Terms of Service

01Agreement to these terms

Welcome to ChoirBaton. These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and ChoirBaton LLC ("ChoirBaton," "we," "us," or "our"). They apply whenever you visit our website, create an account, subscribe to ChoirBaton Academy or ChoirBaton Institute, purchase from our store, or otherwise use any service we provide (together, the "Services").

By accessing or using the Services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

02Who we are

ChoirBaton is a subscription education platform for choral musicians — adult singers, choral directors, voice teachers, and choir members who want structured, rigorous improvement. We are operated by ChoirBaton LLC, a limited liability company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.

Our brand family includes ChoirBaton Academy (subscriber education), ChoirBaton Institute (deeper certification work), the ChoirBaton Podcast, and our online Store. Some Services are free; others require a paid subscription or purchase, as described below.

03Eligibility & accounts

You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority where you live, to create an account or make a purchase. By using the Services you represent that you meet this requirement and that the information you provide is accurate and current.

Your account

Some Services require an account. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity that occurs under your account. Accounts are for individual use and may not be shared, resold, or transferred without our written permission. Please tell us promptly if you believe your account has been used without your authorization.

04What we offer

Through the Services you may access educational content built on the Choralist Method, including video lessons, courses, certification tracks, downloadable resources, community features, podcast episodes, and physical or digital items sold through our Store. We describe each offering, its price, and what's included on the relevant page before you purchase.

We may add, change, or discontinue features, courses, or products over time. Where a change materially reduces a paid benefit you are currently receiving, we'll give you reasonable notice and, where appropriate, options consistent with the cancellation and refund section below.

05Subscriptions, billing & auto-renewal

ChoirBaton Academy and ChoirBaton Institute are offered as recurring subscriptions, available on monthly and annual plans. All prices are listed in U.S. dollars (USD) and exclude any taxes that may apply.

Automatic renewal

Subscriptions renew automatically. When you subscribe, you authorize us and our payment processor to charge your payment method:

• The plan fee at the start of each billing cycle (each month or each year, depending on your plan);
• Until you cancel, in line with the cancellation section below.

There is no free trial — your paid subscription and access begin at purchase. We'll send billing confirmations to the email associated with your account.

Price changes

We may change subscription prices. If a price change affects your plan, we'll give you advance notice by email before it takes effect. The new price applies to your next billing cycle, and continuing your subscription after the change means you accept the new price. If you don't agree, you may cancel before the change takes effect.

Failed payments

If a charge fails, we may retry it and may suspend or limit access until payment succeeds. You're responsible for keeping your payment details current.

06Cancellation & refunds

Cancelling a subscription

You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings or by contacting us through our Support page. When you cancel, your subscription stops renewing and you keep access through the end of the billing period you've already paid for. After that, your paid access ends and you won't be charged again.

Refunds

Because our subscriptions and digital courses provide immediate access to content, payments — including renewal payments and partial billing periods — are generally non-refundable. This is our standard policy.

Where we do issue a refund, it's returned to your original payment method, and the related access may be revoked. Approving one request doesn't obligate us to approve others.

07Store purchases & fulfillment

Our Store may offer both digital products (such as downloads and resources) and physical products (such as merchandise). Prices are in U.S. dollars (USD) and exclude shipping and taxes unless stated otherwise.

Digital products

Digital items are delivered electronically — by download link or by access within your account — at or shortly after purchase. Because they're delivered immediately and can't be returned, digital purchases are generally non-refundable, subject to the same good-faith review described in the refunds section above.

Physical products

For physical items, our shipping methods, estimated delivery times, rates, eligible destinations, and our return and exchange process are described on our Support page. Title and risk of loss for physical goods pass to you when the item is delivered to the carrier. If an item arrives damaged, defective, or incorrect, contact us promptly and we'll make it right.

08Promotions & discounts

From time to time we may offer promotions, discounts, coupon codes, or limited-time pricing. Each promotion may have its own conditions, which we'll disclose with the offer. Promotions can't be combined unless we say so, have no cash value, and may be changed or withdrawn before purchase. Unless stated otherwise, a promotional rate applies only to the cycle described and renews at the standard price.

09Payments & security

Payments are processed by third-party payment processors, including Stripe. When you make a purchase, you provide your payment details directly to the processor, and your use of their service is subject to their terms and privacy policy. We don't store your full card number on our own systems.

Our website uses HTTPS encryption, and our payment processing is designed to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). You agree to provide accurate, current payment information and confirm that you're authorized to use the payment method you provide.

10Intellectual property

The Services and their content — including the Choralist Method, course materials, videos, text, graphics, logos, the ChoirBaton name and marks, software, and the overall look and feel — are owned by ChoirBaton LLC or our licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws.

Your license to use our content

Subject to these Terms and your active subscription or purchase, we grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the content for your own non-commercial learning. You may not:

• Copy, record, download (except where we expressly provide a download), redistribute, sell, sublicense, or publicly perform our content;
• Share your account or login so others can access paid content;
• Use our content to build a competing product or service, or to train automated systems;
• Remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices.

All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

11Acceptable use

When using the Services, you agree not to:

• Break the law, infringe others' rights, or violate these Terms;
• Harass, abuse, or harm other members or our team, including in any community or comment feature;
• Upload viruses or malicious code, or attempt to disrupt, overload, or gain unauthorized access to the Services;
• Scrape, data-mine, or use bots to access content except as expressly permitted;
• Misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person or organization.

We may investigate and take appropriate action, including removing content and suspending or terminating accounts, for conduct that we reasonably believe violates these Terms or harms the community.

12Your content

If the Services let you post content — such as comments, questions, submissions, or recordings — you keep ownership of what you create. By posting, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, and use that content as needed to operate and improve the Services. You're responsible for your content and confirm you have the rights to share it. We may remove content that violates these Terms or that we reasonably consider inappropriate.

13Third-party services

The Services rely on and may link to third-party tools and platforms — for example our course platform, payment processor, email and analytics providers, and social media. We aren't responsible for the content, policies, or practices of third parties. Your use of their services is governed by their own terms.

14Disclaimers

We care deeply about the quality of our teaching, and we work hard to make the Services accurate and reliable. Even so, the Services and all content are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We don't warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any particular learning outcome or result will be achieved. Educational content is for general informational and instructional purposes.

15Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, ChoirBaton LLC and its owners, employees, and contractors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of the Services. To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability for any claim relating to the Services is limited to the amount you paid us for the Services in the twelve (12) months before the event giving rise to the claim. Some jurisdictions don't allow certain limitations, so some of these may not apply to you.

16Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless ChoirBaton LLC and its owners, employees, and contractors from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your misuse of the Services, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or the rights of another.

17Termination

You may stop using the Services and cancel your subscription at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access — with or without notice — if you breach these Terms, if required by law, or if continuing to provide the Services becomes impractical. On termination, your license to use our content ends and the sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive (such as intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and governing law) will continue to apply.

18Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we'll revise the "Effective" date at the top of this page and, for material changes, give you reasonable notice — for example by email or a notice on the website. Your continued use of the Services after an update means you accept the revised Terms.

19Governing law & disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. You agree that any dispute relating to these Terms or the Services will be brought in the state or federal courts located in North Carolina, and you consent to their jurisdiction. Before filing anything formal, we ask that you contact us first — most issues can be resolved quickly and directly.

20Contact us

Questions about these Terms, your subscription, or a purchase? We're glad to help. Reach us through our Contact page or visit Support for billing, refunds, and order help.

ChoirBaton LLC
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States