3Play Media is a closed captioning service with more than 10,000+ customers, some of which you have heard of, such as the Home Depot and Oracle. They offer a 99% accuracy rate and a very flexible turnaround time, sometimes in as little as two hours. It’s one of the only closed captioning companies that integrates with more than 40+ video platforms, such as Zoom, YouTube and Dropbox, to name a few. Simply put, this company is in demand and needs transcriptionists, such as yourself, to help them out.
It’s a company I have mentioned before if you wanted to get paid to type online, particularly closed captions. So, if you want a closed captioning job and came across the 3Play Media name, you may be curious as to whether or not it’s for you.
As in all of my reviews, I’m always 100% honest and only recommend what I feel is worth your time. You won’t find me promoting my own $200 courses nor will you find my site riddled with hundreds of ads. I don’t work that way.
With that out of the way, let’s jump in and see if 3Play Media is worth your time.
3Play Media Job Review
What is 3Play Media?
3Play Media was founded in 2007 and is currently headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. According to the company’s main website, they designed the company to help others find affordable ways to make video files accessible to everyone. Video creators use the service for a few reasons, from helping the hearing impaired to creating a blog post of sorts, which can be spidered by search engines and then found through the search results. Some people prefer reading rather than watching a video. Through an innovative platform, they came up with a system that still sees success to this day.
Unlike the many closed captioning sites I have talked about in the past, 3Play Media uses a proprietary system that automatically recognizes the speech and then converts it into a document. The company will then need someone like you to clean it up as A.I. doesn’t always do a clean job grammatically in transcribing files. It’s a three-step system, the reason the company branded itself as “3Play Media.”
As of this writing, the company is quite large, employing more than 50 employees and having transcribed millions of video files.
Is 3Play Media a Scam?
No. In fact, 3Play Media is as legit as they come and I couldn’t find any evidence online which indicated the company was a scam. Even when I read the third-party reviews, which I will get to later, the complaints were few and far between.
With that noted, I can understand that you’re wary of scams and that’s understandable. However, let it be understood that many companies are as legit as they come, providing you with a part/full-time income.
Granted, due to the company’s size, there are impersonators online, which are the scams often referenced. As long as you’re visiting the official website at 3PlayMedia.com, then you won’t have a problem.
As mentioned, the company is 100% legitimate. They have 50+ employees, a physical headquarters, and more than 10,000 clients, many of which are considered to be a household name.
The 3Play Media Job
The company is almost always looking for both English and Spanish transcriptionists on a freelance basis. Since you’re a freelancer, this means you can create your schedule and you can work remotely from home or wherever you have internet access. By law, freelancers cannot have an employer/employee relationship, which means the employer can tell you when to work, etc.
I’m going to focus on the freelance front as this is what most people are looking for, at least when coming to this site. They do have other professional jobs available, but these are often in-person jobs, in which you need to show up for your typical 9-5 job.
As a freelancer with the company, it will be your job to transcribe recorded audio and then edit the transcription using the company’s in-house software application. As mentioned prior, you will look at an AI transcribed file, but you will have to edit. The AI version isn’t always perfect, and it will be your job to make sure it is. It’s your standard transcription job in a sense, but you will have to listen to the audio and edit, so there will be less typing than most jobs. I would consider it more of a transcription/editing job option.
You get to choose which projects you want to work on as well as when you want to work. Again, all jobs are remote, so you can work anywhere there’s an internet connection. The only requirement, again, is that you need to finish a project by the specified deadline date.
Requirements
In order to qualify, the company asks that you need to be able to “provide expert transcribing services independently” and ” be able to provide a quick turnaround.”
Also, according to the company, you must meet the following:
- be at least 18+ years old
- must be a U.S. resident with a U.S. address and bank account
- access to a computer with internet access
- excellent written and communication skills
- excellent grammar skills
- proficient with internet research and references
- able to work independently
This nice thing about this job is that it doesn’t require experience, per se. It is noted, although not confirmed, that you must type at least 75+ words per minute. As long as you can transcribe audio and edit it according to standards within the specified time frame, then you will have a great chance at getting hired.
