Voiceover Rates Guide - U.K.
The following tables represent a guide to the voiceover rates typically charged by voice artists in the United Kingdom. The guide has been compiled by Gravy For The Brain and a working group of top UK VO professionals (full credits available on request) and includes the published agreed rates* of the British actors union Equity. Note that most quotations are done through negotiation and you should not feel restricted by any upper or lower limits!
Radio
| Radio | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Radio - Promo's - Commercial | N/A | £150 | £200 | £250 | N/A | 1. Note that Radio Promos are segments that advertise radio slots or shows and are not Radio Commercials/Adverts which advertise commercial products 2. Rates are per session, not per trailer |
| Radio - Promo - BBC | N/A | £125 | £150 | £175 | N/A | 1. Note that Radio Promos are segments that advertise radio slots or shows and are not Radio Commercials/Adverts which advertise commercial products 2. Rates are per session, not per trailer |
| Radio - Commercials (produced by the radio stations) | £24.40 - £740 - See "Radio Commercials Pulldown" below | As per Equity guidelines | The rate includes usage buyout per commercial, per station, per voice for 12 months only NB: An additional charge of £125 is chargeable if the hiring client (not the radio station) wishes to dial-in and listen/direct the session |
1. These are for commercials produced by the radio stations only, and not by advertising agencies. 2. The quoted Equity rate is per commercial, not per session. Note that individual taglines (e.g. "Offer ends on Monday" and "Offer ends tomorrow") are treated as separate scripts and so require additional payment equivalent to the same rate. 3. E.g., one commercial with 3 taglines is classed as 3 separate commercials...and this is then multiplied by the number of stations. For example, a commercial rate of £24.40 with 3 taglines and 4 stations would be quoted £24.40 x 3 x 4 = £292.80 |
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| Radio Commercials (produced by Ad Agencies) | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | The Equity usage rate for local radio stations is a minimum of £40 per commercial, per station, per voice, per tag for 3 months usage, as is the market buyout rate The Equity usage rate for regional/national stations is a minimum of £400 per commercial |
1. This is for commercial adverts produced not by the radio station but by advertising agencies. 2. Note - it's up to the voice artist to put a note in their diary and then call up the ad agencies to ask them if they want to renew after the 3-month usage period. 3. The lines defining what is a radio station and what is an ad agency are sometimes blurred - try and find out exactly who owns the contract to produce the advert, and if the agency is part of the radio station |
| Radio Imaging - Non-Sponsored - Individual Stations | N/A | £175 | £200 | £225 | N/A | 1. 'Non-sponsored' means a radio image (for example "You're listening to Heart FM") that does not include a paid-for advertising sponsorship (for example "You're listening to Heart FM sponsored by Gravy For The Brain") 2. Fee is per-hour session, not per image |
| Radio Imaging - Non-Sponsored - National Network | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | By negotiation | 1. 'Non-sponsored' means a radio image (for example "You're listening to Heart FM") that does not include a paid-for advertising sponsorship (for example "You're listening to Heart FM sponsored by Gravy For The Brain") 2. It has been known for national imaging to be paid for on monthly retainer with the VO rather than per session 3. Fee is per-hour session, not per image |
| Radio Imaging - with Sponsor | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | By negotiation | 1. 'Non-sponsored' means a radio image (for example "You're listening to Heart FM") that does not include a paid-for advertising sponsorship (for example "You're listening to Heart FM sponsored by Gravy For The Brain") 2. Fee is per-hour session not per image |
| Radio Imaging - BBC | N/A | £50 | £80 | £100 | N/A | The BBC is a non-commercial station so should have no commercial sponsorship |
| Radio Drama - BBC | 1. Full day - £252/£172* 2. Part day - 66.66% of the full day fee but not less than £252/£172*. 3. Additional rehearsal/performance days - £146/£103* 4. Additional part day (recalls only) - £99/£67* 5. Readthrough (part day) - £94/£94* |
As per Equity guidelines | N/A | 1. Hours of work. Full day - 7 hours work in a 9 hour period including 1 break of not less than 1 hour. Part day - 4 hours. Additional day - 6 hours work of an 8 hour period including 1 break of not less than 1 hour. 2. Overtime. Up to 60m overtime - £9.35 per 15 minutes thereof. Over 60m up to 120m - 75% of additional day fee. Over 120m and up to 180m - 100% of additional day fee. 3. Min weekly salary on the Radio Drama Company - £568. Weekly trainee rate £503 with £500 contract completion. 4. The Archers scale a program between £259 and £294 5 * = the first figure is for 2x transmissions, the second is for 1x transmission only. |
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| Podcasts - Audio Only | N/A | £150 | £200 | £250 | 50%-100% of BSF, per year | 1. These rates are standard industry rates in the UK 2. There are many small podcasts who want to employ voice artists who cannot afford these rates 3. If you would like to work for the smaller podcasts we suggest education on the industry rates, and then a negotiation process |
The radio commercials rates in the UK vary station-to-station as agreed with Equity. Rather than re-create them in the table above please download the following equity rate cards which will guide you to the specific price for that station.
