VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

DanG · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:10 am Post subject: 123 or Voices?

ok I am about to sign up for either voice 123 or voices .com I would like to get some opinions on which one of these sites is better,
which one has more leads per day etc. I went on voices today and not one job posting is this normal for them or is 123 the better choice. I would like all of your knowledge and input on this subject.

Thanks DanG

Rognog · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:17 am Post subject:

Dan,

There have been a bunch o' threads covering this subject, some of them started by me! I like Voice123. I joined in April and I've booked seven gigs through it, one of them just last week. It works for me but not for everyone. You just have to decide whether it's worth investing $195. If you can afford it, I say go for it. At the very least it's a good marketing/networking tool that you can use when interacting with potential clients.
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Deirdre · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:18 am Post subject:

kitstern · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:21 am Post subject:

Dan,

I belong to both, but I'm not renewing with Voices.com. The leads at V123 seem to be higher quality, and the site seems to be better known with the producers looking for VOs.

That being said, I have a love-hate relationship with V123. I've gotten some dandy jobs, but I've also answered a lot of leads with no response. So I've made peace with the relationship by only responding to private leads and also leads that pay a decent price. I usually use the auditions to warm up before I start to work.

Hope that helps.
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asnively · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:34 am Post subject:

I think Voices sends out a classier vibe on the surface-- it's just the way their website feels to me.

But V123 sends out more, and better, auditions. I have gotten a significant amount of work through V123. Voices? Not so much.
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bobsouer · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:52 am Post subject:

BALKY · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 12:29 pm Post subject:

I've been a premium member with voice123.com this year... and my membership is ending in February 2007. I am not renewing it as I am not happy with them. As soon as the listing is out, 9999 members already had answered it... no chance!

TOOO many of us there, and I am sure, no one listens to all of the sent demos.

Voices, Just got there, not sure yet.
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TheVoiceOfBob · Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:07 pm Post subject:

I also belong to both, but I have only booked one job in total. I have yet to receive any private leads, which at first I took that as just needing more exposure, but it seems from what I hear from the people that are successful on those sites, they all seem to get a number of private leads. I'm continuing to be patient though. My total on V123 as of today is 342 answered leads, zero jobs. On Voices.com I have answered 155 with 1 job.
Luckily that one job covered my membership to both sites so my despair isn't at a critical point. Perhaps I jumped into it too soon before I was ready. I'm increasing my knowledge every day, (this board is a big contributor), and I have some additional training scheduled starting in January.

I wonder though what it is that I might be doing wrong. I wish there was a way to get feedback from the customers, but that is not practical in a business sense. I'm curious though what others are submitting that are winning the jobs, especially on the ones that are only looking for generic demos.

Humbly yours,
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vic44139 · Guest

So far, I have submitted over 150 custom demos to Voice123 (thats not counting generics) and have not got one gig! I have submitted about 100 to Voices and have done one gig through them and have been waiting for over 2 monthes for my $$$. My gut feeling is that people who search for talent on these sites are looking for the cheapest talent they can get away with. I tend to bid on the high side of the given budgets.

I have chatted with other people who have got alot of work from them.

That being said, if the one gig that I DID get ever pays up...it will pay for my memberships for both.

TheVoiceOfBob · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 7:06 am Post subject:

vic44139 · Guest

In this case whining is good!...You go Bob...lol Wink

tackerman · Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:25 am Post subject:

Travis · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 12:09 pm Post subject:

Though this topic has been beaten to death on this and other forums, it's wise for us to continue to monitor, report, and discuss these kinds of services.

Voice123.com and Voices.com are relaitively new - We talent have no real data on how well these companies serve our needs - and nobody knows how well these firms will continue to perform in the future. How well they serve an individual talent such as yourself depends primarily on the ratio of talent to producers. The more talent that's signed up and participating, the poorer you will do.

From what I've been able to determine, for any audition on voice123 there will be between 120 to 350 talent responding. Voices.com does not let you know how many respond - it could be 30, or thousands.

The cost to join these services is currently not really a factor - if you audition, you will put in far more time auditioning to get one gig than you would to earn the joining fee working at the local McDonalds.

I belong to both, and one other paid service - I use them to keep me auditioning during those "slow" periods - which, fortunately, have been few in '06. For me, both services, in terms of getting "gigs" have not been worth the time investment. On the other hand, having a steady stream of not-very-good practice copy? Priceless!

One of the often quoted rules of looking for work in showbiz is "There are no rules!". Which means each of us needs to find our own route. What works extremely well for one individual won't work for another. How do you find your route? Try stuff! Make the investment to see what works for you.

One constant I've found in this business is that if something works for getting work, word will get out and suddenly there will be too many talent using that avenue to try to get jobs. That means that by the time word gets out, you need to have moved on to something else.

The biggest problem with Voice123.com and Voices.com is that it's too easy. You pay Voice123.com a couple of hundred, set up a studio (One can be built for $300.00-or so, if you already have internet/computer), start auditioning, and wait for the money to pour in - it does sound too good to be true.

More Info: http://www.saythewords.com/VOMagic.mp3

--
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Travis
www.VOTalent.com

Dave · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:49 pm Post subject:

I've been a voice-talker since 1969...and through the years became relatively confident in my abilities to bring words to life...and get paid for it.

So, I joined V123 and V.com assured the sacks of money would quickly appear on my doorstep. And why not, many of my vo friends told me it worked for them.

I auditioned my butt off and never got a single job. Embarrassed

I became so despondent I was left to assume I no longer have what it takes...needed to sell my studio equipment and take that greeter job at WalMart ("...would you like a buggy?").

But then EXXON wanted me for another narration project, and somehow I managed to get it together long enough to muddle through. As I was tearing down the studio yet another phone call. This time a new customer (a referral from another corporate customer) and $3,000 later I could once again get back to my original objective of getting out of this business since proving my talents to be unsellable on V123/Vcom.

That was last year.

As this year draws to a close...in just a few days... I am still having my going out of business sale and have added three additional new customers this month.

Oh the horror! I hope V123/Vcom don't somehow discover I can survive without them.

The moral of my story? Just because I apparently can't make the V123/Vcom "success list" doesn't mean I should allow anyone (especially an "internet vo agent") to decide my fate. Neither should anyone else that visits this board.

We are the captain of our own ships and have the freedom to chart our own course. So what if one person sails around the island on the west side while another chooses to do so on the east side. The question is not whether V123 or Vcom is better...the real question is...are you better than either of them!

Damn the V123/Vcom torpedoes...full speed ahead in 07!
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DanG · Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:37 pm Post subject:

Wow! talk about some good feedback I thank all of you for your input. It seems some of you are 50/50 on both companies and some just are not thrilled with the whole idea. I think i am going to go with voices just for the fact that I can actually find my name in their search with 123 I couldn't find my name anywhere and I sent them an email but got no response from them. I guess if you dont sign up with 123 it says you dont get on the search. So what good is that to upload a demo which no one will ever find or hear. Doesn't make sense to me. Anyways I am going with voices since they are cheaper and I just lost my job last week. Ahhhhh the holidays!

I would like to thank everyone who replied and gave me some great input and for everyone to have a great holiday and new year.