Terms of Service

1. Eligibility — 18+ only

You must be at least 18 years old to use Riff Circle. By using the Service you represent and warrant that you are 18 or older. We do not knowingly permit anyone under 18 to create an account. If we learn a user is under 18, we will terminate the account. To report an underage user, use the in-app report feature.

2. Accounts

You are responsible for the accuracy of your information, for keeping your credentials secure, and for all activity under your account. We require email verification. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

3. The Service is an introduction platform — assumption of risk for in-person meetings

Riff Circle helps musicians discover and arrange in-person jam sessions, gigs, and tutoring. Riff Circle is a neutral venue and introduction service only. We are NOT a party to, and do not organize, supervise, vet, endorse, or control, any event, meeting, gig, lesson, or interaction between users.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT MEETING OTHER USERS IN PERSON CARRIES INHERENT RISKS, AND YOU ASSUME ALL SUCH RISKS. We do not perform background checks or identity verification on users. You are solely responsible for your safety, for vetting anyone you arrange to meet, and for your conduct. We strongly recommend meeting in public places, telling someone where you’re going, and using your own judgment. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Riff Circle disclaims all liability for any injury, loss, or damage arising from interactions or meetings between users.

4. Release of claims between users

Because Riff Circle is only an introduction platform, you release Riff Circle and its members from any claims, demands, disputes, and damages of every kind and nature — known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed — arising out of or in any way connected with any interaction, communication, transaction, or meeting between you and any other user or third party.

If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code §1542, which says: “A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release, and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party.” You waive all similar protections under any other jurisdiction’s law.

5. User content & license

You may post profile info, images, event details, questions/answers, and embedded media (e.g. YouTube/SoundCloud links) (“User Content”). You retain ownership of your User Content. You grant Riff Circle a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, display, and distribute your User Content solely to operate and promote the Service.

You represent and warrant that you own or have all rights to the User Content you post, and that it does not infringe any third party’s intellectual-property, privacy, or other rights. You are solely responsible for your User Content.

6. No duty to monitor

We have no obligation to monitor, screen, pre-approve, or background-check users, User Content, or interactions, although we may do so at our sole discretion. We are not responsible for, and do not endorse, any User Content, and we are not the author of User Content. We may, but are not required to, remove or restrict any content or account at any time.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to: harass, threaten, defame, or stalk others; post illegal, infringing, or sexually exploitative content; impersonate anyone; spam or scrape; post content involving minors; arrange illegal transactions; or circumvent safety, blocking, or moderation features. We may remove content and ban users at our discretion.

8. Payments are between users

Riff Circle does not process payments. Any gig pay, tutoring fees, or other amounts shown are informational and arranged directly between users. Riff Circle is not a party to, and has no responsibility for, any payment, transaction, or financial arrangement between users.

9. No agency or employment relationship

You and Riff Circle are independent. Nothing in these Terms or in your use of the Service creates any employment, agency, partnership, joint-venture, or franchise relationship between you and Riff Circle, or between any users. Users who arrange paid gigs or tutoring do so as independent parties and are solely responsible for their own taxes, licenses, and legal compliance. Riff Circle is not an employer, staffing agency, or marketplace for labor.

10. Copyright / DMCA

We respect intellectual property and respond to valid DMCA notices. To report infringing content, send a notice with the required DMCA elements to our designated agent: copyright@riffcircle.com [and the registered Copyright Office agent address]. We may remove infringing content and terminate repeat infringers. If you believe content was removed in error, you may submit a counter-notice with the required DMCA elements to the same address.

11. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any user is who they claim to be.

12. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RIFF CIRCLE AND ITS MEMBERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY PERSONAL INJURY, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE OR ANY USER INTERACTION OR MEETING. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF [$100] OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law; where any limitation or exclusion is held unenforceable, the remaining limitations apply to the maximum extent permitted.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Riff Circle from any claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your User Content, your use of the Service, your interactions with other users, or your violation of these Terms. We may assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, in which case you agree to cooperate.

14. Governing law & dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. [ARBITRATION CLAUSE — HAVE A LAWYER DRAFT: binding individual arbitration in [County], Florida, with a class-action waiver, jury-trial waiver, delegation clause, and 30-day opt-out.] Until that clause is professionally drafted, disputes are resolved in the state or federal courts located in [County], Florida, and you and Riff Circle waive any right to a jury trial and to participate in a class action to the fullest extent permitted by law.

15. Termination & account deletion

You may delete your account at any time via the app; we will delete or anonymize your personal information as described in the Privacy Policy. We may suspend or terminate your access for any violation of these Terms, with no liability for such suspension or termination.

16. Changes

We may update these Terms; material changes will be notified in-app or by email. Continued use after changes means you accept them.

17. General

• Severability. If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary or, if it cannot be, severed; the remaining provisions stay in full effect.
• Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and Riff Circle and supersede any prior agreements on the subject.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of our right to do so later.
• Assignment. You may not assign these Terms. We may assign them to an affiliate or successor (e.g. in a merger or sale of the business).
• Survival. Sections 3–6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 17 survive termination of your account or these Terms.

Contact

• [legal@riffcircle.com]
• [Riff Circle LLC business/registered-agent address]