Terms of Service
Terms of Service
Effective Date: April 12, 2025
Welcome, and thank you for choosing Sonorous Zen as your music distribution and creator platform.
These Terms of Service form a binding agreement between you (referred to here as "you", "your", or "Creator") and Sonorous Zen LLC, a limited liability company operating across Asia (referred to here as "Sonorous Zen", "we", "us", or "our"). Together with our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Anti-Fraud Policy, and any other document we publish from time to time, these Terms govern your access to and use of the Sonorous Zen platform, including our website, dashboard, mobile experience, APIs, and any content, tools, or services we offer through them (together, the "Platform").
Please read these Terms carefully. By creating an account, clicking an acceptance button, or using any part of the Platform, you confirm that you understand and agree to everything below. If you do not agree, please do not use Sonorous Zen.
Acceptance of These Terms
Sonorous Zen is a professional platform intended for artists, labels, and rights-holders of legal contracting age. If you are under 16, you may not register for an account. If you are a minor above the age of 16 but below the age of majority in your country, you may only use the Platform with the verified consent of a parent or legal guardian, who will be the contracting party under these Terms. We take compliance with child protection laws seriously, including COPPA and its international equivalents, and we reserve the right to require age verification at any time.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we'll post the updated version inside the Platform and update the "Effective Date" above. For material changes that affect your rights (for example, changes to fees, royalty handling, or termination rights), we will give you at least 30 days' advance notice by email or in-app notification. For minor edits such as clarifications, typo fixes, or structural improvements, we may publish them without individual notice. Your continued use of Sonorous Zen after an update takes effect means you accept the updated Terms. If you don't agree with the changes, you may close your account before the effective date.
Key Definitions
To make these Terms easier to read, the following terms have specific meanings.
Creator. You, the individual or entity using Sonorous Zen, which may be an artist, songwriter, producer, label, manager, agent, collaborator, or other rights-holder authorized to exploit music.
Creator Content. Any intellectual property you upload to or manage through Sonorous Zen, including sound recordings, musical compositions, lyrics, artwork, video content, metadata, release information, and related materials.
Collaborator. A person you invite to participate in a release or royalty split, such as a featured artist, producer, songwriter, or co-rights-holder.
Digital Service Provider or DSP. Any third-party digital platform that makes music available to listeners, including streaming services, download stores, short-form video platforms, radio, and similar outlets. Examples include Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, TikTok, Amazon Music, and Deezer.
Distribution. The process of transmitting Creator Content to DSPs you select, in whatever digital formats those DSPs support, including streams, downloads, previews, ringtones, and user-generated-content monetization.
Service. The set of features Sonorous Zen provides through the Platform, including distribution, royalty ingestion, wallet and payouts, smart links, fan tools, KYC verification, AI Mastering, Cover Song Licensing, LRC editing, promo tools, and any other feature we publish.
Wallet. The in-platform balance ledger where your earnings are credited and from which you can request withdrawals.
Accessing the Platform and Account Security
While your account is in good standing and you are complying with these Terms, you have the right to access the Platform and use the Service we make available to you.
Depending on your plan and role, the Service may let you upload music, submit metadata and artwork, select DSPs and territories, take releases down, assign identifiers (ISRC, UPC, ISWC), view analytics and royalty reports, manage royalty splits, withdraw funds, create smart links, run fan campaigns, and access other tools. We may add, remove, or change features at any time, without prior notice, at our discretion. We are not responsible if a feature is temporarily or permanently unavailable.
To use most features, you'll need to register an account. You agree that the information you provide during signup, KYC verification, payout setup, and ongoing use of the Platform is accurate, current, and complete, and that you'll keep it updated. Your account is personal to you. You are responsible for keeping your password and other credentials confidential, for all activity that happens under your account, and for logging out at the end of each session, especially on shared devices. If you suspect unauthorized access or any security issue, notify us immediately at support@sonorouszen.com. We reserve the right to disable any username, password, or account at our discretion, especially where we reasonably believe these Terms have been violated.
