Do seekers pay add'l studio costs to talents?

Steve Cotsalas · **Voice Talent** Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 109

Do seekers pay add'l studio costs to talents?
When I bid on a job, should I answer with my fee plus studio time...or just lump it all together?
or..
just bid my fee, and if I get job, negotiate studio cost then( a bit sneaky, perhaps)?
I realize that I am at a distinct disavantage to all you Pros that have full in home studios(someday,sigh)..which brings me to the next question:
If you have a home studio, do you bid your fee, and also studio time?
Maybe this is all subjective to budgets involved..I'm just looking for "generally speaking"answers.
My humble thanks.

Colin Campbell · Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007, 14:22 (GMT) Post subject:

Home studio service included at no extra charge.

Deby Cedars · **Voice Talent** Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1482

Unfortunately Steve there are so many with home studios this is the new trend and it's here to stay.

John Bigl · **Voice Talent** Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Posts: 905

hiya steve ...

i incorporate studio time w/in my bids/rates..
being a tad technophobic (dithering Pro Tools to tweak head out an MP3 pushes against my entrenched learning curve) i found it best to do the paying gigs at a studio nearby thats run by a guy w/ 25+ years experience in music and voice recording.. he has an excellent rate, and since he makes me sound so good i take good care of him.. plus, its nice to have a little extra creative direction while in the booth, something missing going solo ...

Be Well

Philip Banks · **Voice Talent** Joined: 23 Jun 2003 Posts: 404

Whilst there is no addition for using my studio it is factored into my rate/quote.

If your studio, including power, phone, bricks and mortar cost you nothing then feel free to give it away, if not you need to factor in the costs. Anyone who bids for a one-off $50 job is really making very little indeed. Most of the jobs one voice123 have to be volume jobs to make financial sense.

Audition for 1 job at $50 - Forget it. Audition for 4 jobs at $50 makes a little more sense.

Here's an experiment for you. Pick a lead on here and phone a recording studio to get a quote for using it then find an agent and get a costing on hiring your choice of voice. Deduct from the total the clients budget to discover exactly how much you'll be giving away if you get the job.

The purpose of this site is to put voices and clients in touch with one another , it is not or should not be about making a way for people who can't afford voice overs to be able to hire them.

By the way, on CARS123.com I've just done a search and posted a lead for someone to supply me with a new AUDI RS4 Avant, my budget is $250 ... Don't laugh, it works on here almost every day.

Caryn Clark · **Voice Talent** Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 1000

Before I had my own studio, I had to pay for time. It was expensive. I'd let the client know that I would have to rent studio time up front, and gave them the option to work with/negotiate with the studio themselves, or they could pay the rate I was getting.

This is one of the reasons why I put my own studio in. A huge expense, but I couldn't compete in the online vo marketplace without it.