Human narration stays human
We do not replace a narrator’s performance with synthetic narration. The voice at the center of a Papaya production belongs to the person who performed it.
The Papaya Club Human Voice & Rights Promise
A voice is a performance. Not a data source.
For every project we produce, we protect the people behind the microphone and the rights entrusted to us. This is the standard we bring to authors, narrators, publishers, and production partners.
In plain English
Your book stays yours: working with Papaya does not transfer ownership of your manuscript or underlying book rights. Your voice stays yours, too. We will not clone it, generate new narration in your likeness, or use your recordings, transcripts, or manuscript to train AI models. We will not authorize our service providers to do so either.
Six commitments
What we promise.
No voice cloning
We do not create a digital replica of a narrator from auditions, studio sessions, pickups, raw files, or finished masters.
No model training
We will not use your recordings, transcripts, or manuscript to train, fine-tune, or improve AI models, or authorize our service providers to do so.
No hidden secondary use
We do not sell, license, or repurpose a performer’s voice for synthetic speech, unrelated productions, or a voice library.
Your book stays yours
Papaya does not take ownership of your book. Your manuscript and underlying book rights remain with you or their existing rights holder. We receive only the permission needed to provide the services you choose.
Promotion requires permission
We do not assume that making an audiobook gives us the right to publish excerpts. Portfolio and promotional uses are cleared separately with the rights holder and any required performer permissions.
From audition to archive
What the promise means in practice.
Clear rights are not one signature at the end. They shape every handoff.
Audition
An audition is used to evaluate fit for the named project. It is not a reusable voice asset.
Recording
Session audio is shared only with the people and services needed to complete the agreed production.
Post-production
Editing, cleanup, proofing, and mastering serve the recorded performance. They do not authorize new synthetic speech in the performer’s identity.
Delivery
Raw files, masters, and project materials are delivered, retained, or removed according to the project agreement and any agreed file schedule.
After release
The recordings remain tied to the uses the parties approved. New uses require a new conversation and the permissions they call for.
A necessary distinction
We use technology. We do not use it to impersonate people.
Modern audio work can include automated or machine-assisted cleanup, transcription, editing, proofing, and quality-control tools. Those tools help our engineers repair and organize a performance that a person actually gave.
They do not give us permission to generate new speech in that person’s identity, build a reusable replica, or turn a recording session into training material.
These tools may process your files to provide the service. Our no-training commitment does not mean files are never stored: access, retention, and deletion terms will be explained before you share production materials.
Before anyone records
Your rights should be clear before work begins.
A production agreement should make the important boundaries visible. These are the questions we expect the paperwork to answer.
- 01Who controls the manuscript and underlying book rights
- 02What performance rights are granted for the audiobook
- 03Who owns or controls the source recordings and finished masters
- 04Permitted formats, platforms, territory, and term where applicable
- 05Narrator credit, compensation, and any union requirements
- 06Music, sound-effects, and third-party license boundaries
- 07Portfolio, excerpt, and promotional permissions
- 08File access, retention, backup, and deletion expectations
- 09An explicit ban on voice cloning and on using recordings, transcripts, or manuscripts to train AI models
Why we are explicit
Consent should be informed, specific, and visible.
SAG-AFTRA describes its AI guardrails as consent, compensation, and control. The U.S. Copyright Office has also identified gaps in protection against unauthorized digital replicas. We believe a production company should not wait for every law or platform rule to settle before saying what it will and will not do.
SAG-AFTRA AI resourcesU.S. Copyright Office digital replicas report
This page states Papaya’s production standard. It is not legal advice and does not replace a signed project agreement. Ownership of recordings and finished masters, compensation, union, delivery, retention, and usage terms should be confirmed in that agreement before work begins.
Human performance. Clear permission.