What Walsh Media does

Walsh Media is a Chicago-area professional recording studio founded in 1985 by Tim Walsh, originally operating as Jingle Phone Productions. The firm specializes in custom voice recordings for telecommunications systems, including IVR prompts for speech recognition and DTMF applications, auto attendant and call processing greetings, voicemail greetings, message on hold productions, and standalone music on hold. Its core technical footprint is a single Elmhurst, Illinois studio equipped with a Gretch-Ken sound isolation booth, a Shure SM7B microphone, and Reaper and Sony recording and editing software, connected remotely to a worldwide network of professional voice talent via Source Connect Now, Skype, Phone Patch, and IPDTL+ Tel Connectivity.

Beyond telecom audio, Walsh Media offers corporate narration voice-overs for training videos, e-learning modules, explainer and whiteboard animations, podcast intros/outros, and website audio. Supporting services include IVR script consulting, script translation into over 100 languages through global translation partners (priced at approximately $0.40 per translated word), access to a curated voice talent roster, and a proprietary cloud-based product called S.A.I.D. (Storage and Audio Information Database) that archives client audio and scripts for search, reuse, and disaster recovery. Music on hold productions are licensed through BMI and Universal Production Music, and the firm sells a USB on-hold player as a hardware adjunct.

The business operates on a project-based, quote-driven model with one-time fees for recording sessions, per-prompt charges, and per-word translation pricing, supplemented by annual music licensing renewals and occasional hardware sales. Go-to-market is sales-led via dedicated project managers, supported by a website storefront, an opt-in email newsletter, and client referrals. The company is privately held by its founder, employs 11-50 people, and serves a horizontal mix of SMBs and multi-location enterprise customers with phone systems and corporate content needs, with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Walsh Media

Legal name

Walsh Media, Inc.

Website

https://walshmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Walsh Media is a Chicago-area professional recording studio founded in 1985 that provides custom IVR prompts, auto attendant greetings, message on hold, and corporate narration voice-overs for businesses worldwide through a global network of voice talent covering 100+ languages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telephony Voice Recording Services

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (51224), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Voiceover Recording & Production (Narration, Promo, Commercial VO) (MPAHAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dubbing & Voiceover Production (Casting, Recording, Lip-Sync) (MPAHAFAB)

Keywords

• IVR voice recording
• Telephony prompt production
• Message on hold
• Corporate narration voiceover
• Script translation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmhurst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. IVR and Telecom Prompt Recording: Professional recording of phone system prompts including Speech Recognition and Touchtone IVR, Auto Attendant greetings, Call Processing prompts, and voicemail greetings. Charges include voice talent recording session fee, per-prompt charges, and script preparation fees.
2. Message and Music on Hold: Custom Message on Hold productions with licensed music. Includes customized scripting, professional voice recording, and one year of music licensing. Music library licensed through BMI and Universal Production Music. Annual renewal options available.
3. Music on Hold (Standalone): Licensed music only without messaging for phone systems. Clients select from music library and studio creates production with multiple cuts. Annual music licensing renewal available.
4. Corporate Narration VO: Voice-over recordings for corporate narration projects including marketing videos, training videos, e-learning, explainer videos, whiteboard animations, podcast intros/outros, and website audio elements.
5. Script Translation Services: IVR script translation into over 100 languages using global translation partners. Pricing based on final number of translated words at approximately $0.40 per word with minimum charges for smaller projects.
6. Equipment Sales: USB Message/Music on Hold players for existing phone systems. One-time hardware sale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Walsh Media is a professional recording studio that produces custom voice recordings and audio assets for businesses, including IVR and call processing prompts, auto attendant greetings, message and music on hold productions, and corporate narration voice-overs. It also offers script consulting, translation of scripts into 100+ languages, and access to a global network of professional voice talent through dedicated project managers.