Note all the points above - the price per station is a multiplier which is used to calculate the rate for that commercial, multiplied by the number of commercials (including separate taglines), the number of radio stations that commercial is played out on and the number of voice artists (in this case, 1, you).
For example on a £24.40 station, with 5 scripts (or 1 script with 5 different taglines), to be played out on 20 stations, the price would be calculated as £24.40 x 5 x 20 = £2,440.
Note also that this is for a usage license for 12 months only.
1. Global Radio Network Rate Card 2019:
2. Bauer Radio Network Rate Card 2019:
3. UKRD Radio Stations Rates 2019:
3. Wireless Group Network Rates 2019
4. My Music Radio Station Rates 2017:
a) App/Online + DAB - £24.40. Stations: Eagle / Minster / Pirate / Stray / YCR
b) App/Online Only - £20. Stations: 2BR / KLFM / Mix / Spire / Spirit / Star NE / Sun / Wessex
NB: All rates above are agreed by the Equity union and can be found additionally on their website at www.equity.org.uk
Television
| Television | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| TV - Bumpers | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 100%-400% of BSF for 1 year | 1. Bumpers are bookends for programs usually involving a sponsor, e.g., "The weather, sponsored by Gravy For The Brain". 2. Rates are per session, not per bumper 3. Try and negotiate your rate higher if they are also using the bumpers for on-demand |
| TV - Promos | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Included in the session fee | 1. Promos are segments that advertise up-coming shows, they are not TV commercials (which advertise commercial products) 2. Rates are per session, not per promo 3. Try and negotiate your rate higher if they are also using the promos for on-demand |
| TV - Commercials | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Please see the 'Television Commercials Pulldown' below for full notes on how to charge for TV commercials... Note that although your session fee is per hour for your time, the usage is per commercial. |
1. TV commercials advertise commercial products in advert-breaks. 2. The fee quoted here is for your session fee, per hour |
| TV - Continuity | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Included in the session fee | 1. TV Continuity is the channel announcer of programming and program links 2. The fees are negotiated but try and negotiate higher - it is unlikely you will get other continuity work once you are the voice of a channel 3. The fees quoted are per hour, not per link |
Charging Usage on Television Commercials:
TV commercials advertise commercial products in advert-breaks. All usage calculations are done via the usefee.tv website.
The fee quoted in the table above is for the session fee (or basic studio Fee - BSF), per hour of your time.
The audience for commercial slots (and therefore the usage fee) is calculated using TVR's (TeleVision Ratings). There are Network and Regional TVR's.
1 Network TVR = 1% of the adult viewing audience of the UK, which is 49M viewers, so 1 Network TVR equates to 490,000 viewers. The entire network is comprised of 14 regions.
1 Regional TVR = 1% of the adult viewing audience of each individual region, and so are 'worth less' than network TVR's. Then, because the audience sizes in each region are different, 1 Regional TVR for Region A is not the same value as 1 Regional TVR for Region B - so these must be calculated separately.
All usage fees are calculated using the usefee.tv website.
Working out Usage - National TVR's
When quoting for work, always find out the TVR number from the hirer. The hirer will have this figure as they can't buy the slot without it. Note that many hirers pretend not to have this information....
If, however, the hirer is prospectively creating the commercial, than you can still quote for the work. Your quote should be your "Basic Studio Fee, plus the standard usage fee (calculated with the known network or regional TVR's for this commercial when they become available), calculated by the usefee.tv website, including the one-off transmission fee equivalent to the Basic Studio Fee".
