TALENT PAYMENT

Paying talent is one of the more complicated parts of what we do. 

There are 5 main talent unions to satisfy, and each union has its own set of rules regarding the numerous cycle types to be paid.

We are signatory to all unions, meaning we are required to abide by union rules, and only hire talent from the pool of union members.

 Here are the unions we deal with for paying talent:

ACTRA: Canadian English language Radio and Television performers

UDA: Canadian French language Radio and Television performers
SAG: US Radio and Television performers
CFM: Canadian Federation of Musicians
AFofM: American Federation of Musicians

 Performers receive 2 types of payments- a SESSION payment for the recording of the performance, and a RESIDUAL payment for the use of the performance.

There are several different types of residual payments depending on how we air the commercials.

1)      TELEVISION CYCLES-
Most common type of television cycle covers 13 consecutive weeks of use. For  ACTRA, & UDA, as well as both music unions one payment is issued for unlimited use during the 13 week cycle. However, SAG requires a separate payment for Wildspot, Cable and Network use, meaning you potentially have to make 3 payments to cover 13 weeks of use.
2)      RADIO CYCLES-
As with TV, a typical radio cycle covers 13 consecutive weeks of use with one payment.  And for ACTRA, UDA and the music unions, the 1^st 13 weeks of use is covered by the session payment.
3)      INDUSTRIAL CYCLES-
Cover non-broadcast use, such as Trade Shows, Stadiums, In Flight, Cinema, In-store monitors and Outdoor boards. For ACTRA this use is covered if you have paid a current 13 week Television cycle, but the other unions require a separate payment for this use.
4)      INTERNET CYCLES-
Each union has their own payment requirements for online use. And further, the payment differs depending on whether you have produced a commercial for online use, or are using a spot originally produced for Television.

Complicated- yes. Expensive-you bet! 

Often, more than 1 union will be involved when a payment is made.

Best rule of thumb- never assume that any use of a commercial will not have an associated cost, for any medium. Never assume that your use will be at no additional cost, because it was the last time you aired the commercial.  Always contact your traffic coordinator BEFORE making any promises to a client or estimating  costs for uses in any medium. The rules are constantly changing regarding the compensation of performers, so this can easily turn into a very costly oversight.

 We are here to help guide you through this ever changing landscape, so feel free to contact us at any time. It’s a great time to be alive with all the available methods of broadcasting your message!