For certain sensitive actions such as withdrawals from your Wallet, we may require KYC verification before allowing the action to proceed. Completing KYC is not optional if you intend to withdraw funds.
What You Can Do on Sonorous Zen
By registering and using Sonorous Zen, you agree to the following responsibilities.
You will use the Platform lawfully and diligently, and only upload content whose rights you own or control, or for which you have explicit written permission from the rights-holders.
You will provide all information we reasonably request to deliver the Service, including metadata, identity documents for KYC, payout details, and proof of ownership or licensing when asked.
You will pay all applicable fees for the plans, services, and features you use.
You will accurately flag Explicit content when Creator Content contains sexual, violent, offensive, or otherwise adult material.
You will report any activity that appears fraudulent, abusive, or inconsistent with these Terms.
You will not use Sonorous Zen for illegal activity or for anything that could damage us, our partners, our community, or third parties.
What You Cannot Do on Sonorous Zen
You agree that you will not:
Share your account credentials with anyone else, or let unauthorized third parties access the Platform through your account.
Attempt to access, reverse engineer, decompile, or copy the source code, infrastructure, or underlying technology of the Platform, except where applicable law expressly permits.
Scrape, mirror, frame, resell, rent, sublicense, or otherwise redistribute the Platform or any part of the Service.
Upload music, artwork, lyrics, video content, or metadata that you do not own or have documented permission to distribute.
Upload content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, obscene, hateful, discriminatory, violent, misleading, or that infringes any person's copyright, trademark, publicity, privacy, or other rights.
Upload private, fake, or unauthorized information about any third party, including names, addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses.
Use smart links, fan blasts, public artist pages, or similar Sonorous Zen features for spam, affiliate marketing, malware, adult or pornographic content, hate speech, or any non-music-related purpose.
Generate, solicit, or enable any form of artificial, automated, fraudulent, or incentivized streaming, downloads, or engagement on any DSP. This is treated as a serious violation and is governed by our Anti-Fraud Policy.
Attempt to circumvent any security, rate-limit, or protection measure we have put in place.
We reserve the right to review, audit, and investigate any Creator Content or account activity to ensure compliance with these Terms, our Anti-Fraud Policy, and applicable law. We may remove, reject, quarantine, or withhold delivery of any Creator Content we believe is non-compliant. We may also require you to provide documentation, contracts, or registration certificates to verify ownership.
Fees, Royalties, and Payouts
Sonorous Zen offers both free features and paid plans and services. Where a fee applies, you agree to pay it according to the pricing shown inside the Platform at the time of purchase. Paid plans currently include Artist, Label, and Enterprise tiers (monthly or annual), and certain services such as AI Mastering and Cover Song Licensing are billed per use.
Royalty share. Unless a custom agreement is in writing between us and you, you receive the net royalty share specified by your active plan on earnings Sonorous Zen actually receives from DSPs for Creator Content you distribute through us. "Net royalties" means amounts received after DSP deductions, applicable payment processing and administration fees, platform fees, and taxes. Where a custom commission or revenue share has been agreed, you authorize us to deduct the agreed amount from royalties before crediting your Wallet.
Wallet and withdrawals. Royalties we receive from DSPs, minus any applicable fees, are credited to your in-platform Wallet. You may request a withdrawal at any time, subject to the minimum withdrawal threshold and the payout methods we make available (such as bank transfer, mobile wallet, or similar). Withdrawals require completed KYC verification. Under normal conditions, withdrawal requests are processed within 60 days of approval. We may hold payouts for an additional period of up to 24 months where we reasonably suspect fraud, artificial streaming, chargebacks, or violations of these Terms or our Anti-Fraud Policy, while we investigate.
Taxes. You are solely responsible for any income tax, VAT, GST, withholding tax, or other tax obligation that applies to the payments you receive from us or the purchases you make on the Platform. If a jurisdiction requires us to withhold tax, we will do so and provide documentation where required by law.
