The agreement that governs your use of Recods, and how we handle your data while you do. Plain terms, no hidden exclusivity, no fine print you weren’t told about.
Creating a Recods account, or otherwise signing up for or using the Services, means you’ve read and agree to be bound by both documents below — the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. No separate signature is required.
This Agreement (“Agreement”) is a legally binding contract between you, the individual or entity (“Artist,” “Client,” or “you”), and Recods LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company (“Recods,” “us,” “our,” or “we”). This Agreement governs your access to and use of the Recods website located at recods.com (“Site”), including all subdomains, and all associated applications, products, platform integrations, subscriptions, APIs, graphics, audio, video, images, and any other content displayed on or accessed through Recods, whether via the Site or a third-party platform (each, a “Service,” and collectively, the “Services”).
BY ACCESSING, USING, JOINING, SIGNING UP, PURCHASING FROM, SUBSCRIBING TO, OR OTHERWISE INTERACTING WITH ANY RECODS SERVICE, YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS CONTAINED HEREIN. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, YOU MAY NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES.
Recods is a music distribution and publishing company dedicated to providing digital distribution and related ancillary services. Recods facilitates the delivery of digital content (“Content”) from Artists, record labels, and other rights holders (“Client” or “you”) to various Digital Service Providers (“DSPs”) worldwide, including but not limited to Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Tidal.
This Agreement, including the Terms Summary at Section 22, represents the entire understanding between the Parties regarding the Services.
You must be at least eighteen (18) years of age, or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, whichever is higher, to create an account and use the Services. By accessing or using the Services, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement. If you are under the age of majority, you may only use the Services with the express consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by these Terms of Service. Recods reserves the right to terminate accounts of users who do not meet these age requirements.
Your use of the Services is also governed by the Recods Privacy Policy, set out in full at Section “Privacy Policy” below and available at recods.com/legal/. The Privacy Policy details how Recods collects, uses, stores, and discloses your personal information. By accepting this Agreement, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the Privacy Policy, and you consent to the data practices described in it.
(a) Non-Exclusive Distribution. Unlike many distributors, Recods does not require exclusivity. You grant Recods a non-exclusive, worldwide right and license during the Term to:
You are free to distribute the same Content through other services simultaneously, before, or after working with Recods, and to end your relationship with Recods for any release at any time, subject to Section 6. You keep 100% of your rights and ownership at all times — see Section 10.
(b) Digital Service Providers (DSPs). Recods agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to distribute and license your Content to DSPs that sell, distribute, transmit, stream, perform, or otherwise exploit sound and/or audiovisual recordings. Recods shall solicit and service DSPs on your behalf, secure encoding of your Content in required formats, process delivery of your Content to DSPs, and collect income from DSPs for repayment to you, subject to the terms of this Agreement. Recods does not guarantee placement or acceptance of your Content on any specific DSP, nor any minimum level of exploitation or revenue. DSPs retain sole discretion over content acceptance, display, and monetization.
(c) Territory. The Territory for distribution under this Agreement is worldwide.
(d) Publishing Administration (optional). If you elect to use Recods’ publishing administration service, you grant Recods a non-exclusive license during the Term to administer, register, license, and collect publishing royalties on your compositions and lyrics across platforms, including UGC platforms. This is a separate, opt-in service — you are never required to use it, and you retain full ownership of your underlying compositions and lyrics at all times. You acknowledge that certain music publishing royalties (e.g., performance royalties) may be paid directly to songwriters by Performing Rights Organizations (“PROs”) (e.g., ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), provided songwriters comply with PRO requirements. Recods is not responsible for your non-compliance with PRO requirements or for delays in royalty payments from PROs.
(e) Marketing. Recods will use commercially reasonable efforts to promote your Content but does not guarantee any specific DSP placement, playlist inclusion, or promotional outcome. You must supply promotional materials as requested. Recods may, at its discretion, create or use additional marketing tools or strategies for your Content.
(a) Definition. “Content” refers to all sound recordings, video recordings, artwork, metadata (including titles, artist names, genres, ISRC codes, UPC codes, and composer information), and any other materials you deliver to Recods.
(b) Delivery. You must deliver Content via the Recods platform (recods.com) upon signup or as otherwise instructed. All Content must adhere to Recods’ technical and content specifications, including proper copyright notices. Recods will confirm successful delivery.
