Terms of Service

Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("Artist," "User," or "you") and The Unknown Studios LLC ("The Unknown Studios," "we," "us," or "our"), a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Georgia.

These Terms of Service apply to all Unknown Studios locations: ATL Unknown (Atlanta, GA), Houston Unknown (TX), Dallas Unknown (TX), Austin Unknown (TX), Nashville Unknown (TN), Miami Unknown (FL), LA Unknown (CA), Las Vegas Unknown (NV), Muscle Shoals Unknown (AL), NYC Unknown (Manhattan, NY), Brooklyn Unknown (NY), Bronx Unknown (NY), Queens Unknown (NY), and Newark Unknown (Newark, NJ). By using the platform, you agree to these Terms regardless of which location you book at.

By creating an account, booking a studio session, using our mobile or web application, or entering any Unknown Studios physical location, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms in their entirety.

Account Security & Password Recovery

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. The Unknown Studios provides a self-service password recovery system for email + password accounts. To initiate a reset, use the Forgot Password option on the sign in screen. Reset links are single-use, expire within 30 minutes, and are delivered to your registered email address. You should not share reset links with any third party. Google sign-in accounts are governed by Google's own security policies. Administrators with Director or Owner roles may initiate password resets on behalf of users. All administrative password reset actions are logged.

These Terms apply to all users of The Unknown Studios platform, including users who access our services through our website, mobile application, or any affiliated platforms.

Description of Services

The Unknown Studios provides professional recording studio facilities, session booking services, a proprietary mobile and web application, and related creative services across our physical studio locations. Our services include but are not limited to:

• Private recording booth rentals at 30-minute, 1-hour, and 3-hour session rates
• In-booth audio recording equipment including professional microphones and audio interfaces
• Beat upload, storage, and playback capabilities through our application
• Real-time vocal and beat mixing and downloadable mixed audio track delivery
• Artist profile management, loyalty points, session history, and creative archiving
• Community features including a moderated bulletin board and studio messaging

Services are subject to availability. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any service or feature at any time without liability to you.

Eligibility & Accounts

Age Requirements

You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account and enter into binding agreements with The Unknown Studios, including the Royalty Participation Agreement. Users between the ages of 13 and 17 may use our facilities only with documented parental or legal guardian consent and with a parent or guardian present during all sessions. Users under 13 are not permitted to use our services.

Account Registration

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating your account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately at contact@theunknownstudios.com of any unauthorized use of your account.

One Account Per Person

Each individual may maintain only one active account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent suspensions, loyalty program rules, or any other restriction is prohibited and may result in permanent termination of all associated accounts.

Bookings & Payments

Session Rates

Session pricing is displayed within our application and is subject to change. Current standard rates are $50 for 30-minute sessions, $85 for 1-hour sessions, and $195 for 3-hour sessions. All prices are in US Dollars and do not include applicable taxes.

Payment in Advance

All sessions must be paid in full at the time of booking before a session is confirmed. No booth is reserved, no Access PIN is issued, and no time slot is held until payment is successfully processed. Initiating the booking flow without completing payment does not reserve a slot.

Payment Processing

All payments are processed through Stripe, a third-party payment processor. By providing your payment information, you authorize us to charge your payment method for the full session amount at the time of booking. We do not store full credit card numbers on our servers.

Booking Confirmation

A booking is confirmed only when you receive a confirmation notification including your unique Studio Access PIN. This PIN grants you access to your reserved booth at your reserved time only. Sharing your PIN with unauthorized individuals is a violation of these Terms.

Late Arrival

Your session time begins at your booked start time regardless of your arrival time. We will hold your booth for up to 15 minutes past your booked start time. After 15 minutes, we reserve the right to release your booth to waitlisted artists. No refunds will be issued for time lost due to late arrival.

Loyalty Points & Redemptions

Loyalty points are earned at a rate of 1 point per US dollar spent. Points have no cash value, are non-transferable, and may not be sold, gifted, or exchanged. We reserve the right to modify the loyalty program structure, point values, or redemption rates at any time with 30 days' notice to active users.

Limited Promotional Offers

Unless a campaign states otherwise, a reusable promotional QR offer is limited to one redemption per person and confirmed-email account, has no cash value, and is non-transferable. Email confirmation is required; SMS phone verification may be enabled for a future campaign. Creating additional accounts or using another person’s identity to obtain duplicate promotional sessions is prohibited. We may deactivate a campaign for future claims at any time; a complimentary session already validly awarded remains subject to the ordinary booking and availability terms.