When you calculate the usage fee on usefee.tv, a one-off transmission fee is included within the calculation, which is equivalent to your basic studio fee.
(Note that the Sky channel is considered a Network channel, as well as the existing terrestrial channels.)
Working Out Usage - Regional TVR's (Just One Region)
If the commercial is only being broadcast in one regional area, simply use the usefee.tv website to work out the usage fee. This calculated fee will include your one-time transmission fee, equivalent to your basic studio fee.
Working Out Usage - Regional TVR's (Multiple Regions)
A Warning about Usefee.tv: The website works in all respects for it's usage calculations, unless you are trying to work out the usage for multiple regions.
The website will actually allow you to work calculate multiple regions at once and select, e.g. 100 regional TVR's in more than one region, but it presumes that you then mean 100 regional TVR's in each of these regions, i.e. 100 in region A and 100 in region B.
Cast Study 1 - exactly the same # TVR's for each region.
You have 100 regional TVR's in Midlands and 100 regional TVR's in London.
This is simple - just use the usefee.tv site, add in your TVR number (in this case, it's 100, not 200), and then select which regions your commercial will be broadcast in. Your one-time transmission fee equivalent to your basic studio fee will be included in the calculation
Case Study 2 - different # TVR's for each region.
You have 25 regional TVR's for the Midland region, 75 TVR's for the London region and 13 TVR's for the Yorkshire region.
You must perform the first calculation pass with your basic studio fee, 25 regional TVR's and select only the Midland region. This will include the one-off transmission fee equivalent to your basic studio fee.
You must then perform the second calculation pass with your basic studio fee, 75 regional TVR's and only select the London region. The issue now is that this resulting usage calculation also includes a one-off transmission fee, and we can only have one - so you need to manually subtract your basic studio fee from the result.
You then perform the third calculation pass with your basic studio fee, 13 regional TVR's and only select the Yorkshire region. This also has a one-off transmission fee and this also needs to be subtracted from the result.
You then add the 3 final calculation results together to create your overall usage fee, which includes just one, one-off transmission fee.
Working Out Usage - Impressions
In some cases on smaller channels, satellite, cable or internet channels, TVR's are not given, and 'Impressions' are given instead.
You can work out how many TVR's are calculated (backwards) from the above calculation, and then round that number up. For example, 1 TVR = 490k viewers, and if the number of impressions was 390,000, this would equate to 1 TVR.
The calculation is: Number of impressions divided by 490,000, and rounded up to the nearest whole number.
Further to this point however, Equity recommend that 1 TRV equates to 125,000 impressions. This is actually more in-line with what you should be paid for usage on on-demand stations.
Using the Equity guidelines, The calculation is: Number of impressions divided by 125,000, and rounded up to the nearest whole number.
You then use this figure as a Network TVR and calculate your usage based on the methods above.
Working Out Usage - International
The usefee.tv site has a guide to the buyout for each country, including the US/Canada on a separate tab at the top.
Simply enter your BSF, choose which countries your commercial will be broadcast in, and it will calculate your usage.
Working Out Usage - New Vs Re-Runs
There is a different calculation for new broadcasts vs re-runs. It's important therefore to keep a track of your TVR's through your quotation and invoicing systems, so you can quote and invoice for future re-runs of the campaign in the future.
More info on TVR's and Usefee.tv
For more information on how TVR's work and how regional TVR's are broken down please visit usefee.tv and read the information there. Note that there is a printable version of the UK guide to payments and the Standard Equity Form of Engagment at the bottom of the page.
