Voiceover Subscriptions: 'Tax on Hope'?
- Ian Russell
- 6 minutes ago
- 3 min read
There has always been an underlying theme that actors and voice actors should not have to pay upfront to have an agent or to be on a roster.
This started changing in 2003 when Voice 123, the first subscription based voiceover online casting site was launched.
Now there are hundreds of directories and online casting (pay-to-play) sites that have made a big business out of charging voice acting membership subscriptions. They give their members access to jobs acting as a marketing portal and helping match voice actors to casters looking for a specific type of voice. They are a simple way for voice actors to find casting opportunities but with no guarantee of castings. All the online casting sites have different pricing models, but most will have an upfront subscription fee. After that, you may find an additional cut is deducted from the agreed budget. This casting business model could be shaken up if new UK laws are enacted.
Voiceover Subscriptions, The 'Tax on Hope'?
In the UK, the actors' union, Equity UK, is fighting against subscription fees to casting sites. In the UK, it's actually illegal in most industries to charge those seeking work; however, the performing arts and entertainment sectors are one of the exceptions. In their attempt to shake things up, they are specifically targeting Spotlight: The Home of Casting. They are the largest casting site in the UK, and Equity claims that their annual fee (£198/$264) is disproportionately high in relation to the services received.
Equity claims that …”Spotlight exploits its monopoly position in the (UK) industry to charge subscription rates which are unfair. This concern has grown since they were acquired by US-based ‘Global Talent Systems’. The necessity of a Spotlight profile for most artists in the industry has led to their subscriptions being called a ‘Tax on Hope’.
Equity’s legal action against them is likely to be heard in the UK High Court this summer. This action is in addition to a parliamentary amendment, also being debated in the House of Lords, to the Employment Rights Bill, which is trying to close the loophole that allows casting directories to charge work-seekers.
Equity urges its supporters to use #abolishauditionfees and to sign its online petition. It appears that students, especially, are being hindered by these fees. Spotlight has vowed to fight the legal action, claiming Equity’s case is “disingenuous and factually inaccurate.”
Potential Impact
Most other large online casting sites that run on a subscription model actually charge more than Spotlight UK charges, so it is possible that if Equity and/or the parliament win their case, then worldwide subscription-based casting directories could be impacted. We could end up in a GDPR-like situation where no matter where your HQ is, if you want to cast UK-based actors, you’ll have to adapt your model to fit UK law. That could potentially open up a can of worms around charging different rates in different countries.
Another area that might face changes is the model where some of the larger casting sites have tiered memberships. This allows advanced access, profile preference, and SEO advantage based on the amount one pays. For example, Voice123 - has 7 tiers, with their lower tiers giving less exposure to opportunities and their highest being their ELITE plan at $4,950, giving access to 95% of jobs. Their website tries to be transparent in posting how many people are in their tiers and what it includes. The underlying theme is the more money you invest in them - the more effort and SEO they will invest in you.
The Future of Voiceover
Many think that the internet-savvy generation entering the casting world eventually won’t need or want the tech support that casting sites offer and that, therefore, in the same way that P2Ps have resulted in many smaller agencies falling by the wayside, a similar situation may be created for some of the online casting sites, especially if they are forced, through legislation, to reduce or eliminate upfront subscription fees.
AI Voice options on some casting sites have replaced some human voices but at the same time created work for the original AI voices. This, alongside the SAG video game strike and the UK debate surrounding the Online Casting subscription based model are creating insecurities in the creative communities. All of this indicates that once again, the times are most certainly a-changin' in the voiceover industry.
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