Royalty Participation Agreement

The 1% Royalty Stake

As a condition of downloading any audio recording produced at any Unknown Studios location, you agree that The Unknown Studios LLC retains a permanent, irrevocable stake of one percent (1%) of all gross royalties generated by such recording in any form, including but not limited to: streaming royalties, download sale proceeds, sync licensing fees, public performance royalties, master recording licenses, mechanical royalties, neighboring rights royalties, and any other form of commercial exploitation of the recording worldwide, in perpetuity.

Scope of Agreement

This royalty participation agreement applies to each individual recording session and is captured separately for each track downloaded through our platform. Each agreement is identified by a unique Agreement ID generated at the time of download and stored permanently in our records and in your Artist profile.

Recording & Beat Retention; Content Identification

To support our royalty-monitoring and copyright-compliance obligations, beat files and audio recordings you create or upload on the Unknown Studios platform are retained on our servers, even if you remove them from your visible library. We may use audio fingerprinting, AI-assisted audio analysis (including instrumental/stem separation), and commercial-release / content-identification detection on these files to identify whether a recording produced at our studios matches a third-party commercially released work, or has itself been commercially released. This retention and checking is a condition of use of our platform and platform services.

Recordings Flagged Pending Clearance

If our content-identification process indicates that a recording closely matches a third-party copyrighted work, we may pause the commercial download and distribution of that recording until the matter is resolved (see Section 7, Content Identification & Clearance). While a recording is flagged and on release hold, the 1% royalty stake described above does not apply to that recording, and The Unknown Studios will not assert or collect any royalty or facilitation fee on it. The royalty obligation applies only to recordings that are cleared for, and released for, commercial exploitation.

Collection Mechanism

You agree to register The Unknown Studios LLC as a rights holder or co-publisher on any commercially released recording produced at our facilities, where applicable, and to direct your distributor, performing rights organization, or other royalty collection entity to remit the applicable 1% share to The Unknown Studios LLC upon request. Contact us at royalties@theunknownstudios.com to establish collection arrangements.

Reporting Obligation

If a recording produced at an Unknown Studios location generates commercial revenue, you agree to notify us in writing within 30 days of first commercial release. Failure to report may result in legal action to recover owed royalties plus applicable interest and costs.

Initial Agreement

All users sign a general Royalty Participation Agreement upon account creation. The per-track agreement at the time of download supplements and does not replace the initial agreement. Both agreements are legally binding.

Intellectual Property

Your Content

You retain all ownership rights to original music, lyrics, vocal performances, and creative works that you bring to or create at The Unknown Studios, subject to the Royalty Participation Agreement described in Section 5. By using our platform, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store, display, and process your content solely for the purpose of providing our services to you.

Our Platform & Brand

The Unknown Studios name, logo, application design, software, user interface, written content, and all related intellectual property are owned exclusively by The Unknown Studios LLC or its licensors and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not use our brand, marks, or materials without prior written consent.

Feedback

Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you submit regarding our services become the property of The Unknown Studios LLC and may be used without compensation or attribution to you.

Original Content Warranty

By using our recording services, you represent and warrant that:

• All beats, instrumentals, and backing tracks you record over are either your original creation or covered by a valid license permitting commercial use and third-party royalty participation
• All lyrics, vocal performances, melodies, and other content you record are 100% original to you and do not reproduce, substantially copy, or infringe upon any copyrighted material belonging to a third party
• Your recording does not contain uncleared samples from any commercially released recording, sound recording, or protected work
• You have the right to enter into the Royalty Participation Agreement with respect to the content you record

You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for ensuring the originality and legality of all content you produce at our facilities. The Unknown Studios assumes no liability for copyright infringement arising from content you produce. You agree to indemnify us fully for any claims arising from your breach of this warranty.