Internet
| Internet / Web | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Web - Commercials | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 400% of BSF for 1 year | 1. Web commercials are as TV commercials but used on the internet 2. Rates are per session, not per commercial but the usage fee is per commercial 3. Based on #2, it's possible you may only charge the usage if the BSF for the recording was charged already elsewhere |
| Web - Explainers | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 50%-400% BSF per year, negotiated based on the size of the hiring company, or estimated reach of the explainer | 1. Web explainers are show-how videos, often done in cartoon or doodle form, and then narrated, typically 1-2m long. 2. Rates are per session with usage per explainer video unless otherwise negotiated |
| Web - Pre-Roll | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 400% BSF, for 1 year | 1. Pre-Roll videos are commercials which appear on sites like YouTube before, during or at the end of the main video content 2. Rates are per session, not per commercial, but the usage fee is per commercial |
| Web - Generic Voiceover | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 100% BSF, for 1 year | 1. Generic Voiceover on the web is straight VO on web-based content which is not commercial, explainer, e-learning, ELT etc. 2. Rates are per session and then the usage is for the content with in that session |
| Web - Radio | In-Progress | £50 | £150 | £200 | 100% BSF, for 1 year | 1. This is for internet-only based radio and voiceover work. 2. Equity are in-progress with national stations, which also stream on the web, for rates 3. Rates quoted are to be negotiated as much as possible and on a station-by-station basis |
| Web - YouTube Content | N/A - this row is based on other genre's media being used on YouTube, and as such is a usage charge only | 100% BSF on top ot usage for non-commercial work, for 3 months (or 400% per annum) | 1. Note the difference between unlisted YouTube content which can be embedded in a companies website, and public content which is searchable on YouTube 2. Based on #1, negotiate accordingly |
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| Web - Spotify | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Usage included in the session fee | 1. This is for Spotify-based voiceover content, not commercials on Spotify. 2. For Spotify-based commercial advertising, follow the 'Web Commercials' rules |
Audiobooks
| Audiobooks | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Audiobooks | N/A | £65 per finished hour | £85 per finished hour | £105 per finished hour | Usage included within the price | 1. Per Finished Hour means per hour of playback of the edited recording 2. The PFH rate does not include a cost for you to edit the recordings 3. How long it takes you to complete one PFH depends on how well you perform as a voice artist - know your rates! 4. There are several companies now offering a royalty share on sales only, and no actual payment for production. 5. We do not recommend working on audiobooks based on point #4 |
| Audible Radio Drama | In progress - this is a new genre and neither Equity nor the working group can yet provide enough adequate data. We suggest working in the meantime for either BBC Radio Drama rates or the Audiobook Rate. | 1. Audible refers to the company Audible rather than radio drama that is can be heard! | ||||
Corporate
| Corporate Voiceover | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| E-Learning | N/A | £0.15 per word | £0.30 per word | £0.60 per word | Usage included within the price | 1. E-Learning is usually charged per-scripted-word 2. Some voice artists sensibly include a minimum fee (e.g. £150) to make small jobs worthwhile 3. Some voice artists use a sliding scale, e.g. 0-1000 words = £0.60 per word, 1001-2000 words = £0.40 per word etc |
| ELT (English Language Teaching) | Band A - Linear audio recordings irrespective of platform, in relation to a specific title: Min Fee £199 - Half Day Min Fee £333 - Full Day Min Solo Fee £233 - Half Day Min Solo Fee £391 - Full Day Band B - Non-linear audio recordings irrespective of platform, in relation to a specific title: Min Fee £232 - Half Day Min Fee £387 - Full Day Band C - Complete buyout for use on any format/medium and/or re-use in other titles: Min Fee £283 - Half Day Min Fee £499 - Full Day Band D - Dictionary & Database Min Fee £312 - Half Day Min Fee £561 - Full Day Overtime - £16.50 per 15 minutes, max 30 minutes on half day session, max 1 hour on full day session |
As per Equity guidelines | Included in fees unless otherwise stated | 1. There are only a limited number of organisations in the UK who produce ELT content. 2. All of these organisations are signed up to the Equity Suggested Rate 3. Note this genre is called "Spoken Voice Recordings for Educational Non-Broadcast Use" in Equity 4. Half day is 3.5 hours including a 30 minute break, Full day is 8 hours including a 2 hour break 5. Not more than one hour's material may be recorded during each 3 hours of work 6. The use to which a recording will be put, shall be stated on each individual contract 7. Where improvisation is used for a substantial part of a session (40% or more) an additional fee of £28 per artist will be chargeable 8. For singing sessions: Bands A&B use the Band A solo fee, Bands C, use the speaking rate fee for Band C. |
