Artist Terms of Service

1. Agreement to these Terms

By creating, accessing, or operating an Artist account, you agree to these Artist Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Acceptable Use Policy, and any payment terms presented through GigStage.

You must not create or use an Artist account if you do not agree to these documents.

2. Eligibility and authority

Artists who are 18 or older may create and operate their own GigStage Artist account. An Artist under 18 may use GigStage only with permission from a parent or legal guardian.

When an account represents a band, duo, company, organization, or another performer, the account holder confirms that they are authorized to act for that Artist.

3. Account registration and security

Artists must provide accurate account information, keep it current, protect their password, and promptly report suspected unauthorized access.

Email verification may be required before account access or public features become available. Artists are responsible for activity performed through their account unless the activity results from GigStage's failure to use reasonable safeguards.

4. GigStage service

GigStage provides tools for Artist Pages, gig and calendar information, song libraries, setlists, Live Gigs, audience requests, shoutouts, tipping, payments, earnings information, QR materials, and related Artist features.

Features may change as GigStage develops. GigStage does not guarantee that every feature will always be available or operate without interruption.

5. Artist Pages and publication

Artists control the information they submit for their public Artist Page and are responsible for its accuracy, legality, and suitability.

GigStage may require minimum profile information before publication, including an Artist name, biography, and at least one profile image or logo.

An Artist Page may remain in draft, be published, or be unpublished. A published Artist Page may be required before starting a Live Gig.

6. Live Gigs and Artist control

Artists retain control over their performance, setlist, timing, request queue, shoutouts, and whether an audience submission is skipped, delayed, completed, or left incomplete.

GigStage does not employ Artists, operate venues, manage crowd safety, control venue admission, or direct the content of a performance.

7. Audience requests and shoutouts

Artists may enable or disable free requests, paid requests, shoutouts, tipping, and other audience features made available by GigStage.

Artists must not promise guaranteed performance when GigStage describes a payment as support for the Artist subject to the remaining gig time, queue volume, timing, and flow of the event.

Artists may remove or skip unlawful, unsafe, harassing, hateful, defamatory, privacy-invasive, or otherwise inappropriate submissions.

8. Stripe Connect and payment setup

GigStage uses Stripe Connect and Stripe Checkout for eligible payment features. Artists must complete and maintain Stripe onboarding and provide Stripe with accurate information.

GigStage does not receive or control complete card information, complete bank-account information, or private Stripe credentials.

Stripe may restrict onboarding, payments, balances, or payouts according to its rules, legal obligations, and risk controls.

9. Artist earnings and payouts

GigStage does not hold Artist earnings. Stripe manages the connected account balance and sends payouts according to the Artist's Stripe settings, eligibility, and payout schedule.

GigStage may display gross payments, estimated fees, refunds, disputes, and estimated Artist net amounts for informational and reconciliation purposes.

Artists remain responsible for verifying their Stripe records and maintaining sufficient funds for refunds, disputes, negative balances, and related adjustments.

10. GigStage platform fees

GigStage does not charge a subscription fee under its standard pricing. GigStage charges a 5% platform fee on eligible successful audience payments processed through GigStage. Free song requests that do not involve a payment remain free of the GigStage platform fee.

Stripe processing fees are separate and are charged according to Stripe's terms and the connected-account configuration.

Artists who qualified for an earlier introductory pricing offer keep that offer according to the pricing terms that applied to their account. Removing an introductory offer for future accounts does not shorten an existing eligible introductory period.

Material future fee changes will be disclosed before they apply and may require renewed acceptance.

11. Refunds, disputes, and payment adjustments

Ordinary refund decisions are generally made at the Artist's discretion, subject to applicable law, Stripe requirements, and the Payment and Refund Policy.

GigStage may process or require a refund where reasonably necessary to correct an error, address confirmed fraud, comply with law, follow a payment-network requirement, or prevent material harm.

Refunds, disputes, chargebacks, and fees may reduce a connected-account balance, delay a payout, create a negative balance, or be offset against future payments.

12. Checkout Sessions and ended Live Gigs

Open and unpaid Checkout Sessions may expire after a limited payment window, when a Live Gig ends, or through an automated cleanup process.

Completed and processing payments remain preserved according to their actual Stripe status. Cancelled, abandoned, failed, or expired Checkout Sessions do not create completed Artist earnings.

13. Band Split Tool

The Band Split Tool is an informational planning feature only. It may calculate equal or custom member shares from an eligible amount.

Stripe sends one payout to the connected Artist account. GigStage does not automatically distribute funds to band members, and the Artist remains responsible for paying each member.

14. Taxes and business obligations

Artists are responsible for their own taxes, registrations, licences, venue obligations, employment obligations, contracts, accounting, and business records.

GigStage does not provide legal, tax, accounting, employment, or financial advice.

15. Artist content and permissions

Artists retain ownership of content they submit, subject to rights held by others.

Artists grant GigStage a non-exclusive licence to host, store, reproduce, format, display, transmit, and otherwise use submitted content as reasonably necessary to provide, secure, promote, and improve the service.

Artists confirm that they have the rights and permissions required for names, logos, photographs, biographies, recordings, artwork, links, and other submitted content.

