Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and Cadence (“Cadence,” the “Platform,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) governing your access to and use of our websites, applications, and services (collectively, the “Services”). By creating an account, checking the acceptance box during sign-up, or otherwise accessing or using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, you must not create an account or use the Services.

If you use the Services on behalf of an organization (for example, a church, venue, or company), you represent and warrant that you are authorized to bind that organization, and “you” includes that organization.

“Business” means a user that books, or seeks to book, musical performers through the Platform, including churches, venues, event organizers, companies, and individuals.

“Musician” means a user that offers, or seeks to offer, musical performance services through the Platform, whether as an individual or a group.

“Booking” means an engagement for musical services arranged through the Platform, whether initiated by an invitation from a Business or an application by a Musician to an open posting.

“Booking Amount” means the compensation agreed for a Booking, exclusive of Platform fees.

“Platform Introduction” means any instance in which a Business and a Musician first identify, view, contact, or transact with one another through the Services.

You must be at least 18 years of age and capable of forming a binding contract to use the Services. You must register with accurate, current, and complete information and keep it updated. Each account is for a single Business or a single Musician (or musical group); you may not share credentials, impersonate any person, or create an account for anyone else without authority.

You are responsible for all activity under your account and for safeguarding your credentials. Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use. We may refuse, suspend, or reclaim usernames and may decline registration in our sole discretion.

Cadence is a neutral marketplace that facilitates introductions, communications, bookings, and payments between Businesses and Musicians. Cadence is not a party to any Booking, is not a booking agency, talent agency, employer, or manager of any Musician, and does not supervise, direct, or control any Musician's performance. Musicians are independent contractors of the Businesses that engage them; nothing in these Terms creates an employment, agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship between any user and Cadence.

We do not guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or suitability of any user, profile, listing, or performance, nor that a Business or Musician will complete a transaction. You are solely responsible for evaluating and selecting the parties you transact with, and for complying with any laws applicable to your engagement (including tax, licensing, and employment classification obligations).

All payments for Bookings must be made through the Platform. Payment processing is provided by Stripe and is subject to Stripe's own terms. When a Business pays for a Booking, funds are held and are released to the Musician (less applicable fees) after the Business marks the Booking complete. Musicians must complete payout onboarding (including any identity verification required by our payment processor) before payouts can be released.

Platform fees are as follows and may be updated from time to time under Section 20: (a) pay-per-use Businesses pay a service fee, currently 10% of the Booking Amount, added at checkout; (b) Businesses subscribed to the Pro plan pay a recurring monthly subscription fee in exchange for a 0% per-Booking service fee; and (c) Musicians pay a commission, currently 10% of the Booking Amount, deducted from each payout. Applicable taxes may be added where required. Except as expressly stated in these Terms or required by law, fees are non-refundable.

Subscriptions renew automatically each month until cancelled. You may cancel at any time through your billing settings; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and no partial-month refunds are provided. If a subscription payment fails, Pro benefits are suspended and pay-per-use rates apply until payment is resolved.

You authorize us and our payment processor to charge your selected payment method for all amounts due. You are responsible for keeping payment information current. We may withhold, offset, or recover amounts owed to us (including circumvention fees under Section 7) from payments otherwise payable to you through the Platform.

Cancellation by a Business: if a Business cancels a paid Booking more than 48 hours before the scheduled event start time, the Business will receive a refund of the amount paid. If a Business cancels within 48 hours of the event start time, we reserve the right to release up to 50% of the Booking Amount to the Musician in recognition of reserved time and lost opportunity, refunding the remainder. If a Business fails to honor a Booking without cancelling (a “no-show,” including failure to provide agreed access to the venue), the Musician may be entitled to release of up to the full Booking Amount.

Cancellation by a Musician: Musicians should cancel accepted Bookings only where genuinely necessary and as early as possible. If a Musician cancels a paid Booking, the Business receives a full refund. Late cancellations (within 7 days of the event) and no-shows are recorded on the Musician's account and may result in reduced visibility in search results, loss of eligibility for certain features, suspension, or termination. A Musician who fails to appear for a confirmed Booking without lawful excuse forfeits any payout for that Booking and may be removed from the Platform.

Repeated late cancellations or no-shows by any user, in either role, are grounds for suspension or termination under Section 18. We may consider documented emergencies and force-majeure circumstances in applying this Section.

The Platform's fees fund the discovery, booking, secure payment, and support infrastructure that makes introductions possible. Accordingly, for a period of twelve (12) months following the most recent Platform Introduction between a given Business and Musician (measured from the later of their first contact through the Services or the completion of their most recent Booking), both parties agree not to solicit, arrange, book, invoice, or pay for musical services with one another outside the Platform, and not to request, encourage, or accept any off-Platform payment or booking, in each case where the relationship originated through a Platform Introduction.

Without limitation, you may not use the Services solely to source Musicians or Businesses and then move transactions off-Platform to avoid fees; share contact details for the purpose of transacting off-Platform in violation of this Section; or structure, split, or disguise payments to reduce fees owed.

If you wish to work together outside the Platform during the non-circumvention period, contact us; we may offer a buy-out option at our discretion. Where users transact off-Platform in violation of this Section, we reserve the right to charge the responsible user(s) a circumvention fee equal to the greater of (a) the Platform fees that would have been payable on the off-Platform transaction(s), as reasonably estimated by us, or (b) CAD $500; to suspend or terminate the accounts involved; and to pursue any other remedies available at law or in equity, including legal action to recover fees and damages. This Section does not apply to relationships that verifiably pre-date the parties' first Platform Introduction.

