And there you have it—right off the bat, the touchy subject!
Well, yes, to be perfectly honest, as actors, we’d much rather be chosen for our talent than for the number of zeros preceding that little €uro symbol. But you, as a future client (or curious fellow actors—I see you. Hi there!), need to budget your project to know which direction to take.
The problem is that in France, unlike in most other countries, there’s no fixed rate schedule. Except in the dubbing industry (including voice-over and narration), but not at all for all the other areas of the voice-over profession—and God knows how many there are...
Nevertheless, there’s one thing you need to know to stay within the law when hiring a voice-over artist. The voice is legally defined as a “sound image of the person.” It is therefore subject to the same restrictions as the “right to one’s image,” protected, among other things, by Article 9 of the Civil Code. It is therefore prohibited to reproduce or broadcast it without consent. It’s important to clarify this, and not just in relation to artificial intelligence—you’ll understand why.
Let me explain: when you purchase a voiceover for your project, it doesn’t belong to you. You have the right to use it EXCLUSIVELY within the scope of that project.
Example: if you buy a voice-over (live or through a studio) to create a radio ad for your store, you don’t have the right to use it for your Facebook or Instagram post. Since it was sold to you for RADIO broadcast only.
Thus, the cost of a voice-over is broken down as follows for most products:
The cost of a recording session
Usage rights, broadcast rights, neighboring rights, exploitation rights, usage rights. Call them whatever you like—that’s what I just explained to you above.
Okay, but I want to know YOUR rates.
Okay, but I want to get to know YOU. Haha.
And yes, you can imagine that if I’m selling my voice to L’Oréal or the local artisan, the rate won’t be the same. That goes for both the session fee and the usage rights.
And every case is unique.
What do you want to do: radio, TV?
For how long: 3 weeks, 1 year, 3 years?
Oh, it’s a video for your company! That’s different again.
Where do you plan to share it? Internally to communicate with your employees, or publicly on your social media?
Do you plan to buy ads on YouTube, or are you doing organic distribution only (Editor’s note: organic means “only on your social media without purchasing ad space”)
Here’s a non-exhaustive list to help calculate the rate for a voice-over. Because we could also talk about the client’s brand recognition, delivery deadlines, professional technical equipment, etc.
As you can see, there are a ton of factors to consider. We could also talk about the client’s brand recognition, turnaround times, professional technical equipment, etc. But I’ve already rambled on long enough.
That said, you’ll understand that I can’t give you a complete list of rates, because it’s simply impossible.
That’s why I’ll give you “starting at” rates, and we’ll work out the rest together via email. A quote never commits you to anything, so take the time to send me a detailed request using my form.
My Rates
All rates are “starting at” (unless I specify “fixed”), and include revisions to tone and intent until you are completely satisfied.RADIO:
Local: starting at €10 excl. tax
Regional: starting at €50 excl. tax
National: starting at €150 excl. tax + usage rights (number of media outlets + duration)
TV:
Local / Regional: starting at €60 excl. tax
National: fixed session rate of €300 excl. tax for 1 hour + usage rights.
INTERNET BROADCASTING / SOCIAL MEDIA / STREAMING SITES
Local geotargeted: starting at €15 excl. tax
Regional geolocation: starting at €60 excl. tax
National: fixed session rate of €300 excl. tax for 1 hour + usage rights
INSTORE:
Small retailer: starting at €10 excl. tax
Large retailer: starting at €30 excl. tax
CINEMA
Local: €15 excl. tax
Regional: starting at €60 excl. tax
National: fixed rate of €300 excl. tax for 1 hour + usage rights
CORPORATE VIDEO / MOTION DESIGN
Internal distribution: starting at €150 excl. tax
External distribution: starting at €200 excl. tax + distribution rights
E-LEARNING
starting at €0.25 per word - Minimum fixed fee: €50 excl. tax - Volume-based per-word rate.
IVR - TELEPHONE WAITING MUSIC
starting at €20 excl. tax per message
RADIO OR TV IMAGING
2 packages tailored to your needs:
An annual session priced at €300 excl. tax for 1 hour + usage rights for 1 year, renewable annually as long as my voice is featured on your station.
A monthly commitment for media outlets with recurring needs. Usage rights are included in the monthly rate, starting at €100 excl. tax for a local radio station.
Invoices or per-performance fees?!
Once again, this is a vast topic that, much to my dismay, often divides the voice acting community. If you’re not French, you’re probably wondering: what on earth is she talking about? It’s a system unique to France: the “intermittent” status for performing arts workers. This might be a topic of interest if you’re not familiar with this system, and it might help you understand why not all French voice actors can issue you an invoice for their services. In France, actors can operate under the “intermittent status,” which means they must accumulate 507 hours of work over the past 12 months to qualify for unemployment insurance that guarantees a minimum income during months when they aren’t working. But if you choose this regime, it is legally prohibited to own a business and issue invoices. You can, however, be paid via “intermittent payments” WITHOUT applying for “intermittent status,” and in that case, it is legal to own a business. Which is my situation.
If we’re talking strictly about legality, and contrary to many misconceptions: it is not illegal to sell your voice as a service provider, and therefore to invoice for your services. Nor is it illegal to invoice for dubbing or voice-over services. (Unfortunately not; there would be less squabbling if that were the case.)
What is illegal is combining the benefits of the intermittent work scheme with owning a company on the side. To put it plainly: you cannot claim the unemployment benefits provided by France Travail (if you have accumulated the 507 hours of work required to qualify for these benefits) AND, at the same time, own a company in your name to bill for services of the same type.
For my part, having chosen not to enroll in the intermittent work scheme, I adapt to your economy: either payment per gig or invoices—both are possible.
Please note that, as much as possible, I follow standard industry practices depending on the project. For example: I would NEVER do studio voice-over work in France that is paid via invoice. I have too much respect for my colleagues who have chosen to make a full-time living through the intermittent work scheme, and for the voice industry as a whole.
delivery times
We’ve already chatted enough in the previous paragraphs, so I’ll get straight to the point:I’m one of the most responsive voice actors in the business.
If we’ve agreed on a rate, I’m available, and you’ve paid a deposit if this is our first collaboration (and yes, there are a lot of bad payers in this industry, unfortunately, so we have to take precautions… right, dear colleague? I know you’re always there.) and, of course, depending on the length of your project, I could meet your needs in less than 4 hours.
I invite you to check my availability and get in touch with me so we can discuss your project together.