Artists get taken advantage of all the time. As a professional audio engineer working for several marketing agencies, I serve not only as the producer but also as the liaison between talent and the agency. That being said, it’s often up to me to solve any sort of payment dispute. It shouldn’t be up to me, but I have a feeling it’s because both parties would rather do a “he/she said to tell you” sort of thing.

One VO artist in particular that I’ve worked with for years has had their fair share of issues with payment and use of their voice. I decided to ask them a few questions in order to shine some light on the situation. 

What was the worst incident in which you didn’t get paid for VO services?

I was owed $3,000.  The client later had a stroke, so collecting payment at that time seemed uncouth.  I waited a few years, and carried the balance forward until he recovered. I reached out some time later, and when we reconnected, he indicated that he really wanted to get me paid and that he “had some things in the works”, and that I should call him back in 5-6 weeks. After several attempts to follow up, I received a call from the client’s sister, telling me that he had committed suicide. I did not get paid.

Do you feel as though you often get taken advantage of as a VO artist?

Yes. In usage and cost.

How?

Firstly, I oftentimes feel that the spots i record are used multiple times beyond the cycles I’ve been told they’d be used for, but because, in many cases, i live out of market, i have no way of knowing. I have, however, accidentally discovered “abused usage” scenarios, and have had to chase down the money.  It’s not fun, and sometimes, the client will either deny it, or pay it, or pay it and then never hire me again.

Are you paid enough compared to the industry average?

I don’t believe that I am.  But, these days it’s hard to know what the “industry average is”.  Many times an individual ad agency or production company will set a rate and if i don’t follow it, they will hire someone else. in these trying times, I cannot afford to push back. There are too many low-cost voice over providers that drive the prices down, and I don’t want to participate with those entities, but the competition is too great to take those chances. It’s a grave landscape out there.

How can other VO artists ensure that they get paid for services rendered?

Go union. And, do everything in your power to help clients understand that this protects everyone’s best interests. And it keeps track of when and where spots are used, so voice artists are appropriately compensated, and clients don’t have to keep track of everything and have to do extra work later. Also, there is a set rate sheet in place that negates the need for haggling, creating a negative environment for an artist to have to justify their costs.. I can’t think of any other way. If a client refuses to “go union”, unless they are able to provide an acceptable reason why not, then perhaps this is not a client who respects the voice artist and what they are bringing to the table, and are just trying to be cheap, with no accountability.

Going union is a great way to get paid industry standard rates that also factor in size and scope of how your voice is being used. However, not all artists want to go union. Union artists run the risk of being undercut by cheaper non-union voices. The agencies that I work for have never and will never hire union VO artists; we always make sure to check before sending any work. The concept of the union functions best in an ideal world where every artist is a part of it, but unfortunately that isn’t reality. So what else can you do as a VO artist to protect yourself?