Product overview

Walsh Media is a Chicago-based professional recording studio offering a unified suite of telecom audio solutions centered on custom voice recordings. The core product portfolio includes IVR Prompts (for speech recognition and touchtone phone systems), Auto Attendant/Call Processing Greetings, Message on Hold productions, and Music on Hold. These are complemented by Script Consulting services, Script Translation (supporting 100+ languages through global translation partners), and S.A.I.D., a proprietary cloud-based audio storage and retrieval database. The company also provides Corporate Narration voice-overs for marketing, training, and e-learning applications, leveraging a worldwide network of professional voice talent. Walsh Media's 'one voice audio branding solution' allows clients to maintain consistent brand audio across all customer touchpoints, supported by their Elmhurst, IL studio using Reaper and Sony recording/editing software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IVR Prompts Professionally recorded phone system prompts for speech recognition and DTMF (touchtone) IVR applications, delivered ready-to-install in any language needed by clients with locations around the world.
• Auto Attendant Greetings and Call Processing Prompts Professional voice recordings for auto attendant and call processing greetings that route incoming callers to the appropriate person or department quickly and clearly, delivered formatted for the client's phone system.
• Message on Hold Custom marketing messages with licensed music that keep callers engaged and informed while on hold, including script writing assistance and one year of music licensing.
• Music on Hold Licensed music library offering multiple styles (Blues, Corporate, Jazz, Rock, Classical, Country, Pop, and others) for phone system on-hold playback, with annual music licensing renewal options.
• Corporate Narration Voice-Over Professional voice-over services for corporate presentations, explainer videos, whiteboard animations, e-learning modules, online courses, training videos, podcast intros/outros, and web audio applications, using the same brand voice as the client's self-service applications.
• Script Translation Services Translation of IVR scripts into over 100 languages with proper dialect targeting and localization, delivered by global translation partners, with pricing starting at approximately $0.40 per translated word and minimum charges for smaller projects.
• IVR Script Consulting Evaluation and optimization services for IVR scripts to keep verbiage clear, concise, conversational, and easy for callers to navigate, based on years of industry best practices.
• USB On Hold Player USB on hold player hardware that plugs into existing phone systems for music and message on hold playback, sold as a one-time hardware unit.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminate costly duplicate recording requests through S.A.I.D. searchable audio database
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Voice123: Voice-over marketplace with a curated pool of professional voice actors offering services comparable to Walsh Media's corporate narration and IVR prompt recording across multiple languages.
• Voices.com: The world's largest online voice-over marketplace connecting clients with professional voice talent across languages and use cases, including IVR prompts and corporate narration—directly overlapping Walsh Media's core service offerings.
• Bunny Studio: Global voice-over services platform providing professional voice talent with translation and multilingual capabilities that mirror Walsh Media's localized telecom recording offering.
• Music On Hold Inc. Specialized provider of licensed music and message on hold productions for business phone systems, directly competing with Walsh Media's Message on Hold and Music on Hold service lines.

Broad incumbents

• Fiverr: Massive freelance marketplace where IVR prompts, message on hold, and corporate narration voice-over services are widely offered by individual freelancers at lower price points, competing for Walsh Media's transactional SMB work.
• Upwork: Major freelance marketplace with a substantial voice-over category offering individual talent for IVR, narration, and translation services that compete with Walsh Media on price and breadth of choice.
• Microsoft Azure Speech: Cloud-based text-to-speech and speech services from Microsoft that integrate natively with Microsoft Teams (a Walsh Media integration partner), enabling in-platform synthetic voice generation that bypasses traditional recording studios.
• Amazon Polly: AWS cloud text-to-speech service used by enterprises to generate IVR prompts and audio content programmatically, capable of substituting traditional studio recording for cost-sensitive deployments.

Emerging players

• WellSaid Labs: AI voice synthesis platform specifically targeting corporate narration, e-learning, and training content—directly overlapping Walsh Media's higher-margin corporate narration revenue stream at a fraction of the per-project cost.
• ElevenLabs: AI voice generation platform enabling rapid synthesis of multilingual voice content, representing a structural substitute for human-recorded IVR prompts and corporate narration that could disrupt Walsh Media's core business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/walsh-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Walsh Media