The Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) has established itself as an entity that trains, mentors, and advocates for freelance and contract-based audio professionals, “equipping them with the resources, knowledge, and support needed to build sustainable careers.”
Now it is stepping forward with a “long-awaited essential resource designed” designed to offer a blueprint of just how much these non-employee industry figures should earn.
The “2025 Rate Guide,” released on February 19 by AIR, “responds to a dramatically transformed media landscape, offering freelancers the tools to advocate for their worth, negotiate confidently, and build sustainable careers.”
AIR Executive Director Keisha Salmon explains, “Independent audio professionals have navigated rate negotiations with little transparency for years. This guide is more than a reference; it’s a tool for empowerment. Freelancers are the backbone of the audio industry, and they deserve clear, data-backed benchmarks to help them secure fair pay and sustainable careers.”
The 2025 Rate Guide provides “updated benchmarks” for producers, sound designers, story editors, fact-checkers, and researchers in the audio industry. It also includes a newly expanded role and responsibilities reference tool, helping freelancers and hiring organizations better define experience levels and roles. The guide is based on a comprehensive research process conducted throughout 2024, including an industry-wide survey and in-depth interviews with freelancers and employers.
The last AIR Rate Guide was produced in 2021. Since then, AIR says, the audio industry has undergone rapid shifts, including the explosion of podcasting, new funding models, and increasing demand for high-quality production. “Yet, freelancers, the backbone of the industry, have often been left without clear standards for fair compensation,” AIR says.
The 2025 Rate Guide was developed by AIR’s Rate Guide Committee, led by Erin McGregor, Program Manager at AIR, and AIR Board members Mia Lobel, Will Coley, and Rob Byers.
The guide categorizes freelance rates into four key areas:
- Producer Rates
- Story Editing & Consulting Rates
- Fact-Checking & Research Rates
- Mixing, Engineering, Sound Design & Music Composition Rates
To access AIR’s 2025 Rate Guide, please click here:
https://airmedia.org/tools/2025-rate-guide
