StarSync Terms of Service

1. Who we are and what these terms cover

StarSync is the StarSync desktop app, the StarSync server at server.starsyncstudio.com and the website starsyncstudio.com. It is provided by Marley Miller, an individual based in Washington State, USA, doing business as StarSync Studio ("StarSync", "we", "us").

These terms are an agreement between you and us. By creating an account, downloading StarSync or using it, you agree to them. If you don't agree, please don't use StarSync.

Our Privacy Policy explains what data StarSync handles, why, and your choices. If you are an alpha tester, the Alpha Tester Agreement also applies to you. If the two disagree, these terms win, except where the Alpha Tester Agreement asks you to keep builds and passcodes confidential.

Questions about these terms: marley@starsyncstudio.com.

2. Who can use StarSync

• You must be at least 13 years old.
• Where you live, the law may set a higher minimum age for using an online service on your own (in some EU countries it is up to 16). If so, you must be that age, or have your parent or guardian's permission.
• If you are under 18, or under the age of majority where you live, a parent or guardian must agree to these terms for you.
• To buy StarSync Plus you must be old enough to make the purchase where you live, or have a parent or guardian make it for you.
• You can't use StarSync if we have closed your account for breaking these terms, or if the law forbids you from using it (for example, sanctions laws).

3. Your account

Your details. An account needs a username (3 to 32 lower case letters, numbers, dots, dashes or underscores), an email address and a password. Your first and last name are optional. Other StarSync users can see your username and, if you give them, your first and last name. Use your own details and don't pretend to be someone else.

One person, one account. Don't share your account, sell it or let someone else use it.

Keeping it safe. You are responsible for what happens on your account. Keep your password private. On Windows, "Remember me" keeps you signed in on that computer, so don't use it on a computer other people use. If you think someone else has got into your account, change your password (this signs you out everywhere else) or use Settings, Account, "Sign out other devices", and tell us.

Forgotten passwords. "Forgot password?" on the login screen emails a reset code to the address on your account.

Changing your details. The app can't change your name, email address or username yet. Email us and we'll do it.

Usernames. We may change or take back a username that pretends to be someone else, uses someone's trademark without permission, or is abusive.

4. StarSync is early software

StarSync is in early access: an alpha now, and later a beta. That means:

• Features can change, break or disappear. Builds can stop working, and the server may stop accepting an old version of the app until you update.
• Bugs can damage or lose work. In a shared project, a sync problem or another person's edit can change your project.
• The server can be down for maintenance or because of a problem, sometimes without warning.
• We back up the server's database every night and keep about two weeks of backups. Audio files, snapshot files and the live state of shared projects are not in these backups. We don't promise that we can restore anything.

So save your projects to your own computer often, and keep copies of anything important somewhere else. The server doesn't keep your shared projects for you: it passes your changes on to your collaborators, and keeps the project's notes as they are synced, snapshots of the project for up to 90 days (Section 6), and the audio files it uses. StarSync also keeps backups of your work on your computer, but treat those as a safety net, not a guarantee.

5. The StarSync software

We give you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to install and use the StarSync app for as long as you follow these terms. You can use StarSync to make any music, including music you release or sell.

The StarSync name, logo, app, server and website belong to us or the people we license them from. These terms don't give you any rights in them beyond using StarSync.

StarSync includes open source components, which come under their own licences. Their notices are listed at starsyncstudio.com/open-source.

6. Your content

"Your content" means anything you put into StarSync: music, projects, notes and patterns, audio, recordings, samples, plugin settings, project names, chat and direct messages, comments, your profile picture, and feedback.

You own your music

You keep every right you have in your content. We don't claim ownership of it.

The permission you give us

So that StarSync can work, you give us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free permission to host, store, copy, send and display your content, only as far as needed to:

• store it on our server and keep it in sync;
• show it and send it to the people in the projects you put it in, and to the people you message;
• keep backups and keep the service running and secure;
• look into a problem you report to us.