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| Corporate - Generic VO | N/A | £180 | £200 | £250 | No usage fee if not broadcast | 1. Corporate voiceover is defined as generic VO used for a companies AV content. 2. This does not include commercial, explainer or web-content, unless on an internal intranet only. 3. For non-commercial content used on the www, or hosted on Youtube, see the other relevant sections to negotiate the usage fee |
| Medical Narration | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | No usage fee if not broadcast | 1. Medical narration generally is more involved due to the additional prep-work needed regarding the difficult content 2. This does not include commercial, explainer or web-content, unless on an internal intranet only. 3. For non-commercial content used on the www, or hosted on Youtube, see the other relevant sections to negotiate the usage fee |
| Audio Guides | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 50%-100% of BSF for 1 year | 1. Traditionally this is defined as museum-style audio guides 2. Recently this is including audio-guide apps, which may have additional usage 3. In terms of market rates, these rates are typically UK-based companies only. Many international companies will not pay rates this high |
| Toys | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 400% of BSF | 1. For clarity, this is defined as 'physical' toys, and not software toys, apps or Gaming (video games) |
| Organisational Campaigns | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Dependant on if charitable work or for broadcast etc | 1. Organisational Campaigns are campaigns like "Don't drink and drive", or the "Green cross code". 2. In North America these are referred to as Public Service Announcements 3. Usage will follow the broadcast rates defined in each genre, e.g., television, radio and so on. 4. Usage may be negotiated to £0 if conducted for a charity |
IVR
| IVR / Telephony | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| IVR - AMA/EMA Registered | N/A | £5 | £15 | £25 | Usage included in session fee | 1. IVR means Interactive Voice Response systems, i.e., the menu systems on corporate telephone systems 2. This rate quoted is per-word. 3. Some voice artists charge a minimum fee, e.g. £100. 4. AMA = Audio Marketing Association (now EMA - http://ohma.org/) |
| IVR - General Companies | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Usage included in session fee | 1. IVR means Interactive Voice Response systems, i.e., the menu systems on corporate telephone systems 2. This rate quoted is per hour. |
ADR
| ADR & Reversioning | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Group ADR (Loop Grouping) - Films/Cinema | 4 Hour session - Minimum Fee £294.50 + £15 holiday payment, total: £309.80 Low/very low budget films (registered with PACT only) - Minimum fee £96 for 4 hours + applicable usage fees |
As per Equity Guidelines | Usage included in session fee | 1. ADR is (Additional or) Automated Dialogue Replacement, replacing unusable/altered dialogue to picture 2. Group ADR is usually referring to crowds and background voiceover, usually to create atmosphere. 3. Group ADR is also known as 'Wallah' 4. Actors can voice no more than 10 words relating specifically to on-screen scenes. For more than 10 words see the Single ADR rate |
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| Group ADR - Independent TV Productions | 4 Hour session - Minimum Fee £271* Additional fee of 33.33% of the fee due if recording a second episode in the same session Additional fee of 20% of the fee is due if recording multiple episodes, for each episode, in the same session |
As per Equity Guidelines | * In return for the session fee the producer acquires the right to one UK Network terrestrial transmission plus worldwide non-theatrical rights For a further payment of 20% of the session fee (£37) the producer acquires 2 more UK network terrestrial transmissions plus all other UK rights including theatrical, video and UK Secondary TV rights For a further payment of 10% of the session fee (£18.50) the producer acquires all rights of exploitation outside the UK including theatrical, video and secondary television rights |
1. ADR is (Additional or) Automated Dialogue Replacement, replacing unusable/altered dialogue to picture 2. Group ADR is usually referring to crowds and background voiceover, usually to create atmosphere. 3. These Independent TV Productions relate are commissioned by ITV, C4 and BBC Productions 4. Actors can voice no more than 10 words relating specifically to on-screen scenes. For more than 10 words see the Single ADR rate |
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| Group ADR (Loop Grouping) - BBC TV | 5 Hour Session (including 1 hour break) - Minimum Fee £205 Overtime - £33.10 or part thereof Minimum fee for Post-Synchronisation if outside the engagement period - £205 Additional payments due for overseas sales, videos etc |