Corrections and recoupment. If a DSP later adjusts, reverses, or disputes royalty amounts, or if our internal audit reveals that royalties were calculated incorrectly or credited in error, we may issue a corrected report and deduct the difference from your Wallet or from future earnings. We may also recover any amount you owe us by offsetting it against future royalties.
Subscription changes. We may adjust subscription prices, royalty share percentages, or the minimum withdrawal threshold from time to time. Any change will be communicated at least 30 days in advance and will apply to future periods only. Existing billing cycles already paid for will not be affected.
Refunds. Subscription fees are non-refundable. You may cancel your subscription at any time via the Billing page of your account, and cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. Fees for one-time services such as AI Mastering, Cover Song Licensing, or release-level add-ons are also non-refundable once the service has been initiated or delivered.
Outstanding balances. If after twelve months your account has used credit-based features or distributed content but has not generated enough royalties to cover the amounts owed, we may request payment of the outstanding balance on demand.
Duration and Termination
Our relationship begins when you register and accept these Terms, and continues indefinitely until terminated by you or us.
Termination by you. You may terminate your account at any time by submitting a takedown for your live releases through the Platform and then closing your account. Some takedowns may require a processing fee or take time to propagate across DSPs. You remain responsible for paying any outstanding amounts before termination is finalized.
Termination by us. We may suspend or terminate your account, remove your releases, and cease the Service immediately in any of the following situations: you become insolvent, bankrupt, or subject to liquidation proceedings not resolved within 60 days; you infringe our intellectual property rights or the rights of any third party; you violate our Anti-Fraud Policy (including under our three-strike rule); you use the Platform for unlawful activity; you fail to pay an outstanding balance; or you materially breach these Terms and fail to cure the breach within 48 hours of written notice, where cure is possible.
On termination, you authorize us to suspend your account, block access, take down live releases where permitted by DSP agreements, and delete files and information after a reasonable retention period required by law. Obligations that by their nature are intended to survive termination, including confidentiality, intellectual property, audit rights, fraud investigation, and fee recoupment, will continue to apply.
Intellectual Property
The Platform, including its software, design, logos, text, graphics, video, audio, layouts, and the selection and arrangement of its features, is owned by Sonorous Zen or our licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, patent, and other intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms transfers any ownership of Sonorous Zen's intellectual property to you. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
When you upload Creator Content, you grant Sonorous Zen a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, store, process, transmit, encode, reformat, and make your Creator Content available to the DSPs and territories you select, and to otherwise provide the Service. This license lasts as long as your content is active on those DSPs through us, plus any wind-down period reasonably required to process takedowns, reconcile royalties, and satisfy our obligations to DSPs and collecting societies.
By uploading Creator Content, you confirm that you (or the parties on whose behalf you are acting) own or control all necessary rights in the content, that your content does not infringe any third party's rights, and that you have obtained all required permissions, licenses, and clearances (for example, samples, covers, features, and publishing splits). You are solely responsible for the accuracy of metadata, songwriter credits, royalty splits, and clearance information.
Royalty splits. Where you use the Royalty Splits feature to allocate earnings to collaborators, you confirm that the percentages, identities, and contact information you provide are correct. Once a split is accepted by a collaborator, it becomes binding for future royalty distributions. Changes to accepted splits apply only to future earnings and do not retroactively reallocate amounts already distributed.
Fraud and Integrity
Sonorous Zen invests significant resources to detect and prevent artificial streaming, bot traffic, chargeback abuse, identity fraud, metadata fraud, and other violations. Our Anti-Fraud Policy is a binding part of these Terms. By accepting these Terms, you also accept the Anti-Fraud Policy.
In summary, you agree that you will not, directly or indirectly, cause or authorize any artificial, automated, incentivized, or manipulative playback, downloads, or engagement on any DSP; you will not submit falsified identity documents, bank details, or metadata; and you will cooperate fully with any investigation we initiate.