We don't use your music for anything else. We don't publish it, sell it, use it in our marketing without asking you, or use it to train AI models.

This permission ends when your content is deleted from our server, except for copies in backups until those expire (about two weeks), and except for content that is part of other people's projects (see below).

Shared projects

When you invite people into a project, or join someone else's:

• Everyone in the project can see, play and edit what is in it, and save copies to their own computers, including audio you added. Once someone has a copy, we can't take it back.
• The project owner controls the project: who is in it, their roles, and whether it exists at all. If the owner deletes the project, or deletes their account, the project is deleted from the server for everyone in it. Keep your own copy.
• If you leave a project, are removed from it, or delete your account, the things you added stay part of that project: notes and patterns, audio you uploaded, snapshots you made, and your profile picture. The people still in the project can edit your notes and patterns out of it, but the audio files, snapshots and your picture stay on our server until the project is deleted.
• StarSync doesn't decide who owns music made together. Ownership, credits, splits and releases are between you and your collaborators, so agree on them, ideally in writing, before you release anything. Putting content into a shared project lets the other members use it in that project to make the music together. It doesn't, on its own, give them the right to release or sell it.

You are responsible for your content

Only add content you have the right to use and to share with the people in your project. Many sample packs let you use their samples in your own music but don't let you give the raw files to other people. When you add a sample to a shared project, StarSync uploads the file so your collaborators can play it, so check that your licence allows that.

Storage limits

Each person can store audio on the server up to their own plan's limit: 2 GB on Free, and 20 GB on Plus or Lifetime, in files of up to 200 MB each. Audio counts against the person who first uploaded it, and listen link files count too. If your Plus ends, nothing is deleted, but new uploads are refused while you're over the Free limit. We may change these limits, and the server may refuse uploads when it is full.

Version history

The server keeps snapshots (save points) of each shared project for 90 days from when they're made, and then deletes them. StarSync makes one when you save a shared project, at most once every 15 minutes, and you can make one yourself. Automatic snapshots older than 7 days are cut down to the last one of each day. The owner and editors can restore a snapshot. How far back depends on the project owner's plan: the last 7 days on Free, and all 90 days on Plus or Lifetime. Older snapshots stay listed but can't be restored unless the owner upgrades. Snapshots are a convenience, not a backup, so keep your own copies.

Listen links

On Plus or Lifetime you can make a listen link: a public page where one song from your project plays. Anyone who has the link can listen to it, pass it on and save the file, so only share music you have the right to share. You can have up to 50 links at a time. Links you made keep working if your Plus ends, but making new ones needs Plus. Turning a link off is permanent, and deleting your account turns all of yours off. We may turn off a link that breaks these terms or the law, or after a copyright complaint. We don't promise that a link stays up: a server problem, or StarSync shutting down, ends it.

Feedback

If you send us ideas, bug reports or suggestions, we may use them to improve StarSync without paying or crediting you. The Privacy Policy explains how we handle the logs and details that come with a report.

Copyright complaints

If you believe something in StarSync infringes your copyright, email marley@starsyncstudio.com with:

• the work you believe is infringed;
• where the material is in StarSync (for example the username, project or listen link involved);
• your name and contact details;
• a statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorised by the owner, its agent or the law;
• a statement that your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorised to act for the owner;
• your physical or electronic signature.

We will remove or block material that infringes, and we may close the accounts of people who infringe repeatedly.

7. Acceptable use

When you use StarSync, don't:

• upload, share or sync content you don't have the rights to, including samples, loops, stems or other people's tracks;
• upload malware or anything meant to harm a computer, including inside project files, audio files or plugin settings;
• harass, threaten, spam or abuse anyone, whether through invitations, friend requests, direct messages, project chat, voice chat or comments;
• send invitations, friend requests or messages in bulk, or keep sending them to someone who has made clear they don't want them;
• use user search to collect people's details or to find out which email addresses have StarSync accounts;
• record other people in voice chat, or share what they said, without their permission;
• share illegal content. We report content that sexually exploits children to the authorities;
• pretend to be someone else, or misrepresent your connection to a person or organisation;
• break into, probe, scan or overload the server, or get around its rate limits, member limits, plans, codes or access controls;
• reverse engineer the StarSync server or its protocol, or connect your own clients, bots or scripts to it without our written permission;
• reverse engineer, decompile or modify the StarSync app, except where the law allows it despite this restriction;
• resell, rent or redistribute StarSync, share alpha builds, or share your alpha passcode;
• use payment details that aren't yours, or misuse refunds or chargebacks.

