Terms & Conditions

1. This agreement

These Terms & Conditions (the “Terms”) are a legal agreement between you and Rhythm Reader (“Rhythm Reader”, “we”, “us”, “our”) covering your use of the Rhythm Reader mobile application, the website at rhythmreader.com, and any related features and services (together, the “Service”).

By downloading, installing, creating an account in, or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Who may use Rhythm Reader

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account or use the Service. If you are between 13 and the age of legal majority where you live, you may use the Service only with the knowledge and agreement of a parent or legal guardian, who accepts these Terms on your behalf and is responsible for your use of the Service.

The Service is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly allow them to register. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us at hello@rhythmreader.com and we will delete the account and its data.

You may not use the Service if you are barred from doing so under applicable law, or if we have previously terminated your account for a breach of these Terms.

3. Your account

Some features require an account. You can register with an email address and password, or by signing in with Google, Apple, or a phone number. You agree to:

• provide accurate information and keep it up to date;
• keep your credentials confidential and not share your account with anyone else — you are responsible for activity that takes place through your account;
• tell us promptly at hello@rhythmreader.com if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission.

You may delete your account at any time from Settings → Delete account in the app, or by following the steps at rhythmreader.com/account-deletion. Deleting your account removes your account data as described in our Privacy Policy.

4. Licence to use the app

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable licence to download and use one copy of the Rhythm Reader app on a mobile device that you own or control, for your own non-commercial use, and to use the website for the same purpose. Where the app is obtained through the Apple App Store, this licence is limited to use on Apple-branded products you own or control, as permitted by the App Store Terms of Service (including the Family Sharing rules that apply there).

You must not, and must not allow anyone else to:

• copy, modify, translate, or create derivative works of the Service, except as applicable law expressly permits despite this restriction;
• reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service, or attempt to derive its source code;
• rent, lease, lend, sell, redistribute, sublicense, or provide the Service to third parties as a service of your own;
• remove or obscure any proprietary notices, or use our name, logo, or branding without our written permission;
• access the Service through automated means, scrape it, or attempt to circumvent any rate limit, paywall, access control, or security measure.

We and our licensors retain all right, title, and interest in and to the Service, including its software, design, text, graphics, and the musical rendering and playback technology. These Terms grant you no rights other than the licence described above.

5. Subscriptions, billing and cancellation

Rhythm Reader offers free features and paid features. Paid features are sold as auto-renewing subscriptions through the Apple App Store or Google Play.

5.1 What you are buying

• Title of the service: Rhythm Reader premium access.
• Content of the subscription: access to the paid features described on the purchase screen for the whole of the billing period, which currently includes unlimited sheet-music scanning and the full set of playback features.
• Length and price: the available billing periods (for example a weekly plan or a longer-term plan) and the exact price in your local currency are shown on the purchase screen in the app before you confirm the purchase. Prices vary by country and are set in the relevant app store.

5.2 How billing and renewal work

• Payment is charged to your Apple Account or Google Play account when you confirm the purchase. We never receive or store your card details.
• Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing period, at the price of the plan you selected, unless you turn off auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
• Your account is charged for the renewal within the 24 hours before the end of the current period.
• You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal at any time after purchase in your store account settings — on iOS: Settings → your name → Subscriptions; on Android: Google Play → Menu → Subscriptions. You can also reach the purchase screen from Settings → Subscriptions in the app.
• Turning off auto-renewal stops future charges but does not cancel the period you have already paid for: the current subscription period cannot be cancelled part-way through, and your access continues until it ends.

5.3 Free trials and introductory offers

Where we offer a free trial or introductory price, its length and terms are shown before you sign up. Unless you turn off auto-renewal before the trial ends, the subscription converts to a paid subscription automatically at the standard price. If you buy a subscription while a free trial is running, any unused portion of the free trial is forfeited. Free trials and introductory offers may be limited to one per user, per Apple Account, or per Google Play account, and may not be combined with other offers.

5.4 Refunds

Purchases are processed by Apple or Google, so refunds are handled by them under their own policies, not by us. Request a refund through reportaproblem.apple.com or Google Play support. Except where the law requires otherwise, subscription fees are non-refundable and we do not provide partial refunds for unused periods. Nothing here limits statutory rights you may have as a consumer, including any right to withdraw from a purchase under EU or UK consumer law.

5.5 Price and plan changes

We may change subscription prices or plans. Any change to the price of an existing auto-renewing subscription will be notified to you in advance through the app store, and will not take effect until the next billing period after that notice — with the opportunity to cancel before it applies, as required by the app store rules and applicable law.

6. Your content and who can see it

“Your Content” means anything you add to the Service: photos of sheet music you scan or select from your photo library, the digital scores derived from them, the titles and instrument settings you choose, and any messages you send us.

You keep ownership of Your Content. We do not claim ownership of the scores you scan.

