbourne or Sydney then the types of jobs listed above could be in your future, however there’s a path to be travelled to get there.
If you listen to some of the earlier blogcast interviews we’ve done with voice over artists you’ll understand that the pathway to success in voice overs is different for everyone…and so is the level of success.
So perhaps the question is where do I start, rather than where do I sign up?
Learn…
More about the industry
How to read scripts
How to use your voice
Get experience…
You’re going to need lots of experience to gain the confidence and skills needed to work as a voice over artist. This could mean doing some voluntary / unpaid / low paid work that’s suitable for those who are starting out.
It’s important to know that no voice over course or coach can guarantee you work in the industry. However you may find that this is a good place to start.
Keen to start your Voice Over journey?
Join us for the Introduction to Voice Over Course held over the weekend of October 20/21 (2 places available) or consider booking a 1 on 1 in-studio coaching session.
You’ll get much more out of our weekend course however the 1 on 1 sessions are great if you just want to get a taste of the practical side of voice over work (for those who are new) or want to get more in-studio experience.
If you have any questions we’d love to hear from you.