(c) Modifications by DSPs. DSPs may, at their sole discretion, modify Content metadata (e.g., genre categorization, artist name display, cover art presentation) or reformat audio/video files to meet their technical specifications. Recods distributes Content “as is” but cannot control or guarantee DSP-specific alterations.
(d) Storage. You are solely responsible for maintaining backup copies of all Content. Recods may store Content for the purpose of distribution during the Term but is under no obligation to retain or return Content after the Term ends.
(e) Updates. Content must be final and complete before submission. Requests for changes must be submitted through the Recods platform. Recods cannot guarantee DSP compliance with changes requested after initial submission, and such changes may incur additional fees or delays.
(f) Takedowns. You may request a takedown of your Content at any time, consistent with the non-exclusive nature of this Agreement. A takedown may incur a small administrative fee to cover DSP processing costs, disclosed to you at the time of the request. You agree to reimburse Recods for legal fees, damages, or costs incurred by Recods related to claims or takedown requests arising from your breach of this Agreement, infringement of third-party rights by your Content, or fraudulent activity on your part.
(g) Content Rejection & Removal. Recods reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to refuse to distribute, remove, or take down any Content at any time, for any reason, including content that violates these Terms, is deemed inappropriate, infringes third-party rights, or poses a legal or reputational risk to Recods or its partners. This applies even if content initially passed automated checks or was previously distributed.
This Agreement takes effect when you create a Recods account and remains in effect for as long as you maintain an account or have active Content distributed through Recods.
Termination by you. You may close your account or request removal of any release at any time through the Recods platform or by contacting us, subject to the takedown terms in Section 5(f).
Termination for cause by Recods. Recods may terminate this Agreement, or remove specific Content, immediately upon written notice if you breach a material term of this Agreement, including your warranties (Section 9) or engage in fraudulent activity (Section 9).
Effect of termination. Upon termination, Recods will use commercially reasonable efforts to remove the relevant Content from DSPs within ninety (90) days. Recods shall pay you any outstanding royalties due, subject to permitted offsets or deductions, within ninety (90) days following the final accounting period after removal.
Survival. The following sections survive termination: 7 (Fees, Royalties & Accounting — for outstanding balances), 8 (Audit Rights), 9 (Your Warranties), 10 (Intellectual Property), 11 (Indemnification), 12 (DMCA Policy), 13 (Confidentiality), 14 (Disclaimer of Warranties), 15 (Limitation of Liability), 16 (Third-Party Services), 17 (Force Majeure), 18 (Governing Law), 19 (Dispute Resolution), 20 (Miscellaneous), and 22 (Terms Summary).
(a) Distribution Fee. You pay a one-time fee, starting from $4.00 USD per release, at the time of submission. The exact fee for a given release (e.g., single, EP, or album) is shown to you before you confirm submission. This fee covers delivery to all supported DSPs and includes UPC and ISRC code assignment at no extra charge.
(b) Royalties. Recods will pay you up to eighty-five percent (85%) of the net royalties actually received by Recods from DSPs attributable to the exploitation of your Content. “Net royalties” means the gross royalties received by Recods from DSPs, less any applicable payment processing fees, bank charges, and legally mandated taxes (including applicable withholding taxes). The exact percentage that applies to your account is shown in your dashboard and does not decrease as your catalog or streaming volume grows.
(c) Payment Threshold. A minimum balance of €100 (one hundred Euros) is required before you can request a payout. Amounts below this threshold roll over to your next payout cycle.
(d) Royalty Calculation & Data. Royalties are calculated by DSPs according to their own terms and are subject to currency exchange rates at the time of conversion. Mechanical royalties may be paid directly to your publisher or PRO, or via Recods’ publishing administration service, if applicable and elected by you. Real-time streaming data shown in your Recods dashboard is an estimate and not a guarantee of final earnings.
(e) Accounting Statements & Payment. Accounting statements detailing your earnings are made available electronically via your Recods dashboard on a monthly basis. Once requested and the payment threshold is met, payments are issued within thirty (30) business days. You are solely responsible for all taxes (e.g., income tax, VAT/sales tax) applicable to your earnings and for fulfilling all tax obligations in your jurisdiction. Recods does not provide tax advice.
You may, at your sole expense, audit Recods’ books and records pertaining to your earnings under this Agreement. Such audit must be conducted by an independent certified public accountant, upon reasonable prior written notice (not less than thirty (30) days), and occur no more than once every twelve (12) months. The audit must take place during Recods’ regular business hours at its principal place of business. No audit may be conducted more than six (6) months after the issuance of the relevant accounting statement. You agree to keep all information obtained during any audit strictly confidential.
