Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to WavShare. By accessing or using our platform at wavshare.com (the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Service.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. We will notify you of material changes via email or a notice on the Service.

These Terms include the sample upload, download, license, publishing, master participation, and major-placement clearance terms below. You may also be required to accept additional click-through terms, including a Creator Upload Agreement, Collaborator Approval Agreement, Sample License Agreement, Major Placement Clearance Agreement, or payment terms. Those additional terms are incorporated into these Terms by reference.

2. Description of Service

WavShare is a social platform for sharing, discovering, and downloading audio samples. Users can upload original audio content, interact with other users through likes, comments, and follows, and download samples shared by creators. WavShare also provides sample licensing, rights-profile, collaborator approval, license-acceptance, and clearance-administration workflows for qualifying sample uses.

WavShare does not guarantee that any sample will be downloaded, used, cleared, placed, monetized, or accepted by a label, publisher, distributor, supervisor, artist, platform, collection society, or other third party.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements.

You must be at least 18 years old, or have verifiable parent or guardian consent, to upload samples, publish samples, accept royalty-bearing sample licenses, approve collaborator splits, submit clearance requests, or receive payouts. If you use the Service on behalf of a company, publisher, label, artist, entity, or other person, you represent that you are authorized to bind that party.

4. Account Responsibilities

To access certain features, you must create an account. You are responsible for:

• Providing accurate and complete registration information
• Maintaining the security of your account credentials
• All activities that occur under your account
• Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized use

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or engage in suspicious activity.

5. Electronic Records and Signature Consent

You agree that WavShare may provide agreements, notices, disclosures, license records, collaborator approvals, clearance records, payment records, and other communications electronically. You agree that clicking a button, checking a box, typing your name, uploading a sample, approving a collaborator split, downloading a sample, submitting a clearance request, or taking a similar affirmative action may create a binding electronic signature or acceptance record.

WavShare may retain electronic records showing the version of the agreement accepted, the user account, sample, timestamp, IP address, user agent, and related audit information. You are responsible for keeping a device, browser, email account, and PDF reader capable of accessing and retaining electronic records.

6. User Content

6.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of the audio samples, comments, and other content you upload ("User Content"). By uploading User Content, you grant WavShare a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, display, reproduce, distribute, and stream your User Content solely for the purpose of operating and promoting the Service.

6.2 Content Representations

By uploading User Content, you represent and warrant that:

• You own or have the necessary rights to upload and share the content
• Your content does not infringe any third party's intellectual property or other rights
• Your content complies with all applicable laws
• You have obtained any necessary permissions or releases from third parties

For samples and other audio content, the additional licensing, rights-profile, collaborator, publishing, master participation, and clearance terms below also apply.

7. Key Sample Licensing Definitions

A "Sample" means audio content uploaded to WavShare and made available for discovery, playback, download, license, or clearance, including the sound recording and, to the extent controlled by the uploader or collaborators, any underlying musical work embodied in that audio.

"Sample-Side Economics" means only the portion of master rights, publishing rights, royalties, advances, license fees, sync fees, producer fees, royalty points, neighboring-rights income, or other consideration allocated to a WavShare Sample in connection with a use, release, license, or placement. Sample-Side Economics do not mean the entire new song, recording, audiovisual work, or project unless expressly agreed in writing.

The "Creator Pool" means the portion of Sample-Side Economics payable to the sample creator and approved collaborators after WavShare's share is applied. The Creator Pool is divided according to the approved master and publishing ownership splits for the applicable Sample.

A "Major Placement" means a use of a WavShare Sample that meets the criteria in Section 13 below.

8. Rights Profiles and Sample Publishing

Before publishing a Sample or making it downloadable, a creator must complete a WavShare Rights Profile with accurate rights, identity, and contact information. This may include legal name, artist or producer name, email, PRO affiliation, writer IPI/CAE number, publisher name, publisher IPI number, publishing administrator, master owner, payment information, and tax information.

You agree to keep your Rights Profile current. If your publisher, administrator, label, master owner, PRO affiliation, payment details, tax status, collaborator relationship, or authority to license a Sample changes, you must update your information and notify WavShare before any further license, download, clearance, or payout.

WavShare may block, remove, suspend, or mark as unavailable any Sample with incomplete, inaccurate, disputed, or unverifiable rights information.

