|
VOICE OVER INDUSTRY
Note: Every year at this time, J. Michael Collins (JMC) treats us to predictions for the year ahead in voice over, world affairs and of course, the Super Bowl. He includes a reflection on how his predictions for the current year panned out. Below are excerpts related to the voice over industry in the year ahead, reprinted with permission. For the entire blog, please click the link at the end of this article. It’s that time again! That’s right - my yearly ponderings and prognostications about the future … VOICE OVER AND AI I expect 2026 to be a turning point in the fight against AI creative in general, not just in VO. The blowback against artificial intelligence in any form of art or advertising is not some Luddite fever dream or wishful thinking. Large majorities of consumers see AI creative as slop, and another symptom of the enshittification of so many things, right up there with fast food restaurants asking for tips, thousand dollar concert tickets, resort fees on your hotel bill, and airlines charging you for everything but emergency oxygen. Moreover, while AI voice is probably a little bit better than a lot of other AI creative, it is all still just not fit for purpose, and barely achieving “good enough.” Two things will determine whether AI seriously erodes voiceover work going forward:
I suspect the answer to #1 is yes. The AI oligarchy made two critical mistakes:
Those two critical errors will likely cause something verging on a rebellion against AI in any context other than that which genuinely will improve society. AI BUBBLE WILL BURST As to the stock market bubble, very simply, the math doesn’t math. Few if any AI companies are profitable, they operate on hated SAAS models. Did you know that most halfway decent AI voiceover services cost $1K+/year for access to any professional-grade features? And the vast majority of AI-centric companies are operating on funds borrowed from chip makers like NVIDIA in a ponzi-style scheme that has echoes of the 2008 housing bubble and the dotcom bubble all rolled into one. A major correction is inevitable. A massive collapse is possible. And what will be left is a population embittered by all of the items above AS WELL AS the ruins of their 401k’s - all stuck with only a few viable services left that will be charging more than ever for their wares based on their market dominance and need to recover enormous losses. While organizations like NAVA and SAG-AFTRA continue to fight on behalf of VOs, in the end, the market will have a greater say over the AI endgame than legislation, and I believe the judgment of the market will be harsher than any lawmaker. THAT ‘SPECIAL SOMETHING’ VOICE It may seem cliche, but more so than ever in 2026, the talent who do the work will rise. The market is less saturated than it was a year or two ago, but with buyers becoming pickier than ever, and looking for that “special something,” even that which has been tried-and-true money for years for many VO’s might not be enough in 2026. Your reads will have to be consistently inspired, not just good, and your mix of work sources and hustle among each will have to be more diverse and intense than ever. For quite a while there has been a cadre of “solid but unspectacular” talent who have been able to make a steady living across multiple genres. That’s not gonna fly in ’26. MORE WORK IS AHEAD, BUT … Actual work volume will continue to grow. Media is ever-growing and the constancy of growth in VO work will always follow According to Google: “The professional voiceover and voice acting industry is a multi-billion dollar market, driven by massive demand from advertising, e-learning, audiobooks (a $4.1B industry), podcasts, and corporate narration, with global revenue estimated in the billions and growing, offering significant earning potential for skilled actors.” But that “skilled actors” part is the rub. With AI an option, even if its use is overstated, only two types of voice actors will thrive in 2026 - the great, and the exceptional. Get your skills in order. Don’t skimp on training. And always be leveling-up, because while there are fewer of us than a few years ago, there are more of the great and the exceptional than ever. SHOW YOUR SKILLS & VIBE It will be another good year for hungry talent looking for quality representation, but just as in 2025, most success stories will come from making impressions in settings where you can show off your skills. More than ever, agents want to get a sense of who you are as a person as much as who you are as a talent. One thing that has stuck with me over the past year is how often I’ve asked an agent, “Why this person and not that one?” And when all else is equal (or even close), the answer I so frequently get is, “I think they’ll work hard for us.” Your demo will show your skill, but your vibe matters too. JUMP IN NOW Further to the above, if you’re playing footsie with the industry and deciding whether to jump in, do it sooner rather than later. When the economy gets slammed, newcomers flood the VO market. The pandemic was an extreme example, but if there is a 2008 or worse-level recession/major unemployment, it’ll be noob-city once again. Getting traction between 2020-2022 was brutally hard for new talent because of the sheer volume of entry-level competition. If you’re considering getting into the business, there’s a good chance the first half of 2026 will be a better time than the second half. WHERE'S THE HEAT? Hot genres for 2026:
Happy New Year, everyone! May you find prosperity and success in 2026! Email: jmichael@jmcvoiceover.com |
By J. Michael Collins
click for new article alerts