There are always discussions of whether the Pay to Play sites are worth being on, whether they are working for the voice seeker or the talent, and if they are a useful tool. Here is my perspective.
Having been on a number of sites in my early days, I have settled with just the main two, Voice123 and voices. When I started out, I auditioned like crazy…everything that came my way. I used these auditions to gain experience in recording myself and learning new voice delivery skills. I soon started to win auditions and build relations with a number of clients from all over the world. Now I am busy all the time and hardly ever audition. When I do, I choose only auditions which I know would suit my voice and which are of higher value than the $50 to $100 postings, leaving them to the other people who are starting out on their voice over career.
But the other benefit of remaining on these sites is that it gives me another exposure for seekers to hear my voice other than just my own website, and I get direct messages or invitations to audition. These I nearly always do.
There are many complaints about the manner in which these sites are managed – too mechanical, difficult to approach, not working for the people who pay their wages with their subscriptions (the talents). I used to raise my blood pressure – now I just use the system and ignore any niggling annoyances I come across along the way.
To summarise, I feel that there is a place for the Pay to Play sites. For the non serious seekers with low budgets there are the inexperienced voices – and the seeker may just get lucky with a talented new one. And for the experienced producer with a sensible budget, then the busier voices will be included in the auditioning process.
Good idea, thanks for your eftrfos in improving the service. As a voice talent, I tend to be less interested in projects with an undetermined rate because experienced professionals most often have a budget established and already are aware of what a ‘legit’ pro voice gets. While there are exceptions to every rule, a ‘bidding war’ will often be an indication of price taking priority over quality. Of course, this is part of the charm of Voice123 toyour talent seekers. Nonetheless, I often avoid them.