
Facilitating the payment of SAG-AFTRA audiobook projects
CONTACT:
845-405-5540
When an audiobook project is completed, payment is to be sent to Skywire Paymaster Services. The narrator is not able to be paid directly.
There are three ways that a project total can be calculated:
1. The Pension and Health contribution (P&H) and paymaster fee are part of the narrator's PFH rate. This is referred to as, "All-In."
2. The P&H and Paymaster fee are paid by the hiring party, on top of the Per Finished Hour (PFH) rate. This is referred to as a "Straight Rate."
3. Only the Paymaster fee is paid by the hiring party, on top of the PFH rate.
If you are an author, please consult with your narrator as which of the above will be used. If you are a publisher, or producer, please contact Skywire.
P&H contributions are sent, by Skywire, to SAG-AFTRA for the actors' Pension and Health (P&H) contribution.
Skywire takes care of all 1099s to narrators. If you need to send Skywire a 1099, please get in touch, and we'll send you our W9.
There are three types of Indie projects:
1) Traditional ACX - an offer is made and accepted through the ACX Platform, and the narrator uploads mastered files from their end. These projects are designated as ACX.
2) Projects through an Indie Publisher or Producer who is a Signatory of SAG-AFTRA. Files may be delivered as clean punch and roll, or as mastered files. These projects would be classified under the name of the signatory.
3) Projects done with a non-signatory publisher or producer, or with an author not going through traditional ACX channels. These projects would labeled as SKYWIRE.
All of these distinctions are important, as they can affect the minimum per finished hour (PFH) rate, and the percentage of pension and health contribution.
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT INVOICES FOR ACX AND SKYWIRE PROJECTS WITH AN AUTHOR ARE TO BE SENT OUT BY THE NARRATOR, OR PRODUCER, NOT SKYWIRE. IF YOU ARE A PUBLISHER OR PRODUCER, PLEASE CONTACT SKYWIRE TO DETERMINE HOW INVOICING WILL BE DONE.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
If your project has more than one narrator, and at least one of them will be processed as union, then ALL narrators on that project must be processed as union, whether they are members, or not. It's about the project as a whole, rather than the individuals. A PROJECT is either union, or it's not. The only exception would be if a narrator is non-union AND lives outside the U.S.
Skywire operates on a three-tiered, flat-fee system to process audiobook projects, which includes paying the narrator, reporting the earnings to SAG-AFTRA, paying the collected P&H contribution, and issuing 1099s.
$60: If the narrator earns $1200 or more.
$30: If the narrator earns under $1200.
$15: If the narrator earns under $600.
Skywire offers a variety of methods through which funds can be sent in for an audiobook project.
FOR ALL PAYMENT METHODS, PLEASE INCLUDE A MEMO WITH YOUR NARRATOR'S NAME, AND THE PROJECT TITLE. THANKS!
THE FOLLOWING PAYMENT OPTIONS HAVE NO ADDITIONAL FEES CHARGED FOR SENDING FUNDS
PAPER CHECKS
Please make out and mail your check to:
SKYWIRE PAYMASTER SERVICES
13 N. Broadway, Third Floor
Nyack, NY 10960
If you are mailing a check, USPS, UPS, and FedEx are all fine, but please do not use any method requiring a signature. It will only delay your narrator/producer getting paid.
ZELLE
Zelle is an electronic funds transfer platform used by most major banks. YOU CAN SEND FUNDS, VIA ZELLE, THROUGH YOUR BANK, TO: noah@skywirepaymaster.com
VENMO
Venmo is another electronic funds transfer platform. You can find us there at: SKYWIRE-PAYMASTER
If you see an option to "PROTECT YOUR PURHCASE," please DO NOT select that. This will cause Skywire to be charged a fee, which we do not cover. Your funds will be returned, and you will need to re-send the funds without that option, or select a different payment method. Please do not use a credit card to pay with Venmo.
