Nothing terribly unusual about this e-mail except for the fact that it came from a casting director in-Amsterdam.

Hereby I send you the script of Tommy Hilfiger. I hope you can do the recording of the script A.S.A.P. The customer wants it to sound like it's a trailer of a movie. Please send the final recordings to us as MP3 files. Thanks in advance. "Met vriendelijke groet" means 'best regards' in english.

The business model for our industry has already begun to change. Like so many other industries-from banking to retailing-the Internet has affected traditional "bricks and mortar" businesses, and we are no exception. We are beginning to be "Virtual voice-overs," perhaps represented by virtual agents, protected by virtual unions, and paid by virtual banks, anywhere in the world.

Already, I do the vast majority of my auditions from my home studio and e-mail them to Chicago, New York, or California. More and more, I'm recording the finished tracks here as well, converting to MP3 which compresses, or "squeezes," the size of the file being sent over the Internet. We've discussed ISDN phone lines earlier, and when I use my ISDN codec, the producer can not only direct me in real time-he or she can instantly go on the air with my broadcast-quality voice-over tracks.

High-speed phone wires and the Internet have conspired to reshape the way we do business and where we do business. These wonderful technological breakthroughs have also leveled the playing field, and you can now compete with voice-over actors around the world, as they compete with you. Plus, the Internet itself has created still another medium that needs voices. Ignore this new scenario at you own peril.

So, armed with the studio of your own, you are almost ready to sally forth onto the World Wide Web and discover a brave new world of opportunities. Naturally, that new cyber-world is also fraught with difficulties-from the expense of a high- speed Internet connection, to creating a Web site, to getting paid properly. If you are a SAG or AFTRA member, please don't forget that not long ago we endured a heart-breakingly long strike and that one of the biggest sticking points was our demand that SAG and AFTRA had jurisdiction over our performances used on the Internet. We won that battle, so we need to be sure that we follow our unions' Internet rules. Make certain you and your agent have done, as the lawyers say, your "due diligence," ensuring your employer-live or cyber is signatory to the appropriate union contracts.

If you are not a union member, you need to be extra careful. Without a union contract and guarantees, once you e-mail out a voice track, you have pretty much lost any control over it. Getting payment up front and some kind of signed memo of agreement as to the use of your work is essential. That quick and easy announce track for an auto dealers' Web site, for example, might suddenly show up on Radio and TV commercials, and you might be paid nothing for that additional use and exposure-so beware.

If you have friends who are computer whizzes, now is a good time to treat them extra special. You'll likely need some help setting up the fundamental necessity of a virtual voiceover: a Web site. Your Web site does not have to cost a fortune or be filled with the latest Java applets. It does need to be sophisticated enough to host your audio demo and some promotional facts about you. In fact, many Internet service providers include "cyber space" for a personal Web site free with your monthly subscription. You may also want to set up a download area so you can send, usually using a simple FTP program (file transfer protocol), the audio tracks you've recorded, to your site. Audio files-even compressed ones like MP3s-are large and frequently too big to be simply e-mailed to your client or prospect directly. Instead, FTP the files to your site, and the producer can download them later at their convenience. An added value is that this makes your client revisit your Web site, a chance for further promotion.

Virtual voice-over is already a reality, and I think an exciting reality. You don't have to live in only a large city to pursue voice work anymore. Squandering thousands of dollars on duplicating and mailing voice demos that get tossed in the trash can soon become a distant memory. Instead, you can invest that money in promotions that "drive" prospects to your Web site where your latest-easily and constantly updated-demos are waiting.

Web-based casting services such as Voicebank.net are proliferating, and it wouldn't surprise me to even see clients posting auditions directly onto their own organization's Web sites the same way they do traditional job openings. Voice-overs could read the requirements and direction and e-mail their auditions in directly.

Most exciting is the reality that you can perform globally. One thing though: Get used to being called a "Voice Artiste" and being asked for a copy of your "Show Reel" by those foreign producers.