You agree not to: (a) violate any applicable law or regulation; (b) post false, misleading, defamatory, obscene, hateful, or infringing content; (c) harass, threaten, or discriminate against other users; (d) send spam or unsolicited commercial communications; (e) upload malicious code or attempt to probe, scrape, disrupt, reverse-engineer, or gain unauthorized access to the Services or other users' data; (f) manipulate reviews, ratings, or search placement; (g) use the Services to book or offer unlawful services; (h) misrepresent your identity, qualifications, or affiliation; or (i) use the Services in violation of Section 7.

We may investigate suspected violations and may remove content, restrict features, or suspend or terminate accounts as described in Section 18. We may report unlawful activity to appropriate authorities.

“User Content” means any content you submit to the Services, including profiles, photos, audio, video, posts, comments, messages, job postings, and reviews. You retain ownership of your User Content. You grant Cadence a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, adapt, publish, display, and distribute your User Content for the purposes of operating, promoting, and improving the Services. This license ends when your User Content is deleted from the Services, except for content that has been shared with others who have not deleted it, for backup copies retained for a reasonable period, and for content we are required to retain by law.

You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary rights to your User Content (including any music, recordings, and images it contains) and that it does not infringe the rights of any third party. We may, but are not obligated to, review, moderate, or remove User Content at any time.

Reviews may only be left in connection with completed Bookings and must reflect your genuine, first-hand experience. You may not offer or accept anything of value in exchange for reviews, review yourself, or coordinate reviews to harm or benefit any user. We may remove reviews that violate these Terms, but we do not undertake to verify reviews and are not responsible for their content.

The Services — including our software, design, text, graphics, logos, and trademarks — are owned by Cadence or its licensors and are protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Services for their intended purpose. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Services, or use our trademarks, except as expressly permitted by us in writing. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

If you believe content on the Services infringes your copyright, contact us using the details in Section 22 with sufficient information to identify the content and your rights; we will respond as required by applicable law.

Our collection and use of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy. By using the Services you consent to that collection and use. Payment card details are handled by our payment processor and are not stored on our servers.

The Services integrate third-party services, including Stripe for payments and payouts. Your use of those services is subject to their own terms and privacy policies, and we are not responsible for third-party services. Payout timing may depend on our payment processor and your financial institution.

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE; THAT ANY USER, LISTING, OR REVIEW IS ACCURATE OR RELIABLE; OR THAT ANY BOOKING WILL BE PERFORMED TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN WARRANTY EXCLUSIONS, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CADENCE AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, GOODWILL, OR DATA, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICES OR THESE TERMS, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICES WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL PLATFORM FEES YOU PAID TO CADENCE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM AND (B) CAD $100.

CADENCE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF ANY BUSINESS OR MUSICIAN, INCLUDING PERFORMANCE QUALITY, CONDUCT AT EVENTS, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR PERSONAL INJURY. DISPUTES ABOUT A BOOKING ARE PRIMARILY BETWEEN THE BUSINESS AND THE MUSICIAN; WE MAY, BUT ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO, ASSIST IN RESOLVING THEM.

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Cadence and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Services; (b) your User Content; (c) your Bookings, performances, or events; (d) your breach of these Terms (including Section 7); or (e) your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Before commencing any formal proceeding, you agree to first contact us and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for at least thirty (30) days.

Any dispute not resolved informally shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered in Toronto, Ontario under the Arbitration Act, 1991 (Ontario) by a single arbitrator, except that either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court or seek injunctive relief for infringement or misuse of intellectual property or breach of Section 7 in a court of competent jurisdiction. To the extent permitted by law, disputes must be brought on an individual basis only, and not as a class, collective, or representative proceeding. Nothing in this Section limits any non-waivable consumer rights you may have under applicable law.

You may stop using the Services and close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access, remove content, withhold pending payouts in connection with suspected fraud or violations, or decline to provide the Services to anyone, at any time, with or without notice, including where we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms (including the non-circumvention and cancellation provisions), pose a risk to other users, or create legal exposure for us.

Sections that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including Sections 5 (amounts owed), 7, 9 (license for retained content), and 14 through 22. Termination does not relieve you of obligations incurred before termination, including fees owed and completed-Booking obligations.

Neither Cadence nor any user will be liable for delay or failure to perform (other than payment obligations already accrued) resulting from causes beyond their reasonable control, including natural disasters, epidemics, labor disputes, utility or internet failures, war, civil unrest, or governmental action. Bookings affected by force majeure should be rescheduled or cancelled promptly, and Section 6 will be applied reasonably in light of the circumstances.

We may modify the Services at any time, and we may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice through the Services or by email and update the “Effective date” above. Changes apply prospectively from their effective date; your continued use of the Services after that date constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to updated Terms, you must stop using the Services and may close your account. Fee changes will not apply retroactively to Bookings already paid.

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any policies referenced herein, are the entire agreement between you and Cadence regarding the Services and supersede all prior agreements on that subject. If any provision is held unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary or severed, and the remainder will continue in effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our prior written consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. Notices to you may be provided through the Services or to the email associated with your account.

Questions about these Terms or the Services, notices, and legal inquiries may be directed to us through the Help option in the application or by email at the support address published in the application. We aim to respond to all inquiries within a reasonable time.