MELIO
Melio is a secure electronic funds transfer platform for U.S. to U.S. BUSINESS transactions. You can send payment, with no additional fees, using your checking account information. THERE IS NO NEED TO SIGN UP FOR AN ACCOUNT. Click on the link below and follow the prompts to pay from your bank account. In the box where it says, INVOICE #, please leave that blank. It is an optional field. Click on ADD NOTE TO VENDOR, and type, "For services rendered. Audiobook production of [BOOK TITLE], narrated by [NARRATOR NAME].
https://melio.me/skywirepaymaster
THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FEES TO SEND FUNDS WHICH ARE TO BE COVERED BY THE SENDER
PAYPAL OR CREDIT CARD THROUGH PAYPAL
Funds can be sent to Skywire, via PayPal, at: info@skywirepaymaster.com
PayPal charges a fee of 2.99% for transactions originating in the U.S., and 4.49% for transactions originating outside the U.S. Please use the calculations below to ensure that, after the PayPal fee is taken out, your narrator is getting the contracted amount expected. Additionally, if you use a Credit Card through PayPal, they may charge you a separate fee for that.
Total due / 0.9701 - For domestic, incoming transactions.
Total due / 0.9551 - For international, incoming transactions.
MELIO
If you use a Credit or Debit card through Melio, they will charge you a fee of 2.99 percent. Again, THERE IS NOT NEED TO SIGN UP FOR AN ACCOUNT. Click on the link below and follow the prompts to pay from your bank account. In the box where it says, INVOICE #, please leave that blank. It is an optional field. Click on ADD NOTE TO VENDOR, and type, "For services rendered. Audiobook production of [BOOK TITLE], narrated by [NARRATOR NAME].
https://melio.me/skywirepaymaster
ACH/DIRECT DEPOSIT AND BANK WIRES
Please contact us for banking information.
Be advised that, while there is no additional fee on our end for ACH/Direct Deposit, your bank may charge you a fee. If you send a bank wire, please add additional $15 fee for domestic, or $20 for international wires transactions. Neither Skywire, nor the narrator can absorb those fees.
INTERNATIONAL PAYMENTS
Skywire utilizes Wise (formerly TransferWise) for international transactions. We have bank accounts in The UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and other countries, as well. If you do not have a Wise account yourself, please contact us for the appropriate banking information for the currency you want to send. Please be advised that daily changing currency conversion rates, and Wise fees will impact the amount due. If you're not sure how much to send, contact Wise at (888) 829-3669. Let them know the amount of U.S. dollars you are wanting to send, and they should be able to tell you how much of your own currency to send.
If you are a Wise customer, you should be able to find us in their system under Skywire Paymaster Services. You can always reach out to us if you need help adding Skywire properly as a new recipient. Please do not search using a @ tag, or email address. Once you find us, you should be able to send us USD directly to our Fulton Bank Account.
SKYWIRE CONTACT:
845-405-5540
For projects designated as SKYWIRE, there are two or three documents (depending on the situation) that will need to be signed.
THE PAYMASTER AGREEMENT
This is a contract that will need to be signed for all SKYWIRE projects. It is strictly between Skywire and the hiring party. Each party who signs will only need to do so once.
The document entails the services offered by Skywire, and the terms under which payment(s) must be made. The agreement is not project, or narrator-specific. It covers any present, and future projects processed through Skywire. Certain publishers and producers may be exempt from this contract.
EXHIBIT A - THREE-PARTY
The Exhibit A document covers fair use of audiobook recordings in other types of media (film, television, etc), as well as issues surrounding the use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The Exhibit is a three-party agreement between the hiring party, Skywire, and SAG-AFTRA.
This document must be signed by all authors/rights holders, as well as non-signatory publishers and producers. The Exhibit A is also not project/narrator-specific. It covers all projects processed through Skywire.
EXHIBIT A - FOUR-PARTY
The Four-Party Exhibit is for when a Skywire project is produced by entity that is NOT the audio rights holder (RH). In this case, an Exhibit A must be signed by the RH, the producer, Skywire, and the union.
Once you have negotiated a deal with your narrator, please reach out to us with the following information:
If you are an author with a pen name, and your email address is associated with your pen name, please send your personal email address.
The details of the agreement between you and your narrator are not required.
The document process is done through a secure, online platform. You will receive emails from Adobe, with links to fill and sign your part of the document(s). Once all signatures have been completed, you will receive a finalized copy. If you have any questions during the document process, please let us know.
SKYWIRE CONTACT:
845-405-5540

















WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO MAKE THE SKYWIRE EXPERIENCE BETTER. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, OR CONCERNS, PLEASE USE THE CONTACT FORM, OR GIVE US A CALL AT: 845-405-5540
Hours Of Operation: Monday - Sunday, 9am to 9pm
www.skywirepaymaster.com
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