This Pledge Wants BIPOC Talent to Make Up 50% of Ad Voices

"The sonic color line" is a phrase coined in a 2016 book of the same title, in which Binghamton University professor Jennifer Lynn Stoever examines how race shapes the audio we consume each day, from our favorite streaming shows to the advertising that airs between songs. She described a hierarchal divide created by industry standards that prioritize a sound more closely associated with whiteness—one that Pandora's in-house consultancy, Studio Resonate, says has been widely regarded as the default "American" voice among casting professionals, even though nearly 40% of the country's population are people of color. To address this, Pandora, SiriusXM and Stitcher have launched a joint initiative called Stand for Sonic Diversity, aiming to eradicate the sonic color line with concrete policies meant to boost Black voices within the audio industry, especially in advertising voice-overs. The initiative invites fellow brands, agencies and publishers to commit to the Sonic Color Line Pledge, a list of actions meant to significantly diversify each company's internal roster of creatives. This includes an effort to have people of color represent 50% of hired talent—a goal born of Studio Resonate's past shortcomings when it came to inclusion. Until mid-2020, Studio Resonate followed the industry standard of only casting BIPOC actors when specifically requested by an advertiser, or when specifically targeting multicultural audiences. As a result, the vast majority of the voices we cast were white.—Nicole Hughey, vp of diversity, SiriusXM "Until mid-2020, Studio Resonate followed the industry standard of only casting BIPOC actors when specifically requested by an advertiser, or when specifically targeting multicultural audiences," Nicole Hughey, SiriusXM's vp of diversity, told Adweek. "As a result, the vast majority of the voices we cast were white. We’ve made significant progress, and are close to realizing our goal of 50% BIPOC casting, but we still have work to do." That progress can be attributed to Stand For Sonic Diversity's proposed list of practices, from regularly auditing and enforcing inclusive casting procedures to refusing to ask Black voice actors to play up stereotypes, including the use of affected "blaccents." Hughey adds: "Studio Resonate is also changing how we write (and who writes) our scripts, to make sure we’re not only creating more opportunities for diversity in creative and casting, but to also avoid forcing our voice-over talent to play to a type that may perpetuate sonic color lines." The Stand for Sonic Diversity pledge includes these three pillars: Make a specific, measurable and public commitment to casting Black voices.Diversify internal talent rosters, strive to have BIPOC represent at least 50% of the roster.Adopt the Stand for Sonic Diversity Best Practices, and distribute to all creative contributors, stakeholders and vendors influencing audio creative. These are the best practices outlined on the Stand for Sonic Diversity site: Strive to have Black voices represent at least 15% of the total voice-over roster.Diversify casting and aim to increase Black voice talent cast by 30% over 2020 totals.Refuse to support casting where white voice actors are cast in Black roles.Never direct Black voice talent to sound “more black” or “less Black” or use “blackccent.”Diversify voices cast for the “general market,” rather than defaulting to the use of a white voice.Audit casting practices on a regular basis to ensure adherence to diverse casting practices.Extend DEI efforts to all those making decisions regarding voice casting and scripting.Establish and engage a review process to identify and flag stereotypes in creative work.Engage professionals who can work with your teams to encourage active listening, acknowledging the sonic color lines we draw in our lives, our work and our communities. Spotify Equal Initiative Kicks Off on International Women’s Day

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

'Stand for Sonic Diversity' Pledge Aims for BIPOC Talent to Make Up 50% of Ad Voices

With support from SiriusXM, Pandora and Stitcher, Studio Resonate confronts the 'sonic color line'

Shannon Miller

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Shannon Miller