India’s recorded music industry’s size is Rs.1, 068 crore and it provides employment to 1,460 people directly.
If you are an avid listener, you are living at the right time. If you are an avid audio creator, you are living at an even better time.
With the growth of audio entertainment, employment opportunities and creative opportunities are rising for voice professionals. It’s not only radio, dubbing, and jingles, but they can also explore diverse media to express their talents. This growth is also helping the world understand the voice professional’s role.
Deloitte’s Audio OTT (Over the Top) Economy in India Inflection Point report states that the audio OTT (Over the Top) platforms will continue to generate more employment opportunities.
Ashish Ddavidd, is a voice over artists who has worked in 70,000 plus projects including giving voice for Nat Geo, Discovery, and now makes videos to teach the art to newbies in the field. He said, “Many audio platforms have come up and these have propelled the demand for voice over artists and even mixing engineers in the audio market. This is definitely a great time to get into this industry, even as a newbie. Also, thanks to these platforms, people are now getting to understand what we, voice over artists actually do.”
Timbre Media curates music and helps its client in producing audio content. Harish Puppalla, a top radio programmer at the media said, “The growth of audio as a content medium presents several opportunities for voice artists (as anchors, presenters, etc.) who are keen to make a mark and present an informed opinion that is backed by well-rounded research.”
Puppalla also explained the characteristics they would want in a voice professional. “Developing an ability to look at all sides of any story or topic is key to engaging audiences. Crucially, this also allows the anchors to converse with subject matter experts in a way that is meaningful for their audience. A voice artist who can present an authentic, inclusive, and informed persona will be an asset to any media house.”
Voices, a voice marketplace for voice professionals, in its 2021 annual trends report states that the jobs posted on their platform saw 40 percent year-over-year growth.
Puppalla added that there has been increase in Timber Media customers.“We saw that audiences were responding positively to the voices they perceived as relatable, genuine, and fun. Over the last decade, this recognition for audio as a great connector gained impressive traction,” he added.
Further he explained that the pandemic helped public recognize the audio industry’s advantages. “It’s not just music or an interesting discussion, it is the satisfaction that listeners derived from our content that highlighted how crucial a role a friendly voice can play, especially in difficult times.”
Sushmita Pandit, associate professor at the Future Institute of Engineering and Management said that the opportunities on the online platforms have increased. The podcasts and audio books have gained huge popularity and it’s creating more opportunities for voice artists. “Now, there is an opportunity to create your own content. It doesn’t take much to start your own podcast, you need to be interested.”
Statista showed that the average revenue per user for the music, radio, and podcast industry is expected to reach $7.19 in India. The number of listeners in the industry will grow to 628.6 million users by 2026.