As per Equity Guidelines | The listed fees cover one UK terrestrial broadcast | 1. ADR is (Additional or) Automated Dialogue Replacement, replacing unusable/altered dialogue to picture 2. Group ADR is usually referring to crowds and background voiceover, usually to create atmosphere. 3. These TV Productions are made by the BBC. 4. Actors can voice no more than 10 words relating specifically to on-screen scenes. For more than 10 words see the Single ADR rate 5. A maximum of two hours overtime may apply. After two hours a new session fee is charged 6. A maximum of 13 episodes per session may be included |
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| Group ADR (Loop Grouping) - ITV TV | 5 Hour Session (including 1 hour break) - Minimum Fee £265.57 - with artists post-synching their own performance Sound recordings only: Drama - 2 hour session for 1 program/episode - minimum £108.11 Documentary, educational, religious, instructional, critical & magazine programs - 1-6 programmes - 4 Hour Session - Minimum £185.26 Documentary, educational, religious, instructional, critical & magazine programs - 1-13 programmes - 4 Hour Session - Minimum £278.51 Other types - 1-13 Programmes - 4 Hour Session - Minimum £623.92 Overtime - £35.55 per hour |
As per Equity Guidelines | 1. ADR is (Additional or) Automated Dialogue Replacement, replacing unusable/altered dialogue to picture 2. Group ADR is usually referring to crowds and background voiceover, usually to create atmosphere. 3. These TV Productions are made by ITV. 4. Actors can voice no more than 10 words relating specifically to on-screen scenes. For more than 10 words see the Single ADR rate |
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| Group ADR (Loop Grouping) - S4C TV | Post-Synchronisation: Full Session - 4 Hour Session - Minimum £196 Half Session - 2 Hour Session - Minimum £121 |
As per Equity Guidelines | 1. ADR is (Additional or) Automated Dialogue Replacement, replacing unusable/altered dialogue to picture 2. Group ADR is usually referring to crowds and background voiceover, usually to create atmosphere. 3. These TV Productions are made by S4C. 4. These apply only to Welsh language programmes made by members of the Welsh Independent Producers Association (TAC) |
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| Single ADR | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 100%+ BSF, negotiated relevant to the character/part being played | 1. Single ADR means one actor voicing individual lines of dialogue, to picture (usually replacing poor or unusable on-set dialogue) 2. Rate quoted is per-hour 3. This does not include reversioning, or 'reversion dubbing' a different language |
| Reversion Dubbing | 4 hour session - minimum £205 2 hour session - minimum £120 |
As per Equity Guidelines | Usage included in session fee | 1. Reversion Dubbing means voicing a character's lines in a different language, e.g., localising a German language film into UK English 2. This fee does not apply when the dubbing is English to English - in which case see the other relevant ADR section 3. The 2 hour session is limited to actors who have not previously worked in this field or in case of experienced dubbers may be used for one principle role only, or several small characters in a single production |
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| Audio Description | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Usage included in the session fee | 1. Audio Description means voicing the on-screen action / dialogue for a visually impaired audience. 2. Rates listed are per-hour 3. There are reported occurrences of this work being priced per film or episode |
Gaming
| Gaming | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Video Games / Gaming | N/A | £150 | £250 | £300 | 50% of BSF, capped at £1500 One-off £500 payment By Negotiation |
1. Video Games means games released on any platform capable of playing games 2. Examples are PS4, XBOX, PC, Mac, IPhone/Android etc 3. Games are ranked as A, AA and AAA titles, denoting their size, budget, distribution and marketing scale 4. The Usage fees in the UK vary from producer to producer and none are agreed, hence the 3 different usage fees listed 5. Today's games are often built once and then distributed to multiple platforms and multiple regions 6. Negotiation can sometimes take place based on the game size, the number of platforms it will be distributed to and the global reach 7. Usage is usually indicative of a license in perpetuity for that title 8. Be aware of the contract terms on usage in incremental games in a series, e.g., Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout 3 and re-use of your performances |
| Software Apps | N/A | £150 | £250 | £300 | 50% of BSF | 1. This includes any non-game software apps, typically sold on the App Store and Google Play |
Cinema
| Cinema | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Cinema - Commercials | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | 500% of BSF for 1 year, or divisible by quarters, i.e. 125% for 3 months | 1. This applies to commercials / adverts run in UK cinemas only. 2. For other cinema's worldwide it is advisable to charge the usage fee again, per country, and/or negotiate |
Animation
