VoiceOverXtra - Being Cheated From TV Income? Advice From Atty Robert Sciglimpaglia

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INCOME / FEES
Are You Being Cheated From Income
For Voice Overs That Wind Up On TV?
September 22, 2015

(VOXtra) - Are you being cheated from income for voice overs that wind up where you hadn't expected? For example ...

What happens when you record a spot for use for the Internet for $500, and two years later you get a call from your buddy saying they heard that spot on TV? NATIONAL TV? And it was played over 3,000 times!

Robert Sciglimpaglia, the voice actor/actor/attorney - and author of VoiceOverXtra�s book, Voice Over LEGAL - reports:

"This scenario is not only real, it is happening every day now. I am hearing of these stories more and more often.�

And he says it�s "due to non-union voice over artists negotiating their contracts on their own, with no agency or attorney help.�

So - can you recover more money for use of these spots?

"It depends,� Rob says. "It depends on what the contract says.�

For instance:

Hopefully, you did not record this under a "work for hire� agreement,
Hopefully, the words "buy out� did not appear anywhere in your agreement.

"If these terms are not there, then you may be in luck,� Rob says. "The material is yours under U.S. Copyright law the moment you record it - and unless your client took the proper precautions to "license� your work, you have recourse.

"But this is tricky, so the skills of a good agent or attorney will be needed at this juncture.�

Note: If you want to know more about contracts and many other legal and business issues affecting your VO business, please check out www.VoiceOverLegal.com.