Voiceover confuses people because the price is not really for the time. It is for where the recording will be used.
The two components
Session fee pays for the artist's time, their studio and their delivery of clean files. Usage pays for the value of the recording where it runs. A thirty second script may take fifteen minutes to record and still be a significant fee because it runs nationally for a year.
What changes the usage price
- Medium: internal video, website, podcast advert, radio, television, cinema, game.
- Territory: one city, one country, worldwide.
- Duration: one month, one year, in perpetuity.
- Exclusivity: whether the artist may voice a competitor during the term.
Buyouts
A buyout is a single fee covering all agreed usage without further payments. Buyouts are normal, but the word alone means nothing without the details. A buyout must still state medium, territory and duration, otherwise nobody knows what was bought.
Common pricing models
- Per finished minute, used widely for long form narration and audiobooks.
- Per hour or per session, common for corporate, e-learning and character work.
- Per script with usage added, standard for advertising.
- Per word, sometimes used for short scripts.
What should be included
A fair quote usually includes the recording, basic editing, removal of mistakes, and a small number of pickups caused by the artist. It usually does not include script rewrites, direction sessions booked separately, heavy post production, music, or additional versions for other markets.
For clients
Give medium, territory and duration in your first message. You will get accurate quotes immediately instead of a range. Ask what happens if you later extend usage; agreeing that in advance is cheaper than renegotiating after the campaign is live.
For artists
Quote in writing with the usage terms spelled out and an expiry date on the quote. Charge separately for script changes. Keep a rate card you can send instantly, and never quote a national campaign at a corporate rate because the script is short.
Neither side should guess
Most disputes in voiceover come from an unstated assumption about usage. Five extra lines in the brief prevent almost all of them.