| Animation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Animation - Film, Animated Series - Episode Rate | N/A | £300 | £450 | £600 | By negotiation. | Rates quoted are per episode, typically 3-4 episodes per day. Budgets range in animation production from the very small to the very large Find out what the overall production budget is, the distribution and what the marketing budget is. Bear in mind broadcast fees, web fees and other usage fees, plus if your performance will be used in TV/Radio/Cinema commercials Your performance and the character's voice may lead to merchandising, gaming, toys and more. This is usually included in your usage payment, in perpetuity, worldwide. 6. Based on the above points - negotiate. You may be possible to negotiate in stages, e.g. one stage for broadcast usage, one stage for commercial advertising, toys, gaming etc. |
| Animation - Film, Animated Series - Session Rate | N/A | See Notes | See Notes | See Notes | See Notes | Animations are typically paid per-episode (see above). In rarer cases or after episodic payments are done, the following typically apply and include all usage worldwide in perpetuity: Hourly Rate: £300-£350 1/2 day rate: £500 Full Day Rate: £1000 Pickup Rate: £200 |
| Animation - Straight to DVD | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | No longer applicable in the UK. |
| Animation - Web & Corporate | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Usage included in session fee for internal use only for corporate websites For generic www use, negotiate and/or see Web/Internet section |
1. Rates listed do not include any broadcast or performance rights outside of the DVD 2. For broadcast and other rates see the appropriate section |
Voice of God
| Voice of God / Live Events | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Voice of God - Pre-Recorded | N/A | £200 | £250 | £300 | Not applicable unless broadcast, and in that case negotiated | 1. Voice of God is the announcer voiceover for live, usually corporate events, conferences, dinners etc. 2. Voice of God for televisual events are not usually included in this section and are treated under the television production genre |
| Voice of God - Live at Events | N/A | £1000-£4000 as fixed fee | Not applicable unless broadcast, and in that case negotiated | 1. Voice of God is the announcer voiceover for live, usually corporate events, conferences, dinners etc. 2. The fee does not usually include travel, food and accommodation, usually supplied by the hirer, unless by negotiation |
||
Additional Chargeable Items
| Additional Chargeable Items | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Agreed Minimum Rates* | Typical Current Actual Market Rates** (see note below about what typical means & the variables involved) | Royalty Buyout or Usage Fee Structure | Notes | |||
| Typical Lower | Typical Average | Typical Upper | ||||
| Audio Editing - Post-Production | N/A | £15 | £30 | £45 | N/A | 1. The artist, if required may charge additionally for post-production services (if this is not inherent in the original contract) 2. Post production in this instance means the editing, renaming, de-popping/clicking, file separation, renaming, compression/normalisation/EQ of the audio recordings 3. Rates listed are per-hour |
| ISDN Call Rates (Outgoing only) | N/A | £3 | £5 | £7 | N/A | 1. Outgoing call rates on ISDN systems may be charged to the hirer 2. Rates listed are per minute |
*Equity Agreed Minimum Rates: - Please note that these published rates from Equity are collectively agreed minimum rates between interested parties of that genre, and not suggested rates by the Equity union. For more information please visit the Equity Website.
**Typical Current Actual Market Rates: The rates specified in these tables are those generally commanded in the UK by working voiceover artists. Of course any voiceover artist can charge anything they want – and should do so - but we have surveyed and found that this range is what voiceover artists typically charge. Accordingly, these rates may not be indicative of those charged by very established or well-known artists through their agents who can generally charge more. In those instances, fees are always agreed by negotiation and are subject to many variables. Also, lesser known artists may charge less in order to establish themselves or to build a reputation. We have tried to cover a typical spread of what the industry normally charges, even though any specific instance may vary from our Typical Low/Typical Average/Typical Upper classifications.
A Note from GFTB on Rates: Please note that this rate guide is intended to be a guide for current industry rates charged in general by UK Voice Artists, and is not intended to imply that these rates are fixed, or set - they are not. As a voice artist you must make your choice as to what you charge (unless you are a member of a union and then please refer to their policies), but please do be aware that what you charge as a voice artist also affects other voice artists in the industry. If you as a voice artist want to charge much more, or much less than these rates you are freely within your rights to do so.
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