Understanding Usage

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What is Usage?
Usage for Voice Over
Broadcast Usage
Non-Broadcast Usage
Usage for Music
Usage Terms
Usage Rights
Non-Exclusive and Exclusive Licensing
Licenses in Project Marketplace

What is Usage?

Usage is a term in the job posting or job agreement that limits the scope for how the creative content is to be used. On Voices, we have different usage guidelines and options for voice over jobs and music jobs.
 

Usage for Voice Over

For Voice over, usage is limited by media (paid or owned, like radio, TV, or online advertising campaigns, etc.), duration, (length of campaign), or geography (size of campaign - typically local, regional, or national.) 

At Voices, we provide clients and talent with an opportunity to indicate and understand, respectively, how the client intends to use final files once they’ve been paid for and received. We call this usage.

There are two primary types of usage:

1. Broadcast
2. Non-Broadcast

Each type of usage has its own set of rules and guidelines that clients and talent are expected to follow as outlined in our Terms of Service. Below you will find the various types of broadcast and non-broadcast usage we offer through our marketplace, with a brief description of each. This information is intended to help clients understand the type of usage they should select, and will help talent understand what usage means for their approach to quoting. 

Clients can either post jobs with only one usage indicated, or they can include multiple usage entries if the final file will be used across multiple channels or mediums.
 

Broadcast Usage

Broadcast usage broadly means usage related to radio, television, and online advertising. These types of usage have some common characteristics, they:

• have some kind of geographic coverage (i.e. local, regional, or national);
• typically ‘run’ or are used over a set period of time (i.e. 13-weeks, 1-year, or in perpetuity), and;
• have set budgetary minimums (i.e. jobs must be posted at a minimum amount to ensure talent are paid according to industry standards).

While broadcast usage typically lasts for the ‘runs’ mentioned above, we do allow clients to post a job with a custom ‘run’ or usage length, which is especially helpful for online advertising.

Radio Ad

Indicates the final files will be heard on public radio (i.e. AM, FM, or satellite). Examples include radio ads and public service announcements.

Television Ad

Indicates the final files will be heard on television. Examples include television ads and programs.

Online Ad

Indicates the final files will be heard on the internet in some kind of advertisement. Examples include YouTube ads, Spotify ads, and audio-based digital ads. 
 

Non-Broadcast Usage

Non-broadcast broadly means all other usage that isn’t related to radio, television, or internet advertisements. These types of usage do not come with budgetary minimums or restrictions on geographic usage. Typically, with these usage types, it is assumed that the usage period will be in perpetuity. 

Animation

Indicates the final files will be used in some kind of animation. Examples include narration or character voices for cartoons and animated films.

Audiobooks

Indicates the final files will be used to narrate an audiobook.

Documentaries

Indicates the final files will be used to narrate a documentary.

Elearning

Indicates the final files will be used in an educational or informative capacity. Examples include internal training courses, product or software tutorials, and company overview videos. 

Movie Trailers

Indicates the final files will be used as part of a trailer for a movie, but not as part of an advertisement for the film or an advertising campaign.

Podcasting

Indicates the final files will be used as part of a podcast, but not as part of an advertisement played during the podcast. Examples include podcast introductions, narrations, or character voices.

Telephone

Indicates the final files will be used as part of an interactive voice recording (IVR) system.

Video Games

Indicates the final files will be used as part of a video game. Examples include narration and character voices. 
 

Video Narration

Indicates that the final files will be used in a video format, pairing creative visuals with voice over. In many cases these would be online videos (excluding online ads, which fall under broadcast usage). Examples could include a demo of a new website feature with narration over top, product explainer videos, announcement videos, internal or external presentations and keynotes, or in-app narration.

Voice Assistant

Indicates the final files will be used as part of a smart voice assistant. Examples include smart speakers, GPS directional guidance, smart home appliances, and smartphone assistants. 
 

Usage For Music

In addition to the usage options outlined above for voice over, music jobs on Voices include additional usage details:

• Usage Terms, and;
• Usage Rights.

Unlike voice over job postings however, the usage selections do not impact minimum budgets. Like voice over job postings, clients can add as many usages as they require.

Usage Terms

Usage Terms indicate for how long the creative can be used by the client. Clients can either indicate that they'd like to use the creative in perpetuity (i.e. with no defined time period) by selecting Perpetual License, or that they'd like to use the creative for a defined period of time by selecting Termed Usage. For Termed Usage jobs, clients can indicate the precise length of the term in a field called Termed License Length, which will pop up after Termed License has been selected.

Usage Rights

Usage Rights indicate how many projects the client can use the creative file in during the selected usage term. There are three options for clients to choose from:

1. Unlimited Use;
2. Five Use, and;
3. Single Use.

Non-Exclusive and Exclusive Licensing 

A non-exclusive license means you're purchasing a piece of music that other clients can purchase, i.e., the talent can re-sell that music. 

An exclusive license means you're purchasing a piece of music that only you can use and own, i.e., the talent cannot re-sell the music to other clients. This is why exclusive license work usually costs more. 

At Voices, a job is implied non-exclusive unless otherwise stated in the job posting. Therefore, it’s up to you, the client, to communicate that your job requires exclusive licensing. You do this through two means:

1. When posting your job: State in the ‘Job Description’ section of the job posting you’re looking for an exclusive license.

2. Immediately after hiring your talent: Reiterate in the ‘Notes’  section of the Job Agreement that this is an exclusive license.

Licenses in Project Marketplace

The information above also applies to the way talent will create their project listings in the Project Marketplace. You'll see market and time period combinations referenced in broadcast voice over projects, which will dictate the pricing of those projects. You'll see Single Use, Five Use, Unlimited Use for music projects.

You'll also see included licenses that come with the purchase of a project.

For projects that are broadcast voice over, you will see that the following licenses are included and give the required permissions to use the work within these contexts:

Commercial Use License: Rights granted to a person or company to use the creative work in a commercial setting.

Broadcast Use License: Rights granted to a person or company to use the creative work for the purposes of promoting a product or service in paid broadcasting channels, like radio, TV, or online ad.

Non-Broadcast voice over projects will come with a commercial use license attached only.

If you require additional usage that isn't covered in a talent's project listing, we encourage you to invite that talent to a job. 
 

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