Terms of Service

Last updated June 17, 2026

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of Foundry FM, operated by The Mess Foundry (“Foundry FM,” “we,” “us”), at foundryfm.com and related services (the “Service”). By using the Service, you agree to these Terms.

1. Who can use Foundry FM

You must be at least 18 (or have the consent of a parent/guardian and be at least the age of digital consent where you live) and able to enter a binding contract. You're responsible for activity under your account and for keeping your private studio link secure.

2. Your content & license

You keep ownership of the music, images, text, and other materials you upload (“Your Content”). You grant Foundry FM a non-exclusive, worldwide license to host, store, display, and stream Your Content to operate and promote the Service and your page, and to make the music you upload available within the Service for other Foundry FM creators to feature in on-platform DJ mixes and dancer videos, always credited and linked back to you (the closed-loop creative economy in Section 4). This license is non-exclusive — you keep your music everywhere else you like (Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, your distributor, and so on). It ends for new uses when you remove Your Content or your page, which you can do at any time.

You represent and warrant that you own or control all rights needed for Your Content — the master recording, the composition, any samples, the artwork, and any names or likenesses — and that uploading it and allowing the uses above infringes no one's rights and breaks no law. You confirm this before you publish. If you can't make that promise about a track, don't upload it.

3. AI-assisted & AI-generated music

Foundry FM welcomes human and AI music. If you upload AI-assisted or AI-generated work, you are still responsible for ensuring you have the right to use and monetize it, and that it complies with these Terms and applicable law.

4. The closed-loop creative economy (mixes & dance)

Foundry FM runs a closed-loop creative economy: musicians upload their music, DJs mix it, dancers dance to it, and every creative use credits and benefits the source artist (through plays, discovery, and — where enabled — earnings). To keep this clean and fair:

  • DJ mixes and dancer videos must be built only from (a) music in the Foundry FM catalog (uploaded and licensed by its rights-holders under Section 2), and/or (b) your own original work, or work you have fully cleared.
  • Do not upload or use third-party commercial recordings (e.g., other artists' songs from outside the Foundry catalog) in your mixes or videos. Foundry FM does not grant licenses to outside catalogs — keep it in the loop.
  • When you tag a Foundry track in your mix's tracklist, or set a Foundry track as a dance soundtrack, you credit that artist and they share in the discovery and (when enabled) the earnings — that's the point.

Being on other platforms (Spotify, Apple, etc.) doesn't change any of this — your distribution is non-exclusive, and Foundry FM is an additional, ownership-first home for your music, not a replacement.

4a. The Plug (free beats to use, with credit)

Some beats are placed in The Plug — a pool of tracks that Foundry (or a track's rights-holder) has chosen to offer free for other artists to use. A track is only in The Plug if its owner has explicitly added it there; nothing enters the pool automatically.

If you download a beat from The Plug, you are granted a free, worldwide, non-exclusive license to use it to create and release your own song — on Foundry FM or anywhere else (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc.) — and to keep the earnings from your song. In exchange:

  • You must credit the source on every release that uses the beat, in the form provided when you grab it (for example, "prod. by Foundry FM LLC / Sondaeblu — Jermill Graham").
  • You may not resell, redistribute, or re-license the beat itself (the underlying instrumental), or pass it off as your own production. The license is for making a new song, not for flipping the beat.
  • This license covers the beat only. You are responsible for any other elements you add (vocals, samples, features) and for clearing them.
  • The beat's owner retains all ownership; they can stop adding a beat to The Plug at any time, which does not affect songs you have already released under a license granted while it was in the pool.

5. Reporting infringement (takedown)

If you believe content on Foundry FM infringes your rights, email hi@foundryfm.com with the work, the infringing URL, and a statement of your rights, and we'll review and remove infringing material and, where appropriate, suspend repeat infringers.

6. Acceptable use

You agree not to use the Service to:

  • post content you don't have the rights to, or that infringes others;
  • post illegal, hateful, harassing, deceptive, or harmful content;
  • impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation;
  • break, overload, scrape, or abuse the Service or its security;
  • launder money or facilitate fraudulent transactions.

We may remove content or suspend accounts that violate these Terms.

7. Payments, fees & payouts

  • You keep 100% of your sales, tips, and memberships. Foundry FM does not take a percentage of artist earnings. Fans pay you directly through your connected Stripe account; standard Stripe processing fees apply and are set by Stripe.
  • Founding terms. Founding artists receive their first year free and a locked discount thereafter as communicated at signup. Plan fees (if any) and any future platform fees will be disclosed before they apply.
  • Payouts are made by Stripe to your connected account. You're responsible for providing accurate payout and tax information.
  • Taxes. You are responsible for any taxes on your earnings.

8. Transactions between fans and artists

Tips, memberships, bookings, and sales are agreements between the fan and the artist. Foundry FM provides the tools but is not a party to those transactions and is not responsible for delivering an artist's goods, services, performances, or refunds. Artists set their own prices and policies.

9. Service availability

We work to keep the Service running but provide it “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind. Features may change, and some (such as live streaming) may be labeled “coming soon” and are not guaranteed.

10. Termination

You may stop using the Service and delete your account anytime. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or to protect the Service or others. On termination, your right to use the Service ends; we will help you export your content on reasonable request.

11. Disclaimers & limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Foundry FM and The Mess Foundry are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, data, or goodwill. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the greater of the amounts you paid us in the prior 12 months or $100.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Foundry FM and The Mess Foundry harmless from claims arising out of Your Content, your use of the Service, or your violation of these Terms or others' rights.

13. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Disputes will be handled in the state or federal courts located in Delaware.

14. Changes

We may update these Terms. We'll post the new date above and, for material changes, take reasonable steps to notify you. Continued use after changes means you accept them.

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email hi@foundryfm.com.

This document is a general template, not legal advice. Please have it reviewed by a qualified attorney before relying on it.