Applying
If you’re interested in the job, it’s as easy as following this link and then clicking on the “apply to be an English transcriptionist” or in the case you want to work as a Spanish transcriptionist, you will follow the other link. It’s self explanatory. You can also read the required qualifications if need be, but I have covered it already above.
During the application, it will ask for typical information, such as your personal information and work history. They will also ask about your typing speed, the type of computer you have as well as transcription experience. It’s important that you answer these questions honestly as they will have you complete a sample at the end of your application.
During this test, they will have specific requirements you need to pay attention to in order to pass the test. This includes knowing the rules on acronyms and properly identifying the speakers. Don’t worry, however, as the company will provide you with the basic requirements via their guidelines before you proceed. Just make sure you read it in detail to, again, ensure you pass the test.
The company will also obtain a background check, which is mandatory to start working.
After you submit your application, applicants noted it has taken up to three weeks to hear back. In the case, you do hear back, you will need to take additional tests to be considered. Should you fail, you may be rejected.
Out of all the closed captioning/transcription companies I have researched, they are by far one of the toughest to get into, but it’s because they hold their work to a higher standard, and I can respect that.
NOTE: As a final note in this section, keep in mind that the company isn’t always hiring, so you may have to add yourself to a waitlist if the demand is high at the moment.
How Much Does 3Play Media Pay?
Of course, this is probably the most important part of the review. While the company doesn’t note what you will make before you apply, your hourly rate will greatly vary because it will depend on your speed and the project you’re working on.
Overall, I would expect your hourly rate to be anywhere from $10 to $25+ per hour, with the sweet spot in the $15 per hour range, at least according to reviews I read. However, keep in mind that your pay rate can be based on your work quality too. Again, the company has high standards and will reward those who submit the best work.
Before you accept a project, you will know exactly what you will make. On average, your harder to hear jobs will pay much more than one that’s easier to transcribe. Also, if a job needs to be done immediately and has a shorter turnaround time, then bonuses will be available.
Payments are sent via direct deposit weekly.
The Reviews
As in all of my reviews, I love to see what other people are saying. After all, it isn’t all about me, and what I found was mixed, but this can be said about any company I have researched.
On Glassdoor, more than 144 reviewers gave the company a 3.7/5 rating with 93% approving of the CEO.
In reading these reviews, people loved the ability to work from home as well as the flexible schedule. These are the perks often seen with most online independent contractor gigs.
However, on the flip side, people didn’t like the limited work available as well as some of the hard work projects. A few people noted that newer jobs can pay less than $0.50 per audio minute. Keep in mind that’s the audio minute being edited, not the minute being worked. On average, it can take a few minutes to edit one minute.
On Indeed, the reviews were similar, with reviewers giving the company a 3.5/5 with 31 total reviews as of this publishing.
People liked the flexibility as well as the company’s reputation. One reviewer said it was one of the better companies to work with online.
However, the negatives were the same in comparison to Glassdoor. They didn’t like the pay rate of the inconsistent workload.
Summing up what I read, here were the main pros and cons…
The Pros
- flexibility
- reputable company
- work from home
- a great entry-level job
- good customer service
- most work is easy
- interesting content
The Cons
- not a lot of work during some parts of the year
- the pay can be lower than average
- tough application process
- some projects are hard to complete
- some projects aren’t worth the compensation offered
- meeting deadlines can be hard with some jobs
I highly recommend you click on the Glassdoor or Indeed links to see what other people are saying about the company. You will find mixed results, but it should at least give you an idea as to what to expect.
Final Thoughts
6/103Play Media is as legit as they come, and if you want to make money transcribing online, it’s one to consider. However, according to what I read, I wouldn’t consider this as a full-time adventure. Rather, it should be looked at as a way to make a few hundred dollars a month, maybe more, depending on the workload available and how hard you work. You can probably average $15~ per hour worked to be on the safer side.If you want to work from home and want a flexible schedule, at least check it out. Remember, as I mentioned, they aren’t always, but if they are, fill out the application to see if you can get accepted. That way, you can start working whenever you please.
That’s going to wrap it up.
As always, I love to hear about your experiences, so if you want to share your thoughts or even ask a question, then feel free to do so in the comments below.
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