If you see someone breaking these rules, tell us at marley@starsyncstudio.com.

8. Plugins and other third-party software

Plugins. StarSync can load VST3 plugins you have installed. Plugins are made by other companies, not by us. You are responsible for having a valid licence for each one and for what it does. Plugins run inside StarSync, so a plugin can crash StarSync, change your projects or connect to the internet (for example to check its licence). We don't control any of that.

Plugins in shared projects. When you use a plugin in a shared project, its name, maker, version and settings are shared with your collaborators so they can load the same plugin. They need their own licensed copy. StarSync never sends plugins themselves to anyone.

Other services. StarSync and our website link to other services, such as Stripe and Link for payments, YouTube for videos, and Spotify, Instagram, Discord and LinkedIn. Their own terms and policies apply when you use them.

VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

9. Plans and billing

Free

Every account is on Free unless it has Plus or Lifetime. On Free, each project you own can hold up to 3 people, you included.

StarSync Plus

• Plus costs US$9.99 a month, including any sales tax, VAT or GST. Checkout shows the full amount before you pay.
• Checkout may offer to charge you in your own currency. Its exchange rate includes a small markup, and you can choose to pay in US dollars instead. If you pay in another currency, each month's payment is converted at that day's rate, so the amount can change a little.
• On Plus, each project you own can hold up to 6 people, you included. Plus also gives you 20 GB of audio storage, restores from all 90 days of snapshots in projects you own, and listen links (Section 6).
• The project owner's plan sets the limit for the whole project, whoever sends the invitations. A pending invitation counts as a person for 14 days after it is sent.
• You can buy Plus in StarSync from Settings, Account. Checkout opens in your web browser.
• If we give you a promotion code, you can enter it at checkout. Checkout shows what it takes off and for how long. After that, the full price applies.

Alpha testers

Alpha testers get 25% off Plus for as long as we sell Plus. To get it, claim it once in StarSync, under Settings, Account, with the alpha passcode from your invitation email. It then belongs to that StarSync account, and checkout takes it off. Each passcode can be claimed by one account; if you need it moved, email us. The discount stays on your subscription while it runs, and you get it again if you cancel and subscribe later. It can't be combined with a promotion code.

Feedback rewards

The first feedback (a feature idea or a problem report) sent from a StarSync account earns one feedback reward: 10% off one monthly payment of StarSync Plus. It's one reward per account, however much feedback you send. We may give extra rewards at our discretion. A reward belongs to the account that earned it, can't be transferred, sold or exchanged, and has no cash value. It is applied automatically:

• to your first payment when you subscribe (or, if it can't be applied at checkout, to your second);
• to your next payment if you already subscribe (or the one after, if that payment already has a feedback reward);
• for alpha testers who aren't subscribed yet, to the second payment, on top of the alpha tester discount.

With Lifetime, or Plus not paid through Stripe, it waits until you pay for Plus. We may change or end feedback rewards for rewards not yet earned.

Who sells Plus: Link

Plus is sold through Stripe's Managed Payments service. Under it, Sold through Link, LLC ("Link"), a Stripe company, is the merchant of record, and checkout shows "Sold through Link". This means:

• Link takes your payment, works out and collects any sales tax, VAT or GST, sends your receipts and invoices, and handles payment questions, refunds and disputes.
• Link's own terms also apply to your purchase: the Sold Through Link Terms, the Purchase Terms and its Privacy Policy. These terms cover your use of StarSync.
• Your bank or card statement shows a charge starting with "LINK.COM*", followed by our name.
• Your card details never reach StarSync's server.

