Terms of Service

Last updated: June 19, 2026

These terms explain the ground rules for using Santa Rosa Records. We write about records, artists, playlists, scenes, and the small rooms where songs first learn to breathe. The legal part should still feel plain enough to read before the next track ends.

Acceptance of Terms

By visiting or using this website, you agree to these Terms of Service. That includes reading articles, browsing our indie reviews, sending a submission, using a contact form, or otherwise interacting with the site.

These terms apply to all visitors, readers, artists, publicists, contributors, and anyone else who uses the site. If you use Santa Rosa Records on behalf of a label, band, company, or other organization, you confirm that you have authority to accept these terms for that organization.

Use License and Intellectual Property

Santa Rosa Records gives you a limited, personal, non-commercial license to access and view the content on this site. In everyday terms: read it, share a link to it, quote a short passage with credit, send an interview to your bandmate at 2 a.m. when the van Wi-Fi comes back. That kind of use is welcome.

What you may not do

You may not copy, redistribute, scrape, sell, republish, or build another service from our articles, playlists, interviews, images, page structure, or other site materials without written permission. Do not remove credits, bylines, copyright notices, or other ownership marks. Do not present our writing as your own.

Who owns the work

All content on the site belongs to Santa Rosa Records, its writers, photographers, contributors, licensors, or the artists and rights holders who gave permission for specific materials to appear. Music, artwork, names, logos, and press assets remain with their respective owners. When we cover an artist, we are not claiming ownership over their songs, recordings, cover art, or story.

If you want to syndicate a piece, reuse a photo, translate an interview, or include our work in a zine, class packet, archive, or label campaign, ask first through Contact & Submissions. We have said yes to careful uses before. The clean request gets answered faster than the quiet lift.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The site and its content are provided on an “as available” and “as is” basis. We work to keep pages readable, honest, and useful, but we do not guarantee that every detail will be complete, current, uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.

Music scenes move fast. Tour dates change. A label link goes dead. A cassette sells out before breakfast. An artist may update a release plan after we publish. When we catch something, we fix it where appropriate, but readers should check important details with the original source before relying on them.

Nothing on Santa Rosa Records should be treated as legal, financial, medical, tax, career-management, or other professional advice. If you need a binding answer about contracts, royalties, visas, employment, venue safety, accounting, or rights clearance, speak with a qualified professional who understands your situation.

User Obligations and Conduct

Use the site like you are standing in the back room after a show: be direct, be decent, and do not wreck the gear. When you submit information through a form, email, or other channel, provide details that are accurate to the best of your knowledge.

You also agree not to upload or transmit malware, spam, deceptive links, impersonation attempts, unlawful threats, or content that violates another person’s rights. This includes copyright, privacy, publicity, and trademark rights.

You are responsible for complying with the laws that apply to you when you use the site. If a rule in your location restricts what you can send, access, or reuse, follow that rule.

Limitation of Liability

You use Santa Rosa Records at your own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Santa Rosa Records and its editors, writers, contributors, service providers, and affiliates will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages connected to your use of, or inability to use, the site.

That includes losses tied to site downtime, missing information, third-party links, submission decisions, editorial coverage, playlist choices, removed content, device problems, or reliance on something you read here. We care about getting the texture right, but a music site cannot carry the full weight of someone’s business plan, tour budget, release calendar, or legal position.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limits on liability. Where those rules apply, the limitation will operate only as far as the law allows.

Governing Law and Severability

These terms are governed by the applicable local laws that apply to Santa Rosa Records, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute related to these terms or the site will be handled by the relevant courts with authority over the matter.

Before a dispute turns formal, we prefer a plain message and a real attempt to sort it out. Many problems begin as crossed wires: a missing credit, a mistaken date, a takedown request sent to the wrong inbox. Start with Contact & Submissions when that makes sense.

If any part of these terms is found invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the rest of the terms will remain in effect. The invalid part will be limited or removed only to the extent needed, while the remaining sections continue to guide use of the site.

Modifications to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. A site changes as its work changes: new submission routes, new publishing formats, new tools, new ways for readers and artists to reach us. When the terms change, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

Your continued use of the site after updated terms appear means you accept the updated terms. If you do not agree with the changes, stop using the site.

For related information about how we handle personal information, read our Privacy Policy. The two pages work together, but they cover different ground: this page sets the rules for using the site, while the privacy page explains how personal information is handled.

Contact Information

If you have questions about these terms, want to request permission to reuse content, need to report a concern, or believe something on the site affects your rights, reach out through the channels listed on Contact & Submissions.

Send enough detail for us to understand the issue: the page URL, the material involved, your relationship to it, and what you are asking us to do. A precise note beats a fog machine every time.

We cannot promise an immediate response, and we may need to verify ownership or authority before acting on a request. Still, careful messages help us keep the archive clean, fair, and useful for the people who come here looking for the next strange, necessary sound.