How much does a voice-over cost in Quebec?

The confusion almost always starts in the same place: people compare a recording fee with an all-in price that also covers direction, studio, editing and broadcast rights. Those are four different things.

What you are actually paying for

• The talent fee — the performer's time in the booth, their voice, their experience, and their ability to land the right tone in the first few takes.
• Direction and studio — an outside ear directing the read, an acoustically treated room, a clean microphone and signal chain.
• Audio treatment — cleanup, EQ, compression, loudness normalisation to broadcast standards, sync to picture.
• Usage rights — where the voice will run, for how long, and in what territory. This is the line clients forget every single time.

Realistic ranges in Quebec for 2026

(Indicative ranges — to be confirmed for your project.)

Why usage rights change everything

The same 45-second read can cost $300 or $3,000. The difference is not the performance: it is the reach. A clip on your intranet is not worth the same as an ad running on air across Quebec for six months.

What moves the rights line:

• The medium — organic web, paid web, radio, TV, cinema, in-store audio.
• The territory — one local market, Quebec, Canada, international.
• The term — 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, in perpetuity.
• Exclusivity — preventing the performer from voicing a competitor in your sector costs extra.

A voice working under the Union des artistes (UDA) agreements comes with standardised fees and rights, which shows up in the quote. Outside the UDA, rates are negotiated directly: more flexible, but put the terms in writing.

Three languages means three voices, not a translation

For a Quebec company also targeting English Canada or Spanish-speaking markets, each language is a separate recording with its own native performer. Budget the full fee per language, plus the editing adjustment: a French script usually runs 15 % to 20 % longer than its English version, which shifts the picture.

Having an English script read by a French speaker is the classic false economy — the accent registers within three seconds and undercuts the whole production.

Human voice or synthetic voice

AI-generated voices cost a fraction of the price and work well for prototypes, internal modules or e-learning content that changes often. They fall short as soon as you need intent, humour, emotion or a brand signature — and the rights to a cloned voice have to be settled before, not after.

Our position: synthesis for internal and draft work, a human voice for anything that carries your brand in public.

How to pay less without it showing

• Record in batches. Five clips in one session cost far less than five sessions.
• Lock your script. Re-records for text changes (pickups) are billed, often at a session minimum.
• Buy the rights you need. Paying for national distribution on a regional campaign is money thrown away.
• Time the script before writing it. A natural French read runs about 140 to 160 words per minute: a 400-word script will never fit 60 seconds.
• Supply a pronunciation guide. Product names, brands, acronyms, place names — a short list prevents re-records.

Let's give your brand a voice

At Bollé Communications, we write, direct and record professional voice-overs in French, English and Spanish, delivered ready for the edit. See our narration and voice-over, video production and editing and post-production services, or get in touch for an estimate built around your project.