VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[whalewtchr]

A friend posted this on FB . V123 is now offering a Platinum membership for 1500 dollars a year. I am not a member of any P2P service so I have no dog in this hunt, but I am floored. Is there really value in this for anyone?
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jonahcummings

[Scott Pollak]

[Lee Gordon]

I saw that on FB but have not received anything from V123, nor has anybody else I know of. I wonder if the person who posted confused the two P2P services, especially since "Platinum" is Voices.com's terminology. Even if V123 were to offer such a package, you'd think they'd come up with their own unique title for it.

In any case, I can't in my wildest imagination conceive of how a Platinum membership could possibly be worth it.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[captain54]

Sounds fishy.. Their website claims the Platinum membership is a "convenience" for those who bounce back and forth between two or three accounts to have better access to auditions..

I don't know anyone who has two or three accounts

The Platinum membership will also give you first crack at auditions before anyone else... Way to piss off the premium members.. bad business strategy.. whatever gain there is in $1500 membership fees is gonna offset the loss in the $295 memberships who won't bother if the audition numbers are continually up there..

sounds like greed to me.. If they know you are booking 5 jobs or more a month, they know you can easily cover the $1500, and they want a piece of that too.

[Rick Riley]

[Yonie]

Am I the only one thinking that Voices and Voice123 are showing signs of growth pains? It's as if they've plateaued, and are now trying to rake in a bigger profit by means other than increasing their membership.

[Diane Maggipinto]

sounds a bit like paying more for "economy comfort" on an airplane. you get the first or exit row. woo-frEEkin-oot.
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sitting at #8, though not as present as I'd like to be. Hello!

www.d3voiceworks.com

[kgenus]

All preemptive action. Last weekend, a new service went live which will probably threaten the existence of at least one of these services.

Whalewtchr, don't be floored, I know several people who have made six figures yearly from that site. Also, it's 100% tax deductible...
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Genus

[melissa eX]

RTC Kev?

[kgenus]

[melissa eX]

I also think so. At the very least it's intriguing. And about time.

[Velfin]

I have a hunch 123 has been planning a high-end membership roll-out for a while, expected it to bring some ire, and waited until their stock was high / their competitor stumbled.

Thanks for the RTC heads-up. How did you come across it? I thought I had my ear pretty firmly to the ground, but that's a new one on me.
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Kendra Hoffman
kendrasvoice.com

[jsgilbert]

RTC seems more likely to be a threat to VoiceBank and traditional voice over casting as opposed to representing much of a dent to Voices.com or voice123. I know that they are trying to work closely with Canadian and U..S. unions in an attempt to attract high caliber work. There are also several layers of vetting with regards to talent. Whether we see loop holes that might allow any Tom, Dick or Harry join will depend upon many factors.

Also, while the number of individuals willing to set up shop for free online as voice talent is still on the rise, the number of individuals willing to fork over fees for the privilege of auditioning is somewhat flat and barely is keeping pace with the number of individuals dropping out from the services.

Voices.com has addressed this continually, not just by creating an atmosphere designed to attract and keep newcomers, but also by allowing marginal talent to accept extremely low paying work. Additionally, their Platinum programs, willingness to accept monthly payments and their payroll program which takes a 10% "much ado about nothing" fee, clearly show their ongoing commitment to making profits.

As for Voice123, they came up with their Bunny site to try and attract the newcomer and marginal talent and now they are screwing around with Platinum service in what seems to be another effort to make up for sagging profits.

What they are offering in return could help a specific type of voice talent, but is clearly not geared for most of their premium subscribers. Sadly, I can see how this Platinum service could be heavily abused and may wind up creating more headaches than they will solve.

Lest we discuss "stealing" of terms like Platinum, I used the term in ads and marketing long before the internet and I wasn't the first. I would also point out that the term "voice seeker" was coined by Voice 123 and is used by their competitors and others to obtain SEO and for other marketing purposes.

Regardless of personal feelings, I can relate to these businesses, as I am heavily driven in my business to generate profits. Some may disagree with my methods and/ or morals. I'm not sure that the overall badmouthing and belittling is helpful or warranted. All's fair in love and war it would seem. Condemn or canonize or just move on? It's your choice.
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j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

[todd ellis]

moving on.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

[Steve Knight]

I've been a Voice123 member for 6 years, and it has never failed to pay for itself each year many times over...

Maybe it's because of my filter settings, but I've noticed there's fewer
$150 and more $500 gigs..maybe they're using this as justification to do this platinum thing..either way, I'm not spending that kind of money...

I hope Voice123 platinum, and Mr Voice Bunny will be very happy together..