Stefan
Kinell, a voice actor in Sweden,
recently wrote to inquire about the
legitimacy of voiceover sites that
require a membership fee in order to
have access to leads for potential
voiceover work. This month's article
will discuss the various types of talent
listing websites and how they differ
from legitimate talent agents.
I've found three distinctly different
categories for talent listing websites.
The first category is websites that
offer free listings for voiceover
talent. These sites are little more than
on-line directories of voice talent.
Some allow a demo to be posted on their
site, while others simply include a link
to a demo posted on the talent's website
or only provide for a link to an active
website. Although the owners of these
talent-directory sites may claim to
promote their sites to producers and
talent buyers, the likelihood is that
they really don't put a lot of effort
into it. It takes a lot of time to
promote and market a website, not to
mention the other expenses for promoting
a website through direct mail, Internet,
and telephone marketing. Although a
voice talent may receive few - if any -
leads or jobs by being listed on these
sites, it is still worth being listed.
Each listing on a talent directory site
will eventually be cataloged by the
various search engines and will show up
in an Internet search for your name.
Being listed on a directory site may not
get you work, but it can help build
credibility and name recognition for you
as a voice talent as visitors begin to
find you listed on numerous sites. Some
of the many free listing sites include:
www.starsnsites.com,
www.voiceoverdirectory.com,
www.radiolinks.net,
www.ultimatevoicedirectory.com, and
www.voicemodels.com.
This brings us to the second category of
talent directory website - one which is
supported by a fee paid by member voice
actors. The stated purpose of these
websites is to provide a talent resource
for the owner's client base and anyone
else who visits the site. As an
incentive for visitors to book the
site's talent, there is never a charge
for visitors to audition talent demos or
submit audition queries. The membership
fee charged by these websites is
designed to cover a variety of site
maintenance and marketing costs.
Legitimate sites of this type are very
clear to explain that they do not
represent the talent listed on their
site as an agent, and that all financial
dealings for a booking are between the
client and the talent with no commission
going to the site. These sites provide a
valuable service in that they provide
their clients access to voiceover
talent, and they provide their members
access to auditions and opportunities
that would otherwise be unavailable. The
owners of these sites claim they promote
their sites in many different ways, and
since they are being paid by their
members, they would be foolish to not
take every opportunity to market their
site. Some of these sites even go to the
extent of producing an annual
compilation CD of their member's demos
which is sent out to producers and
talent buyers around the world. Even if
it were possible, it would cost at least
several times the usually reasonable
membership fee for a voice talent to get
access to the auditions and leads
offered by most membership sites. Some
of the many membership talent listing
sites are: www.voiceoverselect.com,
www.voice123.com, www.voicefinder.biz,
www.voiceregistry.com, www.voicebook.com
(closed membership), and
www.voiceactors.com,
The third category of talent directory
site is one that walks a fine line of
possibly operating illegally. These
sites operate much the same as other
member sites in that they charge a fee
for voice talent to be listed, but they
will also route bookings through their
site and take a commission on the talent
fee. This effectively places the website
operators in the area of working as an
agent for their members. In the United
States it is illegal for a talent agent
to take a commission for work obtained
for talent they represent and charge a
fee for their services of representing
the talent. A legitimate talent agent
earns their money by taking a commission
based on work they have obtained for
talent they represent. In some cases, a
talent agent may work as a producer, and
can earn additional income by producing
an event or project, but these fees are
usually charged to their clients.
Charging a fee of any sort for talent to
gain access to potential work or
auditions is illegal in the US if the
promoter represents themselves as an
agent with the intention of promoting
the talent and then taking a commission
on any work obtained. This is a common
Scam in the acting community and appears
to exist on a few voiceover listing
sites. The key to the legitimacy of
either a website or agent is how they
handle the money, and if they promote
themselves as an "agent" representing
the talent.
There is actually a fourth category
which actually consists of legitimate
talent agent websites that contain
listings and demos of talent represented
by the agent. These sites operate
legally by clearly stating that they are
a talent agency that earns its income by
taking a commission of work obtained for
their talent pool. They are very
selective on the talent they represent
and do not charge any fees for
representation. www.voicebank.net is one
of the largest agent sites, and is
supported by member talent agents who
can list their talent within the site.
When considering whether or not to list
on a talent-directory site, it is
important to understand the site's
policies and operating procedures. If
the site wants to charge a fee AND take
a commission, my recommendation is to
look and list elsewhere. On the other
hand, if you are just starting out in
voiceover, it can be very helpful to be
listed in as many places as possible.
Before joining a member site and paying
their fee, I suggest contacting some of
the talent listed on the site. Ask what
sort of leads come through the site, how
many per day, and what sort of fees are
being paid for different types of
projects. One thing I've found is that
many of the leads that come through some
of the member sites are from first-time
producers who don't know what they are
doing, or are from clients who are
shopping on price and not performance
quality. The type and quality of work
leads seems to depend on the marketing
plan for the website.
Regardless of whether you choose to list
on a free or membership talent directory
site, or if you have a talent agent
representing you, it is important to
keep in mind that this is show-business
and it can take many, many auditions
before landing that first paid voiceover
job. It is also important to know what
your time and talent are worth. If you
notice that the majority of leads coming
in are clearly looking for the lowest
price, or are for a type of work that
you don't want to do, then it may be
advisable to cancel your membership when
it comes up for renewal. On the other
hand, all those leads that come in to
your computer are a great opportunity to
hone your skills and become a more
versatile and professional voice talent.
Depending on your current level of
experience, your existing client base,
your goals for expanding your voiceover
work, and the direction you want to move
in, you may determine that joining a
member-based directory talent site will
either be just what you're looking for,
or that it doesn't fit in with your
plans at all. Your other option is to
seek representation by legitimate talent
agents in multiple markets who will
represent you on a commission basis.
And, of course, you can do both (you
just can't have more than one agent
representing you in the same market.) As
with most other aspects of running your
business as a voice actor, these are
decisions only you can make.
Copyright © James R. Alburger -
used by permission.
Article
Source:
http://www.voiceacting.com