6.1 Visibility: “Only me” and “Community”

When you save a score, you choose its visibility. This choice matters, so please make it deliberately:

• Only me — the score is stored in your account and is not published to other users of the Service.
• Community — the score is published to other Rhythm Reader users. It can appear in the community library and in search results, and other users can view it, save it to their own library, and play it back. Treat this as making the score public.

Removing a score later stops it being served from the community library going forward, but we cannot retrieve copies that other users have already saved or made.

6.2 The licence you give us

So that we can operate the Service, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, and display Your Content, and to make the technical copies and adaptations needed to provide it to you — for example transmitting a scan for recognition, converting it into a digital score and audio, and generating previews and thumbnails. For scores you mark as Community, that licence also covers distributing and displaying the score to other users of the Service, and it includes the right for those users to view and play it back within the Service.

This licence is limited to operating, securing, and improving the Service. It does not allow us to sell Your Content, licence it to third parties for their own purposes, or use it in advertising. It continues for as long as the content remains on the Service, plus a short period while backups are cycled out, and — for community scores — for as long as needed to serve copies other users have saved. You can end it for any item by deleting that item or your account.

You are responsible for keeping your own copies of anything important to you. The Service is not a backup service.

7. Sheet music and copyright

By adding a score to the Service, you represent and warrant that, for that score, at least one of the following is true:

• you own the copyright in it, or you are authorised by the rights holder;
• it is in the public domain, or is made available under a licence that permits what you are doing;
• your use is otherwise permitted by law — for example a personal copy of music you have lawfully purchased, or a use that qualifies as fair use or fair dealing in your jurisdiction.

You further agree that you will not set a score to Community unless you have the right to share it publicly. A private “Only me” copy of music you own is a very different act from publishing that music to other people, and a permission that covers the first does not necessarily cover the second.

We may remove any content, and restrict or terminate any account, where we believe in good faith that rights are being infringed — see section 9.

8. Acceptable use

You agree not to use the Service to:

• upload, publish, or share content that infringes intellectual property, privacy, or other rights;
• upload content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, hateful, sexually explicit, or that depicts or exploits minors;
• upload material you know to contain malware, or otherwise interfere with, overload, or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure;
• probe or test the vulnerability of the Service, access data or accounts that are not yours, or bypass authentication or entitlement checks;
• impersonate anyone, misrepresent your affiliation, or use the Service to send spam or unsolicited promotions;
• use the Service, or content obtained through it, to build a competing product, or to train machine-learning models on other users’ content;
• break any applicable law, or help anyone else do any of the above.

We do not pre-screen user content, but we may review, moderate, and remove content or restrict features at our discretion, particularly in response to a report or a legal obligation.

9. Copyright complaints (DMCA)

If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, send a written notice to hello@rhythmreader.com with the subject line “Copyright notice”, including:

1. your name, address, telephone number, and email address;
2. identification of the work you say has been infringed;
3. identification of the material on the Service you are complaining about, with enough detail for us to locate it (for example the score title and the user who posted it);
4. a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorised by the rights holder, its agent, or the law;
5. a statement that the information in your notice is accurate and that, under penalty of perjury, you are the rights holder or authorised to act on their behalf;
6. your physical or electronic signature.

We will remove or disable access to material that is the subject of a valid notice and will notify the user who posted it, who may submit a counter-notice containing the equivalent information and a statement consenting to jurisdiction. We operate a repeat infringer policy: accounts that are the subject of repeated valid notices will be terminated. Knowingly submitting a false notice or counter-notice may expose you to liability.

10. Third-party services

The Service relies on third-party providers to work, including a sheet-music recognition service that processes the images you scan, cloud hosting and authentication, subscription management, and search. Our Privacy Policy names these providers and explains what each one receives.

Those providers act under their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party services, websites, or content we do not control, and linking to them is not an endorsement. Where the Service uses third-party or open-source components, you agree to comply with any additional terms that apply to them.

11. Accuracy of recognition and playback

Recognition quality depends on the print, the lighting, the angle, handwriting, annotations, unusual notation, and other factors. Notes, rhythms, dynamics, tempos, repeats, and articulations may be misread, omitted, or added. Playback is an interpretation generated by software, not a performance edition.

You should always check the result against the original score, and you use the output at your own risk — including for practice, teaching, examination preparation, auditions, and performance. Rhythm Reader is a practice aid, not a substitute for the printed score or for musical instruction.

12. Availability and changes

We aim to keep the Service available but we do not promise uninterrupted or error-free operation. We may modify, add, or remove features, and may impose or change limits (for example on scan volume or storage), at any time. Where a change materially reduces a paid feature you are actively paying for, we will give reasonable notice through the app or by email where we can.

Features may be released as beta or experimental. Those are provided as-is, may change or be withdrawn without notice, and may be less reliable than the rest of the Service.

