Privacy Policy

Effective Date: February 21, 2024
Last Updated: March 4, 2025

1. Introduction

Music Ark (hereinafter “Music Ark”, “we”, “our” or “us”), a company based in Paris, France, attaches the highest importance to the protection of your personal data and respects your privacy in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation, “GDPR”) and the French Data Protection Act (Loi Informatique et Libertés n°78-17).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, process, use, store, and protect your personal data, and outlines your rights in accordance with French and European data protection laws.

By using our website, submitting demos, purchasing services, or otherwise interacting with us, you acknowledge having read and accepted this Privacy Policy.

2. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to:

  • Visitors to our website.

  • Customers purchasing services from Music Ark.

  • Musicians, producers, and third parties submitting demos or project files.

  • Individuals interacting with Music Ark through email, social media, or other communication channels.

3. Data Collected

3.1 Personal Data

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

  • Identity data: Full name, company name (where applicable).

  • Contact data: Email address, phone number.

  • Billing data: Billing address, payment information (processed by secure third-party payment processors).

  • Project data: Demo files, music projects, metadata, and associated information submitted to us.

  • Communication data: Emails, chat records, and messages exchanged with our team.

3.2 Technical and Browsing Data

When visiting our website, we may automatically collect:

  • IP address

  • Browser type and version

  • Operating system

  • Pages visited, time spent, and navigation patterns

  • Cookies and trackers (see Section 9)

4. Purposes and Legal Bases for Processing

We process your personal data only when permitted by applicable laws, particularly the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the French Data Protection Act (Loi Informatique et Libertés). Depending on the specific context in which your data is collected, processing is based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

  • Your Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR): When you voluntarily provide data — for example, when submitting a demo, signing up for our newsletter, or agreeing to receive marketing communications — we process your data based on your explicit consent. You can withdraw this consent at any time.

  • Performance of a Contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): When you purchase a service (such as music production or project evaluation), we process your personal data to fulfill the contract between you and Music Ark. This includes processing payments, delivering services, and managing customer communication.

  • Compliance with Legal Obligations (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR): In some cases, we are legally required to process and retain certain data, particularly for tax, accounting, and regulatory compliance purposes under French law.

  • Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): We may process your data to pursue legitimate business interests, provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms. This may include improving our website, ensuring network and information security, preventing fraud, analyzing website traffic, and optimizing user experiences.

In all cases, we apply the principle of data minimization — meaning we only collect and process data strictly necessary for the specified purposes.

If you have any questions about the specific legal basis for any particular processing activity, you can contact us at contact@musicark.com.

5. Data Recipients

We may share your data with trusted third-party service providers, only where necessary for the operation of our business and in compliance with GDPR and French law. These may include:

  • Payment processors (Stripe, PayPal).

  • Hosting providers (for data storage and website hosting).

  • Analytics providers (Google Analytics, Matomo).

  • Email communication platforms (for newsletters and transactional emails).

  • Legal, accounting, or regulatory authorities (if legally required).

All third parties are bound by Data Processing Agreements (DPA) ensuring they meet strict data protection obligations.

6. International Data Transfers

When personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure that the transfer complies with applicable laws by:

  • Transferring to countries with adequate protection levels as recognized by the European Commission.

  • Implementing Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission.

  • Requiring recipients to apply appropriate safeguards.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, in accordance with legal obligations under French law.

  • Demo and project submissions: Stored for up to 12 months, unless you request earlier deletion.

  • Purchase and financial records: Retained for 10 years to comply with accounting and tax obligations (Article L123-22 of the French Commercial Code).

  • Communications data: Retained for 3 years from last contact for customer relations purposes (in line with CNIL recommendations).

  • Marketing data: Stored until you withdraw your consent or request deletion.

Once retention periods expire, data is securely deleted or anonymized.

8. Your Rights

Under GDPR and the French Data Protection Act, you have the following rights:

  • Right of Access (Art. 15 GDPR): Obtain confirmation and a copy of your personal data.

  • Right to Rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.

  • Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten") (Art. 17 GDPR): Request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention requirements).

  • Right to Restriction of Processing (Art. 18 GDPR): Limit how your data is processed.

  • Right to Data Portability (Art. 20 GDPR): Receive your data in a portable format.

  • Right to Object (Art. 21 GDPR): Object to processing based on legitimate interest.

  • Right to Withdraw Consent (where processing relies on consent).

You may exercise these rights by contacting us at contact@musicark.com.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) at www.cnil.fr.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Ensure proper website functionality.

  • Analyse website traffic and visitor behaviour.

  • Deliver personalized content and marketing (with consent where required).

You can manage or disable cookies via your browser settings or through our Cookie Consent Banner.

For more information, see our Cookie Policy (linked separately if needed).

10. Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including:

  • Encrypted data storage and transfers.

  • Access controls and multi-factor authentication.

  • Regular audits and security reviews.

  • Restricted access to personal data.

While we apply industry-standard protections, no system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party platforms (Spotify, Instagram, YouTube, etc.). This Privacy Policy does not cover external sites, and we recommend reviewing their privacy policies.

12. Minors’ Data

Our services are not directed at individuals under 15 years old. We do not knowingly collect data from minors without parental consent. If such data is collected in error, it will be promptly deleted.

13. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in laws, technology, or our business practices. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised Effective Date.

14. Governing Law and Disputes

This Privacy Policy is governed by French law. Any disputes relating to this policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Paris.

15. Contact

For any questions, requests, or complaints related to data protection, please contact:

Music Ark
Email: music.ark.store@gmail.com
Head Office: Paris, France
Data Protection Officer: Privacy Team – Music Ark
Subject: Privacy Inquiry