9. Creator Upload Warranties

By uploading or publishing a Sample, you represent and warrant that:

• You own or control all rights necessary to upload, publish, license, and clear the Sample through WavShare
• You have accurately identified all writers, producers, publishers, administrators, master owners, collaborators, and other rights holders
• You have obtained all permissions needed from collaborators, publishers, labels, administrators, employers, clients, session performers, or other third parties
• The Sample does not contain uncleared samples, copyrighted material, vocals, performances, loops, stems, presets, AI outputs, or third-party content that you are not authorized to license
• Your Sample and rights data do not violate any contract, publishing agreement, administration agreement, label agreement, work-for-hire agreement, union agreement, court order, or law
• You will not upload public-domain, royalty-free, stock, or third-party library material in a way that misrepresents ownership or creates false royalty claims

If a claim arises from your Sample, rights data, collaborator information, or breach of these warranties, you are responsible for the resulting losses, claims, fees, payouts, reversals, disputes, and expenses as provided in these Terms.

10. Collaborators and Co-Owners

If a Sample has collaborators or co-owners, the uploader must list them and provide accurate master and publishing splits. Creator Pool master splits must total 100%, and Creator Pool publishing splits must total 100%, unless WavShare approves a master-only sample category.

WavShare may require each collaborator to accept the applicable collaborator approval terms before the Sample becomes published, downloadable, licensable, or eligible for clearance. A collaborator's approval may create a binding electronic acceptance record for the submitted split and sample license terms.

Collaborator splits divide only the Creator Pool. WavShare's share of Sample-Side Economics is separate and should not be entered as a collaborator split.

11. WavShare Publishing and Master Participation

For qualifying Major Placements, WavShare receives 50% of the Sample-Side Economics, and the Creator Pool receives the remaining 50%, unless WavShare agrees otherwise in writing.

For Sample-Side publishing economics, you agree that WavShare or its designated publishing affiliate may be credited, registered, paid, and administered as publisher, publishing administrator, assignee of publishing economic rights, or comparable publishing participant for WavShare's share. WavShare will not be identified as a writer unless WavShare actually contributes authorship to the musical work.

For Sample-Side master economics, WavShare's default role is a contractual royalty, fee, point, or payment participant. WavShare does not automatically own the new sound recording unless a written clearance agreement expressly grants WavShare a master ownership interest.

You agree to execute, and to cause your label, distributor, publisher, administrator, artist, manager, or other applicable party to execute, reasonable documents needed to give effect to WavShare's publishing and master-side participation, including clearance agreements, royalty directions, side letters, split sheets, registration schedules, payment instructions, and comparable documents.

12. Downloads and Sample License

You may not download, copy, export, or otherwise access a Sample file until you accept the applicable Sample License Agreement. By accepting the Sample License Agreement, you receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Sample in new audio or audiovisual works, subject to these Terms, the Sample License Agreement, and any Sample-specific restrictions.

Unless otherwise stated by WavShare in writing, non-Major Placement uses may be released without additional upfront clearance, provided that you comply with these Terms and do not trigger a Major Placement. If a use later becomes a Major Placement, you must notify WavShare and complete the required clearance process.

You may not:

• Redistribute, resell, sublicense, upload, or share Samples as standalone files, stems, loops, presets, or sample packs
• Claim exclusive ownership of an unmodified Sample or prevent WavShare, the creator, or other licensed users from using the Sample
• Register content identification, fingerprinting, or takedown claims against the unmodified Sample or against lawful uses by WavShare, the creator, or other licensees
• Use Samples to train AI models or build datasets unless WavShare expressly permits that use in writing
• Use Samples in unlawful, infringing, defamatory, deceptive, hateful, or exploitative content

WavShare may keep an audit record of each Sample License acceptance, including the accepted version, user account, Sample, timestamp, IP address, user agent, and related metadata.

13. Major Placements

A Major Placement occurs when a work containing or derived from a WavShare Sample is:

• Released by or through a major label, major-label affiliate, major publisher, major distributor, or comparable commercial entity
• Used in film, television, advertising, trailers, games, branded content, paid sync media, or comparable media
• Used by a commercially established artist, producer, label, publisher, brand, studio, agency, or supervisor
• Connected to an advance, fee, license payment, sync fee, production fee, or similar payment of $5,000 or more
• Generating $10,000 or more in lifetime gross revenue or royalties
• Connected to any third-party deal that requires formal sample clearance or rights confirmation

These thresholds are cumulative and non-exclusive. WavShare may determine in good faith that a use is a Major Placement based on the commercial context, parties involved, deal terms, revenue, licensing requirements, or other relevant facts.

