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Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with some of our policies. We make every effort in making sure you are 100% satisfied with your voice & audio production.
* Pronunciations To help expedite the process and to be assured your voice & audio production is turned around to you within the set deadline... please include phonetics to any city, street, or word that we may not be familiar with. Deadlines may be delayed if we are not provided with correct pronunciations and have to contact you. If we do not connect after attempting to contact you and have pronunciation questions, we will wait for your return call. This may delay any deadlines. We will not adjust invoices if a deadline is delayed due to pronunciation questions.
* Description Again... for the quickest turn around it helps when you give us an idea of read styles. For example: hardsell, dramatic, sassy, etc. If you can, please include the specific clip you heard in the talents demo so we understand exactly what you need your v/o to sound like. If no descriptions are given at the time of booking, we will try our best to interpret the read tone you are seeking. We will not delay the deadline without copy descriptives. We will invoice all revisions if requested due to missing style descriptions from the original booking.
* Length (Commercials & narrative) We will gladly read what you send us, however, please keep in mind that it may be subject to additional billing. We do not edit or revise scripts. We read what you send us. We will gladly e-mail you if your script/s exceeds our suggested copy length (see below). Your deadline may be delayed as we will wait until we hear back from you. If you approve any "longer" copy you send us (ie. to be a :30 and it ends up being closer to a :36 due to too much copy) you will be invoiced as a :60. All commercials are billed out as UP TO :35 seconds or :36 to :65 seconds. Narrative projects are rounded up to the next minute for billing. Keep in mind that abbreviated words or substituting them with numbers will not shorten the read. FYI, voice talents read slower than the average person. Please keep that in mind when copy-writing.
* Suggested Copy Length (Commercials)
Below is a guide that is recognized by several agencies and media outlets. While all voice talents are different, this guide will help you time out your copy with a comfortable read pace.
05 seconds = approximately 12 words
10 seconds = approximately 23 words
15 seconds = approximately 35 words
30 seconds = approximately 90 words
60 seconds = approximately 190 words
Phone #s 1 digit = 1 word
* Revisions As hard as we try to exceed your expectations, sometimes things just happen and we need to re-cut the voice / audio production application. Depending on the situation, we will gladly re-cut the exact same copy and deliver it to you ASAP without additional charges. Situations that will always receive additional billing (but not limited to) include copy change, talent change, read style change (if description wasn't included in original booking). Please note after 5 days of receiving the project, any revisions of the exact same copy will be subject to full rate billing. Fully produced projects subject to full rates for any revisions.
* Additional Reads The first read for commercials is based off of the rate on our rate card. There is a $10.00 talent fee for each additional requested read for commercials up to :35 seconds and $15.00 for commercials :36 to :65 seconds (based on each talent for each commercial).
* Talent Billing No matter which talent you select, they are all the exact same price for standard reads (character reads & bilingual reads additional - see rate card). Each commercial is billed out based on # of talents selected, length, how it's aired (local, regional, national), and voice only or fully produced. If you book two talents for a dry :30 locally... you are invoiced for two talents. Unless a prior arrangement is set up, all invoices are net 30. A 25% late charge is applied to all past due balances after 60 days and will accrue each month. Please note that World-Class Talents work off of a different rate card that the Spot Tracks Talents.
Q: May I send an mp3 with the proper pronunciations?
A: Absolutely! We encourage you to mp3 us any words we may not be familiar with. This will avoid any deadline delays and allow us to say it exactly the way you need it. We do not charge for mp3 pronunciations either.
Q: May I get more than one read for my commercial bookings?
A: Yes! At the time of booking, please let us know how many reads you would like the talent to provide. There is only a $10.00 talent fee for each additional read for up to :35 seconds or $15.00 talent fee for each additional read between :36 and :65 seconds.
Q: What is the best way to have the voice talent interpret copy?
A: You must of really liked something specifically in the voice talents demo to have picked them for your booking. Please tell us what you heard in his or her demo so they can give you the read style you are seeking.
Q: Why does the read in the voice talents demo sound different that the one I just received?
A: Copy length. We try very hard to squeeze all of your copy into the allotted time (:15, :30, :60, etc). But we frequently receive copy that’s a good :05 to :10 seconds too long. We suggest you use the Suggested Copy Length Guide above. This allows the talent to offer more range, creativity, passion, and / or call to action than a rushed read.
Q: Why do I sometimes receive :33 seconds of copy for my :30 second spot?
A: Again it’s the copy length. We always read what you send us. We do our best to offer incredible reads within the time requirement. Due to the volume of daily bookings we receive, we will only e-mail you if your copy exceeds our Suggested Copy Length Guide above. Our voice talents are instructed to do the best they can with the read and not time compress or edit out anything. Remember less is more.
Q: Is there a limit to where and how long I can use the audio or voice overs?
A: No. Our commercials are a complete buy out. Use it as often as you wish.
Q: Can I get a phone-patch with your voice talent or talk to your talent in person?
A: No, sorry. In order to keep costs to a minimum, we do not offer phone patches or phone calls directly to talents. We will be happy to pass along all of the information you deem necessary to each talent in order to get you the high quality audio you expect.
Q: What’s the difference between your World-Class talents and Spot Tracks talents?
A: Our World-Class talents are available for full production, narrative projects, and media imaging. Also most of our World-Class talents can turn-around dry commercials within a matter of hours. Finally our World-Class talents are all very seasoned professionals. Infact many of them are nationally recognized. Spot Tracks talents are designed for dry commercials only (up to :60 seconds) and need up to 24 hours on turn-around.
Q: I need my v/o immediately. What is the best way to expedite the process?
A: Naturally we do our best to turn-around all projects as quickly as possible. We average about 3 hours on our same day World Class talents for turn-around. However, if you need something within a matter of minutes, please e-mail us the copy and information and then follow up with a phone call.
Q: How can I check to see if the talent I want to use is available?
A: Just click on the “check talent availability” link towards the top right of the demo pages. This will take you to the page listing all of the talents that are UN-available and the dates they are gone. This page is updated daily.
Q: What are the specifications of the mp3’s we receive?
A: Our talents are required to send everything in a stereo mp3 at a minimum of 224kbps. The audio may take a extra few seconds to download but you will be assured a very high quality audio.
Q: Sometimes when I call I end up in voicemail, is there a better way to reach you?
A: We suggest you send the copy and information via e-mail first and then call. If you end up in voicemail please leave a detailed message. It simply means we’re on the other line or in a session. All calls are returned as soon as possible. The average wait time on a return call is less than 15 minutes.
Q: I need to get approval on the v/o from the client, how long do I have to ask for a free revision?
A: Our policy is 3 business days. Anything after 3 business days is subject to full billing.
Q: Why can’t I send you two :15 second tags and just get billed for one :30 second commercial?
A: Time. When we receive a booking and put it on one of our internal production orders for our talents and for record keeping purposes, it takes time. Like an attorney, auto mechanic, or just about any other profession… you are paying for time and the service. It is also how we contract our voice talents.
Q: One of your talents cut a spot for me, but I'm not crazy about his/her voice for this particular script. Can another talent cut the spot at no additional cost to me?
A: Sorry, we can have the original talent re-cut it for you if you find your instructions were not followed. It's important to listen carefully to the talent demos. Each demo contains a variety of read styles in order for you to make a selection based on your individual needs.
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