Renewal

Plus renews automatically every month, on the same day of the month you first bought it (or the last day of a shorter month), until you cancel. By subscribing you authorise Link to charge your payment method each month at the price then in effect, which includes any tax.

Cancelling

• You can cancel at any time: in StarSync, under Settings, Account, "Manage subscription" (this opens Stripe's customer portal), or at link.com.
• Cancelling stops the next renewal. You keep Plus until the end of the month you have already paid for, and then your account moves to Free.
• Deleting your StarSync account cancels Plus straight away.
• We don't refund the unused part of a month when you cancel or delete your account, except as described under Refunds.

Failed payments

If a monthly payment fails, Stripe tries it again a few times over the following days. You keep Plus while it retries. If every retry fails, the subscription is cancelled and your account moves to Free.

Refunds

Because Link is the seller, refunds go through Link under its refund policy. Link looks at refund requests made within 60 days of a payment, for example for a payment you didn't authorise, a duplicate charge, or a service that didn't work or wasn't as described. Link doesn't refund a change of mind or a subscription you didn't use or didn't cancel in time. To ask, contact Link's support at support.link.com/contact.

You can also email us at marley@starsyncstudio.com. If something went wrong on our side, for example you were charged twice or Plus didn't work for you, we will make it right, including with a refund. Apart from that, and from Link's own refund policy, we don't refund payments for months that have already started.

If you live in the EU, the EEA or the UK, you can cancel a purchase within 14 days of getting access and get your money back. Because Link is the seller, Link handles this: contact Link's support, ask for a refund and give "cooling off period" as the reason.

Nothing in these terms limits refund or cancellation rights you have under the law where you live.

Price changes

We may change the price of Plus. We will email you at least 30 days before a new price applies to you, and it will apply from your first renewal after that notice. If you don't want to pay the new price, cancel before then.

Changes to plans

We may change what Free and Plus include. If we make Plus noticeably worse for you, we will tell you at least 30 days in advance, so you can cancel before the change applies to you. We may also stop selling Plus to new subscribers at any time. Existing subscriptions keep working until they are cancelled or we give notice under Section 11.

Tips

You can leave StarSync a tip on Ko-fi, at starsyncstudio.com/support. A tip is an optional gift to support StarSync. It isn't a donation to a charity, isn't tax-deductible, and doesn't unlock any plan or feature. Ko-fi and its payment provider take the payment under their own terms. Tips aren't refunded, except when we made a mistake (for example, you were charged twice) or the law requires it.

Projects over their limit

A project can end up with more people than its owner's plan allows, for example when the owner's Plus ends. Everyone already in it stays and can keep working. Nobody new can join, and pending invitations can't be accepted, until the project is back within the limit.

10. Access codes and Lifetime

We sometimes give out access codes that unlock the Lifetime plan.

• Codes are given at our choice and are free.
• Each code works once. It is for the person we gave it to: don't sell, trade or publish it. Once redeemed, Lifetime belongs to that account and can't be moved to another account.
• Lifetime gives your account the top StarSync plan (today, the same as Plus), and any paid features we add later, at no charge for as long as we offer StarSync. "Lifetime" means the life of the StarSync service, not your life or anyone else's. If StarSync shuts down, Lifetime ends with it.
• Codes and Lifetime have no cash value and can't be exchanged for money.
• We can cancel an unused code at any time. We can take Lifetime away from an account if the code was bought, sold, published or obtained by fraud, or if the account is closed for breaking these terms.
• If you redeem a code while you pay for Plus, StarSync stops your subscription so you aren't charged again. If your payments are up to date, it stops at the end of the period you have paid for. If a payment is failing, it is cancelled straight away. If StarSync can't reach Stripe at that moment, the app tells you, and you should cancel under "Manage subscription" yourself. The part of a month you have already paid for isn't refunded.
• We may also give Plus or Lifetime to an account directly, for example to a tester. The same rules apply.

