If you’re a member of Voices.com it’s going to be a bit tougher to chat with folks there today because they are moving into their brand new headquarters. Congrats to Dave, Steph and the entire team.

Because of my negative opinion about the pay to play business model in voice over, I’ve been asked by some voices talents why I have spoken often in support of Voices.com. I have no trouble answering their questions – it has to do with the professional and personal respect I have for the Ciccarellis.

While I disagree with the business model overall – a model that is the foundation for Voices.com as a business, David, Stephanie and their team I believe are sincerely committed to helping their listed voice talents build their careers while simultaneously building the Voices.com business. I offer as my examples: the customer service I received when I briefly joined their service when it first started, their corporate openness through their use of a variety of social media tools and my numerous personal interactions with them. They are professional, they are respectable and their business practices as far as I have experienced are completely above board.

It is the model of their business (and those with whom they compete) that I find to be very problematic; briefly stated- pay-to-play voice over sites I believe undermine the quality of the voice over industry. So I don’t pay. It’s up to history to determine if my opinion is right or wrong – ultimately my opinion is only right for me. If one were so inclined to join a pay-to-play site, I would direct them to Voices.com first.

As an owner of many small businesses, a five year mark is an important historic milestone. To have been able to grow their business to a point where they are covering salaries, benefits, rent, etc. every month is a big deal. Being able to move and grow the Voices.com business into new space is pretty amazing as well. That benchmark needs to be recognized and appreciated for every business because it ain’t easy and it ain’t guaranteed for any of us.

Tags: commentary, voice talent, voiceover, voices.com // 1 Comment »