Simply put, being a voice artiste is 'converting written word to audio' – and not singing!
Not an easy definition this! Oh, my mother's last wish was to understand what his good son did for a living & how he is being talked about! "Beta, I don't see you doing a speck of work!"

Is this why in the US, they call it "The best job in the world?" Sit in front of a microphone, mouth some words that you have not even taken the trouble of writing and collect your enviable remuneration before you leave for home! And the attendant fame is a welcome bonus!
Sounds sinfullyalluring! Except that making a career in so fragile a space is fraught with pitfalls of performance & dangers of work vacuum.

But fortunately for those who are contemplating making a career in voice recordings, the work space has expanded beyond the wildest imagination.
From a microscopic drop in the vast ocean that is the entertainment industry, it has grown to be a mini industry that is attracting serious attention. It has matured enough to have almost water tight categories.

There are three main spaces.

1. Voice Overs
2. Voice Acting
3. Radio Jockeys.

Basically, a voice over artiste

- narrates documentaries (like the ones you see on Discovery, National Geographies etc.)
- narrates corporate videos – from product use to joint venture presentations.
- Safety videos to car GPS instructions.
- Cell phone prompts
- TV serial intros & recaps (Oh well, my cherished Mahabharat, for instance.)
- Music album intros (Do pick up a CD of Gayatri, MahaMrityunjay Mantra, Navkar…)
- Architectural walk throughs
- TV & Radio commercials.

Then there is a large space for voice actors – as different from voice overs:

Here, voice personality is not important, voice acting is.

- Animation voices: In a sentence, if you enjoy some 'masti' (fun, abandon) with your voice, you are already voice acting. You might be called upon to give voice to all possible ages and impossible animals!
The demand here is unlimited – well, until kids stop watching cartoons!

- Feature Film Dubbings:
Hollywood & other language films need to be dubbed in your language. All kinds of voices are needed here. So, no jostling for space here!

And if you have the extraordinary talent of mimicking well-known artistes, you got it made – big time!

The next is even a bigger space – RJing.

Here, the real asset is the gift of the gab. But as competition thickens, voice timbre & style become equally important.

The fourth category can be TV anchors & stage comperes (emcees) where an arresting voice & good rendition are definite assets.

If you are truly versatile, you will belong to all four. It will also let you continue far beyond the dreaded expiry date that this profession comes with.

Work hard and have fun.