11. Ending your account or the service

You

You can stop using StarSync at any time. To delete your account, go to Settings, Account, "Delete account" and enter your password. This deletes your account, the projects you own (for everyone in them), your place in other people's projects, your friends, the messages you sent and your problem reports. If you pay for Plus, the subscription is cancelled first. It can't be undone. Project files on your computer stay where they are. The Privacy Policy lists what stays after deletion and why.

Uninstalling the app doesn't delete your account. On Windows it also leaves StarSync's own folder on your computer in place.

Us

We may suspend or close your account, or remove content, if:

• you seriously or repeatedly break these terms;
• the law requires us to; or
• your use puts other users, us or the service at risk, for example a security risk.

Where it's reasonable, we will tell you why first, give you a chance to fix the problem, and give you time to save your projects. If we close your account for a reason other than you breaking these terms, we will refund the unused part of any Plus month you have paid for.

We don't close accounts just because they haven't been used for a while.

If StarSync shuts down

We will tell you by email and in the app at least 30 days before StarSync shuts down, so you can save your projects. Subscriptions will stop renewing, and we will refund the unused part of any Plus month you have paid for.

What continues after

Sections 6 (as far as backups and other people's projects are concerned), 12, 13, 14, 16 and 17 continue to apply after your account ends.

12. Disclaimers

StarSync is provided "as is" and "as available". As far as the law allows, we make no promises about StarSync beyond those in these terms. In particular, we don't promise that it will always be available, be free of errors, keep your data safe from every loss, or work with your hardware, operating system or plugins. We are not responsible for what other users do.

Some places don't allow some of these disclaimers. Where that's the case, they apply only as far as the law allows. If you are a consumer, you keep the rights your local consumer law gives you, such as the right to a service that matches its description.

13. Limits on our liability

As far as the law allows:

• We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost profits, lost income or missed opportunities (for example a missed release date).
• We are not liable for lost or damaged work that you could have avoided by keeping your own copies, as Section 4 asks.
• Our total liability for all claims about StarSync is limited to the greater of what you paid for StarSync in the 12 months before the claim, or US$50.

These limits don't apply to liability that the law doesn't allow us to limit, such as liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or death or personal injury caused by negligence. If you are a consumer in the EU or UK, we are responsible for loss you suffer that was a foreseeable result of us breaking these terms or failing to use reasonable care.

14. If someone makes a claim because of your content

If someone brings a legal claim against us because of content you uploaded without the right to, or because you broke these terms, you agree to cover our reasonable costs of dealing with that claim. This doesn't apply where your local consumer law doesn't allow it.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. If a change matters, we will tell you in the app or by email at least 14 days before it takes effect, unless a change has to happen sooner for legal or security reasons. The date at the top shows the current version.

If you keep using StarSync after a change takes effect, the new terms apply. If you don't agree with them, stop using StarSync, cancel Plus, and delete your account if you wish.

16. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, USA, without regard to its rules on conflicts of laws.

If you have a problem, email us first at marley@starsyncstudio.com, and we will try to sort it out with you within 30 days. If we can't, claims are to be brought in the state or federal courts located in Snohomish County, Washington.

If you are a consumer living outside the United States, for example in the EU or UK, you keep the protection of the mandatory laws of the country where you live, and you can bring a claim in your local courts.

17. General

• These terms, the Privacy Policy and, for alpha testers, the Alpha Tester Agreement are the whole agreement between you and us about StarSync. Link's terms cover your purchase of Plus.
• If a court finds part of these terms unenforceable, the rest still applies.
• If we don't enforce a part of these terms straight away, we can still enforce it later.
• You can't transfer your account or these terms to anyone else. We may transfer them to a company that takes over StarSync, for example one that Marley Miller sets up to run it. We will tell you if that happens, and it won't reduce your rights under these terms.
• We send notices to the email address on your account. You can send notices to marley@starsyncstudio.com.

18. Contact

Marley Miller, StarSync Studio
Washington State, USA
marley@starsyncstudio.com