16. Music, copyright, and venue licensing

Artists remain responsible for performance rights, mechanical rights, master-recording rights, venue licensing, and other permissions that may apply to music or content used in their activities.

GigStage does not grant music-performance or recording licences merely by providing a song-request or profile tool.

17. QR codes, templates, and printing

GigStage may provide QR codes, downloadable graphics, and print templates for Artist use.

Artists are responsible for checking spelling, links, QR readability, dimensions, colours, bleed, safe areas, printer requirements, and final proofs before ordering or distributing printed materials.

GigStage is not responsible for printing defects, colour differences, cropping, scaling, paper selection, printer settings, vendor errors, or costs resulting from an Artist's failure to verify the final output.

18. Acceptable use

Artists must comply with the Acceptable Use Policy and must not use GigStage for fraud, harassment, unlawful discrimination, exploitation, intellectual-property infringement, privacy violations, spam, malicious automation, unauthorized access, or disruption of the platform.

19. Suspension, restriction, and restoration

GigStage may warn, restrict, unpublish, suspend, or close an account where reasonably necessary for safety, fraud prevention, legal compliance, payment risk, service integrity, or a material breach.

When an Artist is in an active Live Gig, GigStage may suspend immediately or allow the gig to finish before suspension, depending on the risk.

A suspended Artist's public links may display a neutral Artist unavailable page. Restoration does not erase prior support, audit, payment, or enforcement records.

20. Account closure

Artists may request account closure. GigStage may retain limited information required for legal agreements, payments, refunds, disputes, fraud prevention, security, audits, taxes, support, or enforcement.

Closing a GigStage account does not automatically close or erase information independently controlled by Stripe or another provider.

21. Privacy

GigStage handles personal information according to the Privacy Policy.

Artists must not use audience information for unrelated marketing, data sales, profiling, harassment, or contact outside the purpose for which the information was provided.

22. Third-party services

GigStage relies on third-party services such as Stripe, Neon, Cloudflare R2, Vercel, email providers, domain providers, and other infrastructure providers.

Those providers may apply their own terms and privacy practices. GigStage is not responsible for independent third-party services outside GigStage's reasonable control.

23. Service availability, changes, and discontinuation

GigStage may maintain, update, replace, restrict, or discontinue features. Temporary interruptions may result from maintenance, network conditions, provider outages, security events, or circumstances outside GigStage's control.

GigStage may decide to permanently discontinue the GigStage service or cease operations. If that occurs, Artist accounts, public Artist Pages, QR links, Live Gig features, and related access may be disabled.

Where reasonably practicable, GigStage may provide advance notice and a reasonable opportunity for Artists to retrieve information made available by the service, but GigStage does not guarantee continued access, data export, or a particular notice period, including where circumstances require a faster shutdown. Information may be retained or deleted in accordance with the Privacy Policy, payment obligations, and applicable law.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, permanent discontinuation of GigStage does not create a right to reimbursement or compensation for signs, banners, QR materials, printed materials, business cards, advertising, marketing campaigns, promotional materials, equipment, subscriptions, vendor charges, or other third-party costs incurred for use with GigStage.

Permanent discontinuation does not cancel or erase completed payment records, valid refunds, disputes, chargebacks, connected-account balances, taxes, or other obligations that survive under these Terms, the Payment and Refund Policy, Stripe's records and terms, or applicable law.

24. Disclaimer of warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by law, GigStage is provided as is and as available.

GigStage does not guarantee uninterrupted service, particular earnings, audience participation, request completion, payment approval, payout timing, Artist success, or a specific business result.

Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty or right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

25. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, GigStage will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, lost profits, lost opportunities, lost data, venue losses, printing costs, or reputational harm arising from the service.

Where liability cannot be excluded, GigStage's total liability arising from an Artist account during the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim will not exceed the greater of the GigStage platform fees paid by that Artist during that period or CAD $100.

This limitation does not apply where prohibited by law.

26. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, the Artist is responsible for claims, losses, and reasonable costs resulting from the Artist's content, performance, business conduct, payment misuse, infringement, privacy violation, unlawful activity, or material breach of these Terms.

27. Changes and renewed acceptance

GigStage may update these Terms. Each version will identify its version number, effective date, and last-updated date.

Material changes may require renewed acceptance before continued account use. Minor administrative or clarifying changes may be communicated without renewed acceptance where legally permitted.

28. Communications

GigStage may send transactional communications concerning authentication, security, payments, refunds, disputes, support, suspensions, service operation, and legal changes.

Optional marketing communications will use a separate consent process where required.

29. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Alberta and the applicable federal laws of Canada, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Subject to mandatory rights, disputes will be handled by the courts located in Calgary, Alberta.

30. General terms

If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply. A delay in enforcement is not a waiver.

The Artist may not transfer the account or these Terms without GigStage's permission. GigStage may assign these Terms as part of a financing, reorganization, sale, or transfer of the service.

These Terms and the documents incorporated into them form the agreement concerning the Artist's use of GigStage.

31. Contact

Questions about these Artist Terms may be sent to GigStage at support@gigstagelive.com.