As someone heavily invested in a healthy voiceover industry, I’ve found it best to not associate with companies who do not treat talent (and in many cases you the client) fairly. What is currently the major online voiceover marketplace, has recently been proven to engage in business practices that are unethical, devious, and unfair and nearly injurious to both the companies hiring voice talent through their platform, and especially to the voice talent themselves who pay the company to participate, and are the true customers of this company. From inserting company staff needlessly into transactions between the talent and the hirer, taking inflated and exploitative fees in the process, to misrepresenting budgets to both sides of the transaction so that they may skim the most ‘profit’ off each project, to assuming all rights to the recordings of the voice talent customers, which is a blatant violation of US copyright laws, this company has eschewed any goodwill on the part of the voiceover industry. They are currently trying to rewrite the rules to benefit themselves, attempting to usurp the right to cast union talents from established talent agencies, and put them out of business as a result. This attempt at a monopoly and hostile market takeover (in the name of Web 2.0-era “industry disruption”) is having a drastic effect on the voiceover industry, and as a matter of professional service I feel it is my duty to not only not support this business model, but also to inform where this company has refused to inform, letting you know that the caliber of talent available through this platform is dropping, as the skilled talent leave the site and uninformed, unskilled talent flock with aspirations but no skills nor benefit to you.

What does all this mean? It means that for the best quality voiceover service, the best bet is still a pro you can trust and develop a relationship with, and not just someone to talk into a microphone on a single project basis. We can all do that, but only the professionals who comport themselves in an ethical manner, available directly or through trusted talent agencies, are those equipped to bring you the best that voiceover has to offer. You will not find the best people on the online ‘cafeteria’ platforms, no matter their advertising or call-center reassurances. You can be assured that hiring direct or through an agency gives you the best results. The reason why? We are all personally invested in our careers and the health of our industry, unlike those entities that would treat voice actors as dime-a-dozen commodities.

For more on the ethics of the voiceover industry, see The World-Voices Organization at www.World-Voices.org.