You represent and warrant to Recods that:
You retain 100% of all ownership rights, title, and interest in and to your Content, including all copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights, at all times — before, during, and after your use of Recods. Recods receives only the limited, non-exclusive licenses granted in Section 4 for the purpose of distribution, monetization, and promotion of your Content during the Term. Recods acknowledges your full ownership of your intellectual property.
You shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Recods, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or in connection with any third-party claim alleging: your breach of any warranty, representation, or covenant in this Agreement; infringement, violation, or misappropriation of any intellectual property or other rights by your Content or Recods’ permitted exploitation of it; any fraudulent activity, illegal streaming manipulation, or other unlawful conduct by you or a third party acting on your behalf related to your Content; or any payments due to third parties (e.g., producers, featured artists, licensors) related to your Content, for which you are solely responsible. Recods will provide you prompt written notice of any such claim and will reasonably cooperate with you, at your expense, in its defense. You will have sole control over the defense and settlement of any claim, provided you do not settle in a manner that imposes any obligation or liability on Recods without its prior written consent.
Recods respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects Clients to do the same. In accordance with the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 512) and other applicable laws, Recods responds to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with the DMCA.
(a) Notification of Alleged Infringement. If you believe your copyrighted work has been copied and is accessible through the Services in a way that constitutes infringement, you may submit a written notification to Recods’ designated Copyright Agent including: a physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner; identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed; identification of the allegedly infringing material and information reasonably sufficient to locate it; your contact information; a statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorized; and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner.
(b) Designated Copyright Agent. Recods Copyright Agent — Email: copyrights@recods.com. This address is for copyright infringement notifications only; all other inquiries will be disregarded.
(c) Counter-Notification. If you believe material you posted was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, you may submit a written counter-notification to Recods’ Copyright Agent including your signature, identification of the removed material and its prior location, a statement under penalty of perjury of good-faith belief of mistake, and your name, address, telephone number, and consent to jurisdiction as described in applicable law.
(d) Repeat Infringers. Recods reserves the right to terminate the accounts of Clients who are repeat infringers of copyright or other intellectual property rights.
You acknowledge that during this Agreement you may obtain Confidential Information belonging to Recods, including proprietary software, algorithms, business models, financial data (other than your own royalty statements), technical specifications, internal operational details, marketing strategies, and any other non-public information that should reasonably be understood as confidential. You agree to protect this information with the same degree of care you use to protect your own confidential information, but no less than reasonable care, and not to disclose or use it other than as necessary to perform your obligations under this Agreement, unless authorized in writing by Recods or required by law. If legally compelled to disclose, you shall give Recods prompt prior notice, where legally permissible, so Recods may seek a protective order or other remedy.
THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE. RECODS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. RECODS DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, AND MAKES NO WARRANTIES REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, RELIABILITY, OR TIMELINESS OF ANY CONTENT OR DATA AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICES, INCLUDING STREAMING DATA OR ROYALTY ESTIMATES.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL RECODS, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE SERVICES.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RECODS’ TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE SERVICES SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ROYALTIES ACTUALLY PAID BY RECODS TO YOU IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.
Recods shall not be liable for damages, losses, or claims arising from DSPs’ actions (including content rejection, removal, or changes to metadata or formatting); internet or technology interruptions or failures not directly caused by Recods’ gross negligence; the quality, legality, or infringement of your Content; or fraudulent activity, including streaming manipulation, by you or third parties.
Recods utilizes and integrates with various third-party services, including DSPs, payment processors, and Performing Rights Organizations. You acknowledge that Recods has no control over, and is not responsible for, the actions, policies, or failures of any such third-party service. Your use of any third-party service in connection with the Services is solely at your own risk and subject to that party’s own terms, privacy policies, and agreements. Recods disclaims all liability for damages or losses arising from your use of, or inability to use, any third-party service.
Recods shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform its obligations under this Agreement if caused by an event beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, fires, floods, earthquakes, pandemics, epidemics or other public health crises, strikes, power outages, internet service provider failures or delays, governmental acts or regulations, or any other event beyond Recods’ reasonable control. Recods’ performance shall be excused for the period of the delay.
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States of America, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. The Parties irrevocably agree that any legal action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Wyoming. Each Party consents to the personal jurisdiction of such courts and waives any objection to venue.
Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or its breach, termination, or invalidity, shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiations between the Parties. If unresolved within thirty (30) days, either Party may initiate mediation. If mediation is unsuccessful, the Parties agree to submit the dispute to binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall take place in Wyoming. The arbitrator’s decision shall be final and binding, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.
(a) Entire Agreement. This Agreement, including the Terms Summary, constitutes the entire agreement between you and Recods regarding the Services and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, written or oral, regarding the Services.
(b) Amendments. Recods reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Agreement on the Site or via email. Your continued use of the Services after such notification and the effective date of the changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Agreement. For significant changes, Recods may, at its discretion, require explicit re-acceptance on your next login.
(c) Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is found invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.
(d) Assignment. You may not assign or transfer this Agreement or any of your rights or obligations under it without Recods’ prior written consent. Recods may assign or transfer this Agreement, in whole or in part, without restriction.
(e) No Waiver. No waiver by Recods of any term or condition of this Agreement shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of that or any other term or condition, and Recods’ failure to assert a right or provision shall not constitute a waiver of it.
(f) Relationship of the Parties. Nothing in this Agreement creates any agency, partnership, joint venture, employment, or fiduciary relationship between the Parties.
(g) Headings. Headings in this Agreement are for convenience only and do not affect its interpretation.
For any questions regarding these Terms of Service, please contact us at legal@recods.com.
This summary provides a brief overview of key provisions. In case of any conflict, the full terms above shall prevail.
This Privacy Policy explains how Recods LLC (“Recods,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), a Wyoming limited liability company, collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your personal data. This policy applies when you visit our website at recods.com (“Site”), and when you use any of our associated applications, products, platforms, or services (collectively, the “Services”).
By accessing or using our Site or Services, you signify your understanding of and consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these practices, please do not use our Site or Services.
(a) Information you provide directly: personal data you voluntarily provide when you create an account, upload content, set up payment methods, contact customer support, or otherwise interact with our Services, including:
(b) Information collected automatically: when you access or use our Site or Services, we automatically collect information about your device and usage, including:
(c) Information from third parties: we may receive information about you from DSPs (data related to performance and monetization of your content, e.g. streaming reports and royalty statements), payment processors (confirmation of transactions and related details), and publicly available sources, where permissible by law.
We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience, analyze trends, administer the website, track user movement around the site, and gather demographic information about our user base as a whole.
Cookies: small data files stored on your device. We use both session cookies (which expire when you close your browser) and persistent cookies (which remain until deleted or they expire).
Purpose: cookies help us remember your preferences, analyze website traffic, understand user behavior, and, where applicable, deliver relevant content.
Your choices: most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline them. Disabling cookies may prevent you from taking full advantage of the Site’s features and may impact the functionality of certain Services.
(a) Service provision and operation: to create, maintain, and manage your account; to process your content for digital distribution to DSPs; to collect and process royalties and facilitate payouts to you; to provide publishing administration services where elected; and to provide customer support and respond to inquiries.
(b) Communication: to send service-related notifications, updates, and administrative messages; to send promotional emails and updates about our Services (you can opt out at any time); and to notify you about material changes to this Privacy Policy or our Terms of Service.
(c) Service improvement and analytics: to monitor and analyze usage and trends to improve our Site and Services; to personalize your experience; and to develop new products, features, and services.
(d) Legal compliance and security: to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, and anti-fraud requirements; to enforce our Terms of Service; to protect the rights, property, or safety of Recods, our Clients, or others; to detect, prevent, and address fraudulent activity, illegal streaming manipulation, and other unauthorized or illegal activity; and to respond to lawful requests and legal processes, such as subpoenas or court orders.
We may share your information with third parties in the following circumstances:
You have certain rights regarding your personal data. To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@recods.com. We may require you to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.
We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures designed to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure, including data encryption, secure servers, and access controls. No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, so while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. You use the Services at your own risk.
We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or relevant laws. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Privacy Policy on our Site and/or emailing the address associated with your account. The “Effective” date at the top of each document indicates when it was last revised. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of any revised Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.
(a) External sites. Our Site and Services may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties. This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of those third parties, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices or content. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.
(b) Children’s privacy (COPPA compliance). Recods’ Services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe we might have information from or about a child under 13, please contact us immediately at privacy@recods.com.
Recods’ servers and operations are primarily located in the United States. If you access our Services from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using our Services, you understand and consent to the transfer of your information to, and its processing in, the United States. Data protection laws in the United States may differ from those in your country of residence.
This Privacy Policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States of America, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.
For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at privacy@recods.com.