TERMS OF SERVICE

1. Introduction

Welcome to Podcast Studio Hire. By booking or using our studio and services, you agree to these Terms of Service (the “Terms”). Please read them before making a booking. If you do not agree to the Terms, you should not book or use our studio or services.

2. Use of Studio and Services

  • You may use our studio and services only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.

  • You must not use our studio or services to create, record, store or distribute material that breaches applicable law or the Content Standards set out in Section 3.

  • You must not knowingly introduce viruses, malware or other harmful software or files into our equipment or systems.

  • You must not use our equipment, network or services to send unsolicited or unauthorised advertising or spam.

3. Content Standards

The material you create or record at our studio must not:

  • Be unlawful, fraudulent or deceptive.

  • Infringe another person’s intellectual property rights.

  • Be defamatory or contain unlawful obscene material.

  • Promote violence or unlawful discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or other protected characteristics.

4. Intellectual Property

  • Clients retain ownership of the intellectual property rights they hold in the audio, video and other content created during their recording sessions.

  • Booking a session does not transfer ownership of that content to Podcast Studio Hire.

  • Our permission to use material from a session for promotional purposes is set out in Section 5 and is subject to any confidentiality arrangements agreed under Section 19.

5. Promotional Use

  • By booking our services, you grant Podcast Studio Hire a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use excerpts, images and recordings from your session to promote our services. This may include use on our website, social media, portfolio and in advertisements.

  • If we have agreed to keep your session confidential in writing, we will not use or publish material from that session for promotional or marketing purposes, as set out in Section 19.

  • You are responsible for informing everyone participating in your session about our promotional-use policy and obtaining any permissions you are authorised and required to obtain from them or other rights holders.

6. Termination of Services

  • We reserve the right to stop a recording or end a session if you or any of your guests breach our studio rules, damage equipment, behave in a threatening or abusive manner, or refuse to follow the studio engineer’s safety instructions.

  • Where a session is ended due to your actions or those of your guests, you will not be entitled to a refund or a rescheduled session, subject to your statutory rights.

  • If we need to cancel a confirmed booking for reasons unrelated to your conduct, the rescheduling and refund options set out in Section 18 will apply.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

Our studio and services are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of our studio or services, or the information, content, materials, or products included in our studio.

8. Limitation of Liability

We will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of our studio or services, including, but not limited to, direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, and consequential damages.

9. Governing Law

These Terms and your use of our studio and services are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The updated Terms will be published on our website and will apply to bookings made after the updated Terms take effect.

The Terms in effect when your booking was confirmed will continue to apply to that booking, unless you and Podcast Studio Hire agree otherwise in writing or a change is required by law.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us.

12. Reservation and Payment

  • Full payment is required at the time of booking. Your booking is only confirmed once we have received the full payment.

  • We accept payment by debit or credit card through our online booking system or via a payment link provided by us.

  • We also accept payment by bank transfer. If you wish to pay by bank transfer, please contact us to request an invoice. Full payment must be received before your booking is confirmed.

  • We do not offer payment terms, instalments or payment on the day of your session.

  • All prices are quoted in GBP. Podcast Studio Hire is not currently VAT registered.

13. Refunds and Cancellations

  • You may cancel your booking and request a full refund within 24 hours of making the booking, provided your scheduled session is more than 48 hours away at the time of cancellation.

  • After 24 hours from the time of booking, cancellations are non-refundable.

  • Bookings made within 48 hours of the scheduled session are non-refundable.

  • If you do not attend your scheduled session, you will not be entitled to a refund.

14. Rescheduling and Last-Minute Bookings

  • You may reschedule your booking free of charge, provided you do so at least 48 hours before your scheduled session.

  • You can reschedule using the link in your booking confirmation email, subject to studio availability.

  • Bookings cannot be rescheduled within 48 hours of the scheduled start time.

  • Bookings made less than 48 hours before the scheduled start time cannot be rescheduled.

  • If you miss your booking, you will not be entitled to a rescheduled session.

15. Studio Rules

  • Smoking and consuming alcohol are strictly prohibited inside the studio. Failure to follow this rule may result in your session being cancelled without a refund.

  • Food is not permitted inside the studio. Non-alcoholic drinks are allowed. You are welcome to use the on-site café seating area to eat.

  • You and your guests must treat the studio, furniture and equipment with care. You may be charged reasonable repair or replacement costs for damage caused by you or your guests.

  • Only those participating in the recording are permitted inside the studio during your session, unless we have agreed otherwise in advance.

  • You must leave the studio in the same condition as you found it.

  • Recording volume must remain within the limits set by the studio.

  • You and your guests must follow the studio engineer's instructions regarding equipment use, safety and the recording process.

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold us and our affiliates, officers, agents, and employees harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your use of our studio and services, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of another.

17. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with any additional arrangements agreed between you and Podcast Studio Hire in writing, constitute the agreement between us regarding your booking and use of our studio and services.

If we do not exercise or enforce a right under these Terms, this does not mean we have waived that right.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.

18. Studio Availability and Cancellations by Us

  • We reserve the right to adjust studio availability for future bookings.

  • If we are unable to honour a confirmed booking due to equipment failure, staff illness or other unforeseen circumstances, we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible.

  • You will be offered a choice between rescheduling your session to another available date at no additional charge or receiving a full refund of the amount paid for the affected booking.

  • If you choose a refund, we will arrange for it to be returned through the original payment method where possible.

19. Confidentiality

  • If you require your recording session to remain confidential, you must notify us in writing before your booking.

  • We will confirm any agreed confidentiality arrangements in writing. Once agreed, we will not publish or use material from your session for promotional or marketing purposes.

  • Unless confidentiality arrangements have been agreed in writing, the promotional-use provisions in Sections 4 and 5 will apply.

  • Any confidentiality arrangements will not prevent us from using or disclosing information where required by law.

20. Studio Equipment

  • All podcast recordings must use the cameras, microphones, lighting and recording equipment provided by Podcast Studio Hire. Clients may not substitute their own equipment for the studio's recording equipment.

  • Clients may bring their own cameras or photographers to capture behind-the-scenes footage during their session, provided this does not interfere with the podcast recording, studio equipment or the studio engineer's work.

  • Any additional equipment brought into the studio must be approved by the studio engineer before use.

  • Clients are responsible for their personal equipment. We are not responsible for its loss or damage, except where liability cannot lawfully be excluded..

21. Session Length

  • The length of the recording session is based on the time slot you have booked.

  • If you require additional time, you must request it in advance and it will be subject to availability and an additional fee.

  • If you finish the recording before the end of the booked time slot, you will not be entitled to a refund or reduction in the fee.

22. Grace Period and Overtime Policy

A 5-minute grace period is allowed after the scheduled booking time. If the session extends beyond the grace period, the client will be charged for the next full hour, regardless of the actual duration of usage beyond the booking time and grace period.

23. Audio and Video File Delivery and Retention

  • Your raw audio and video files will normally be delivered via Dropbox within 48 hours of your recording session.

  • Files will be available to download for 7 days from the date of delivery.

  • You are responsible for downloading your files and checking that they have downloaded successfully within this 7-day period.

  • After 7 days, your files will be deleted from our systems and may no longer be available for download or recovery.

  • If you experience any problems accessing or downloading your files, please contact us as soon as possible and before the 7-day period expires.

  • Where professional editing has been purchased, the delivery timeframe for the finished episode will be communicated separately.