What’s Included in a Voice Actor's Quote? Understanding Buyouts, Revisions, and Session Fees

Breaking Down the Key Components of a Voice Over Quote

When you receive a quote for a professional voice actor, you might see terms like "session fee," "buyout," and "usage rights." It can seem complicated, but these elements are designed to give you clarity and flexibility, ensuring you only pay for what you truly need.

This guide will demystify the pricing structure of voice over services. We'll break down each component of a standard quote so you can budget effectively and hire with confidence.

Part 1: The Session Fee

The Session Fee is the foundational part of any quote. It is the flat rate that compensates the voice actor for their time, performance, and the use of their professional-grade studio and equipment to record your script.

This fee covers:

• The actor's time and talent to prepare and record the script.

• Use of their broadcast-quality studio, microphone, and software.

• Minor audio editing to remove breaths and mistakes, delivering a clean, ready-to-use audio file.

Think of the session fee as the base cost for the creation of the audio asset.

Part 2: Voice Over Usage Rights Explained

Once the audio is recorded, the next part of the quote covers how and where you'll use it. This is the most crucial part to understand, as it determines the overall value and scope of your investment.

Hiring a voice actor is similar to licensing a photograph or a piece of music. You're not just buying the audio file itself; you're paying for the right to use that performance to represent your brand in specific media for a set period. This license is called Usage.

So, what is a voice over buyout? A "buyout" is simply a flat fee paid for a specific set of usage rights. Instead of paying royalties every time the recording is used, you pay a single, upfront rate for a pre-negotiated term.

Usage is typically defined by three factors:

1. Media Type (Where it will be used):

• Broadcast: Television, Radio, digital, streaming

• Non-Broadcast: This is a broad category. Discussing non-broadcast voice over rates is common for projects like web explainer videos, social media ads, internal corporate training, e-learning modules, and phone systems (IVR).

• Public Use: Live events, trade shows, museums.

2. Term (How long it will be used): The usage term is the length of time you have the right to use the voice over. Common terms are 13 weeks (a standard broadcast cycle), 1 year, 2 years, or 5 years.

You may also encounter a request for in perpetuity usage rights, which means the right to use the recording forever. Due to the immense value and the fact that it prevents the voice actor from working for competitors for a lifetime, a full buyout in perpetuity is the most expensive option and is typically reserved for very specific circumstances.

3. Market (The geographic area): This specifies where the ad or content will be distributed, such as a local city, a region, nationally, or worldwide.

A Real-World Example: A client once needed a voice over for a razor commercial that would only be shown on in-flight entertainment. Their initial request was for a five-year, worldwide buyout. By discussing their actual needs, we tailored the license to be for "in-flight entertainment only." This gave them exactly what they needed without the expense of a full broadcast buyout, saving them money while ensuring fair compensation for the talent.

Part 3: Revisions and Pickups

A professional quote will also outline the policy for revisions. It's important to know the difference:

• Pickups: If the voice actor makes a mistake (mispronounces a word, skips a line), they will re-record that portion at no charge.

• Revisions: If the client makes a change to the script after the audio has been recorded, this is considered a revision and typically incurs an additional fee.

A standard policy might include one minor revision (a few sentences) at no charge within a set time frame, with larger rewrites quoted separately.

Putting It All Together

A transparent quote from a professional voice actor gives you complete control over your project's budget. By clearly defining the session fee, usage rights, and revision policy, you can be confident that there are no hidden fees.

Never be afraid to ask questions. A professional partner will be happy to walk you through their quote and tailor it to fit the precise needs of your project.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

A reputation is your photograph; character is your face. Bobby Bowden

Thanks For Reading!

To learn more about me, hear some samples, or download my demos, just go to www.tomdheere.com.

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Tom Dheere is a voice actor with over 25 years of experience narrating just about every type of voiceover you can think of. He also helps other voice talents navigate the voiceover industry as the VO Strategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.