Under our three-strike framework, repeated or severe violations may result in release takedowns, blocked withdrawals, permanent account termination, forfeiture of disputed royalties, and legal action where appropriate. Please review the full Anti-Fraud Policy — we enforce it strictly.
Privacy and Data
Our handling of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, both of which are part of these Terms. By accepting these Terms, you also acknowledge and accept those policies. For questions about how we handle your data, or to exercise your rights, email privacy@sonorouszen.com.
Warranties and Limitation of Liability
The Platform and the Service are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. While we do our best to keep everything stable, secure, and accurate, we cannot guarantee that the Platform will meet every requirement you have, will always be uninterrupted, or will be entirely free of errors. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and accuracy of content provided by third parties such as DSPs.
Sonorous Zen, our affiliates, licensors, partners, and service providers are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, or for loss of profit, revenue, goodwill, reputation, opportunity, or data, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Our total aggregate liability to you arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service is limited to the total amount of fees you paid to Sonorous Zen in the 12 months immediately before the event giving rise to the claim.
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold Sonorous Zen, our affiliates, officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents harmless from any claim, damage, liability, cost, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your Creator Content; (b) your use of the Platform; (c) your violation of these Terms or any applicable law; or (d) your violation of the rights of any third party.
We respect the rights of creators and follow applicable notice-and-takedown procedures. If you believe content on Sonorous Zen infringes your rights, please submit a notice to privacy@sonorouszen.com with the information required under applicable law (including the DMCA, where applicable). We will respond in a timely manner.
Priority Plans
We may offer enhanced subscription tiers, enterprise agreements, or custom Priority arrangements that unlock additional features, higher limits, faster support, or revenue-related benefits. These are governed by these Terms plus any plan-specific terms we publish at the time of purchase. Custom enterprise or label-tier agreements may include additional commitments, minimum terms, or preferred-partner clauses. If there is a conflict between a signed custom agreement and these Terms, the custom agreement prevails for the parties that signed it.
Miscellaneous
Assignment. Sonorous Zen may assign, transfer, or delegate its rights and obligations under these Terms to any affiliate, successor, or acquirer. You may not assign your account or rights under these Terms without our prior written consent.
Severability. If any part of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that part will be interpreted as narrowly as required to make it enforceable, and the rest of the Terms will remain in full effect.
No promotional guarantee. Sonorous Zen is a distribution and creator platform. We do not guarantee any specific level of streams, revenue, chart placement, playlist inclusion, or promotional coverage for any release. Promotional tools offered on the Platform (such as smart links, pitch submissions, and fan blast campaigns) are provided as tools — results depend on many factors outside our control.
Notices. We may send notices to you through the Platform, via in-app notifications, or to the email address on your account. You can reach us for legal and support matters at support@sonorouszen.com. Privacy-related requests should go to privacy@sonorouszen.com.
Confidentiality. If we share non-public information with you — such as internal analytics, roadmap details, partner information, or early access features — you agree to keep it confidential and not disclose it to third parties without our written consent.
Governing law and disputes. These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to Sonorous Zen LLC's operations in Asia, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform will first be addressed in good faith between you and Sonorous Zen through our support team. If the dispute cannot be resolved informally within 60 days, it will be resolved by binding arbitration under the WIPO Arbitration Rules, conducted by a sole arbitrator, in the English language. You agree that any claim must be brought within one year after the cause of action arises, or it is permanently waived.
Export and regional use. The Platform is operated from Asia. We make no representation that the Platform is appropriate or available in every jurisdiction. If you use Sonorous Zen from a region where doing so would be unlawful, you are solely responsible for that violation. You may not use the Platform to upload or distribute content in breach of applicable export, sanctions, or content laws.
Contact Us
privacy@sonorouszen.com
If you have any questions about these Terms or any related policy, please reach out. We'd rather answer a small question early than hear about a big one late.