14. Major Placement Clearance

Before releasing, licensing, delivering, or exploiting a Major Placement, you must notify WavShare and complete the applicable clearance process. You must provide accurate information about the new work, artist, producer, label, publisher, distributor, supervisor, release date, ISRC if available, proposed sample-side master allocation, proposed sample-side publishing allocation, fees, advances, royalties, and all parties handling the placement.

For a Major Placement, the portion of Sample-Side Economics allocated to the Sample will be split 50% to WavShare and 50% to the Creator Pool, unless WavShare agrees otherwise in writing. The Creator Pool will then be divided according to the approved Sample ownership splits.

If you fail to notify WavShare, fail to clear a Major Placement, misstate deal terms, omit a Sample use, or release a Major Placement without clearance, you remain responsible for WavShare's share, the Creator Pool share, audit costs, collection costs, enforcement costs, and any damages, claims, or losses caused by the failure.

15. Sample Categories and Master-Only Uses

WavShare may classify Samples by rights category. Musical loops, melodies, chord progressions, riffs, vocals, and other composition-bearing material generally require both master and publishing rights data.

One-shot drum hits, Foley, field recordings, textures, risers, impacts, and certain sound-design effects may be eligible for a master-only designation if WavShare approves that designation. You may not use a master-only designation to avoid publishing obligations for music, melodies, lyrics, vocals, or other composition-bearing material.

16. Disputes, Holds, and Takedowns

If WavShare receives a claim, dispute, takedown notice, ownership challenge, publisher objection, collaborator objection, label objection, payment dispute, or other concern about a Sample, WavShare may remove, disable, restrict, mark as disputed, or suspend the Sample, related downloads, related clearances, and unpaid revenue.

WavShare may require supporting documents, collaborator approvals, publisher consents, label consents, proof of ownership, tax forms, or other information before restoring a Sample, completing a clearance, or releasing funds.

17. Payouts, Taxes, and Accounting

WavShare may require payment onboarding and tax documentation before releasing any payout. U.S. payees may be required to provide a valid W-9. Non-U.S. payees may be required to provide a valid W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, or other applicable tax form. WavShare may withhold taxes, offset reversals, hold disputed amounts, and delay payment until required information is complete.

WavShare may issue statements, reports, or payment summaries on a schedule and threshold determined by WavShare. No interest accrues on held, delayed, disputed, or unclaimed amounts unless required by law.

18. Deletion and Survival of Licenses

Deleting a Sample, deleting an account, terminating an account, or removing content from the Service does not cancel licenses, collaborator approvals, clearance agreements, payment obligations, reporting obligations, WavShare rights, or Creator Pool rights that arose before deletion, removal, or termination.

WavShare may preserve records reasonably needed to document rights, licenses, electronic acceptances, ownership, collaborator approvals, clearances, disputes, payments, tax compliance, fraud prevention, and legal compliance.

19. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Upload content that infringes copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights
• Share content that is defamatory, obscene, hateful, or promotes violence
• Impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Use automated systems, bots, or scripts to access the Service without permission
• Attempt to circumvent security measures or interfere with the Service's operation
• Collect or harvest user data without consent or for unauthorized purposes
• Use the Service for any illegal purpose or to violate any applicable law

20. Copyright and DMCA

We respect intellectual property rights and expect users to do the same. If you believe your copyrighted work has been infringed on the Service, please see our DMCA Policy for information on submitting a takedown notice.

We may terminate accounts of users who repeatedly infringe copyrights.

21. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. You may also delete your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting us.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including ownership, warranty disclaimers, license records, sample license obligations, WavShare participation rights, Creator Pool rights, clearance obligations, payment obligations, indemnification, and limitations of liability.

22. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free. We disclaim all warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We do not endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for any User Content or third-party content accessible through the Service.

23. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, WavShare and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses resulting from your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claims arising from or related to the Service shall not exceed the greater of $100 USD or the amounts paid by you to WavShare in the twelve months prior to the claim.

24. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless WavShare and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of or related to your use of the Service, your User Content, or your violation of these Terms.

Your indemnity obligations include claims arising from your Samples, ownership information, collaborator data, license acceptances, Sample uses, Major Placements, failure to clear or report a placement, false rights claims, payment instructions, tax information, or breach of any upload, download, collaborator, publishing, master participation, or clearance obligation.

25. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in California.

26. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will provide notice of material changes by posting the updated Terms on the Service with a new "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. Prior license acceptances and completed clearances may remain governed by the version accepted at the time, unless the applicable agreement states otherwise or the parties agree in writing.

27. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

Email: support@wavshare.com