Certified Human Voice™
Every audiobook performed by a real person. No exceptions.
A real person, in their own voice, every time
Certified Human Voice™ is our promise that every audiobook Academy Voices publishes is performed by a real narrator, speaking in their own voice, in real time, with their consent.
It isn't a tier or an add-on. It covers every title in our catalog, about 750 audiobooks since 2023, and every book we make from here on.
It's written into the agreement every narrator signs, and it has no exceptions. Not for a rushed deadline, not for a tight budget, and not for a copy of the narrator's own voice.
In one sentenceWhen you press play on an Academy Voices audiobook, you are hearing a person.
Every audiobook meets all four.
These are in the terms every narrator agrees to before they can audition.
Performed by a person
A real voice actor records every word in their own natural voice. Every choice of pacing, character and emotion is theirs.
- No generated voices
- No cloned voices, including a copy of the narrator’s own voice
- No automated performance, in any part of any recording
Made with consent
The narrator knowingly agrees to the recording, where it is sold, and how it can be promoted.
- Informed: they know what is being produced
- Voluntary: they choose which books to audition for
- Specific: limited to the book and the uses in their agreement
Protected from reuse
A narrator’s performance is used for their book and its promotion, and nothing else.
- Never used to train voice-generation systems
- Never used to clone or build a voice
- Any other use needs the narrator’s separate written consent
Honest with listeners
Our catalog says who narrated each book. What you see on the page is what you hear.
- Every title names its narrator
- No performance is ever passed off as something it isn’t
Your book, in a real voice
Readers notice. Most listeners say they prefer a human narrator, and your book deserves a performance, not a reading.
- Real narrators audition for your book, and you choose the voice
- You approve a 15-minute sample before the full recording
- Your narrator’s name is on your audiobook in every store
Press play and hear a person
Every book in our catalog has a sample. Tap a cover and listen. Each one names the narrator who performed it.
- About 750 audiobooks, all performed by real narrators
- Sold on nearly 50 retailers, libraries and streaming services
A promise with teeth
Certified Human Voice™ is our own standard, set and enforced by Academy Voices. Every narrator agrees in writing that each recording they deliver is their own live performance, with no exceptions.
If a recording ever breaks that promise, it doesn’t get published. A narrator who breaks it can be removed from our roster.
Your voice stays yours
When you narrate for Academy Voices:
- 1You perform every word yourself, in your own voice
- 2Your recordings are never used to train or clone a voice
- 3Your name is on every book you narrate
All of this is in the Narrator Terms of Service you accept when you join.
Four things, every time.
That’s the whole promise.