We may update these Terms. If a change is material, we will give notice in the app, on this page, or by email before it takes effect, and will update the “Last updated” date above. Continuing to use the Service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms. If you do not accept them, stop using the Service and delete your account.

13. Suspension and termination

You may stop using the Service at any time, and may delete your account as described in section 3. Deleting the app alone does not cancel a subscription — cancel that in your app store account settings.

We may suspend or terminate your access, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms, if we are required to by law, if your use creates a risk or a legal exposure for us or for others, or if we discontinue the Service. Where circumstances allow, we will give notice first and, where you have paid for a period you can no longer use because we terminated without cause, we will provide a pro-rata refund of that unused period where the law requires it or the relevant app store permits us to arrange it.

On termination, your licence ends and we may delete Your Content. Sections that by their nature should survive — including 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, and 17 — survive termination.

14. Disclaimer of warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Service is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory. We specifically disclaim the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement, and we do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or that recognition results will be accurate or complete.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or of implied statutory consumer rights. In those jurisdictions the exclusions above apply only to the extent permitted, and nothing in these Terms affects consumer rights that cannot be waived.

15. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Rhythm Reader will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, loss of goodwill, or the cost of substitute services, arising out of or relating to your use of, or inability to use, the Service — even if we were advised of the possibility.

Our total aggregate liability for all claims relating to the Service is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us for the Service in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) USD 50.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or under mandatory consumer-protection law. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

16. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Rhythm Reader and its officers, employees, and contractors from any claims, damages, liabilities, and reasonable legal costs arising from content you add to the Service — including any claim that a score you scanned or published infringes someone’s rights — from your breach of these Terms, or from your unlawful use of the Service. We will notify you of any such claim and you may control its defence, provided any settlement that imposes an obligation on us requires our prior written consent.

17. Governing law and disputes

These Terms and any dispute arising out of them or the Service are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, excluding its conflict-of-laws rules and the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

Please talk to us first. Most problems can be resolved quickly by email. Before filing a claim, you agree to contact us at hello@rhythmreader.com and give us 30 days to resolve the matter informally.

If we cannot resolve it, you and we agree that any dispute will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in California, and both parties consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts. Either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court where it qualifies.

If you are a consumer resident in the European Union, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction whose law gives you the right to bring proceedings in your local courts and to rely on your local consumer-protection law, this section does not deprive you of those rights.

18. Additional terms for Apple App Store users

The following applies where you obtained the app from the Apple App Store, and prevails over anything inconsistent elsewhere in these Terms:

• These Terms are between you and Rhythm Reader only, not with Apple. Apple is not responsible for the app or its content.
• Apple has no obligation to furnish maintenance or support for the app.
• If the app fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple and Apple will refund the purchase price of the app (if any). To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation in respect of the app, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses attributable to a failure to conform to a warranty are our responsibility, not Apple’s.
• Apple is not responsible for addressing any claim by you or a third party relating to the app or your use of it, including product liability claims, claims that the app fails to conform to a legal or regulatory requirement, and claims arising under consumer protection, privacy, or similar legislation — including in connection with the app’s use of the HealthKit or HomeKit frameworks, where applicable.
• If a third party claims the app or your use of it infringes their intellectual property, Rhythm Reader — not Apple — is solely responsible for the investigation, defence, settlement, and discharge of that claim.
• You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a US Government embargo or designated as a “terrorist supporting” country, and that you are not on any US Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
• You must comply with applicable third-party terms of agreement when using the app (for example, your wireless data plan terms).
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and, upon your acceptance, have the right to enforce them against you.

19. Additional terms for Google Play users

Where you obtained the app from Google Play, your use is also subject to the Google Play Terms of Service, purchases are processed under Google Play billing, and Google is not a party to these Terms. Google is not responsible for the app or for providing support for it, and refunds are handled by Google under its policies.

20. Export controls and sanctions

You agree to comply with all applicable export control and sanctions laws, and confirm you will not use, export, or re-export the Service in violation of them, including to any embargoed territory or to any person on a restricted-party list.

21. General terms

• Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and us about the Service, and replace any earlier understandings about it.
• Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, it will be limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary and the rest stays in force.
• No waiver. Not enforcing a provision is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.
• Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without our consent. We may assign them to an affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, on notice to you.
• Notices. We may give notice through the app, on this website, or by email to the address on your account. Notices to us go to hello@rhythmreader.com.
• Force majeure. Neither party is liable for a failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control.
• No third-party rights, except as stated for Apple in section 18.
• Language. These Terms are written in English; any translation is for convenience and the English version prevails.

22. How to contact us

Questions about these Terms, support requests, and copyright notices all go to hello@rhythmreader.com.

Rhythm Reader
Email: hello@rhythmreader.com
Web: www.rhythmreader.com