Content Identification & Clearance

Recordings produced at or uploaded to The Unknown Studios are checked, using automated content-identification technology and AI-assisted audio analysis, against commercial music catalogs. If a recording closely matches a copyrighted commercial release, we will pause its commercial download and distribution and notify you through the app, where you may: (a) clear the required rights — for a genuine cover, a mechanical license through our licensing partner; for a sample or use of an original sound recording, the separate master-use and publishing clearances that a cover license does not provide; (b) elect to keep the recording for documented private, non-commercial use only, by signing an acknowledgment that personal or non-commercial use is not a license and does not make distribution lawful, and agreeing to indemnify us; or (c) dispute the match for review. An automated match is a potential match pending review, not a determination of infringement, and nothing in this section is legal advice. We make no representation that any particular use is lawful, and a standard cover/mechanical license clears only the underlying composition for a re-recorded cover — it does not clear the use of an original sound recording (a sample).

Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to engage in any of the following while using our services or facilities:

• Recording, distributing, or promoting content that is defamatory, harassing, threatening, obscene, or that incites violence or discrimination against any person or group
• Bringing illegal substances, weapons, or prohibited items into any Unknown Studios location
• Damaging, tampering with, or misusing any studio equipment, furniture, or facilities
• Recording or transmitting conversations or performances of other artists without their explicit written consent
• Attempting to circumvent our booking system, payment processing, or access controls
• Using our platform or facilities for any commercial purpose other than your personal music creation without our prior written consent
• Posting defamatory, false, or misleading content on our community bulletin board or other platform features
• Harassing, threatening, or engaging in discriminatory conduct toward Unknown Studios staff or other artists

Violation of these prohibitions may result in immediate termination of your session without refund, suspension or permanent termination of your account, and where applicable, referral to law enforcement authorities.

Cancellation, Rescheduling & Refund Policy

Payment in Advance — Required

All sessions must be paid in full at the time of booking. No session will be held, confirmed, or assigned an Access PIN until payment is received and confirmed. Walking in without a confirmed, paid booking does not guarantee access to a booth. We do not accept payment at the door or hold slots on a verbal or informal basis.

Cancellation by You

We understand that schedules change. Our cancellation policy is as follows:

• More than 24 hours before your session: You are eligible for a full credit to your Unknown Studios account equal to the session amount paid. Credits do not expire and may be applied to any future session at any location.
• Within 24 hours of your session start time: The session fee is non-refundable and no account credit will be issued. This policy exists because time slots within 24 hours cannot realistically be filled by another artist, and the booth, equipment, and staff time have already been allocated to you.
• No-shows: If you do not attend your session and do not contact us before the session start time, the full session fee is forfeited with no credit or refund.

Rescheduling

You may reschedule your session to a different date or time subject to the following conditions:

• Reschedule requests must be submitted at least 24 hours before your original session start time. Requests submitted within 24 hours of the original session will be treated as a cancellation under the policy above and no reschedule will be honored.
• Rescheduling is subject to availability. We cannot guarantee that your preferred alternative date or time will be available.
• Each booking may be rescheduled a maximum of one time. Subsequent reschedule requests for the same booking will be treated as a cancellation.
• To request a reschedule, contact us via Studio Chat in the app or at contact@theunknownstudios.com with your booking date, time, booth, and preferred new time at least 24 hours in advance.

Cancellation by Us

In the rare event that we must cancel your session due to equipment failure, facility emergency, natural disaster, or other circumstances within our control, you will receive a full refund to your original payment method within 5–7 business days, or a full account credit at your preference. We will notify you as early as possible and make every effort to offer you an alternative session time.

Equipment Issues During a Session

If you experience a significant equipment failure during your session that is attributable to our facilities and is confirmed by our staff, you may be eligible for a partial credit or session extension at our discretion. You must report equipment issues to staff immediately during your session — issues reported after your session has ended will not be considered for credit.

No Refunds for Downloaded Recordings

Once you have downloaded a mixed recording and executed the per-track Royalty Participation Agreement, that transaction is final and non-refundable. The royalty agreement remains in force regardless of any subsequent refund, credit, or dispute related to the session fee.

Disclaimer of Warranties

Our services are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranty of any kind. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, The Unknown Studios LLC expressly disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We do not warrant that our application will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components. We do not warrant that recordings produced at our facilities will meet any particular quality standard or commercial success threshold.

Nothing in these Terms limits any rights you may have under applicable consumer protection laws that cannot be excluded by contract.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, The Unknown Studios LLC and its members, officers, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of recordings, or business interruption, arising out of or in connection with your use of our services.

Our total aggregate liability to you for any and all claims arising under these Terms or related to our services shall not exceed the total amount you paid to The Unknown Studios in the three (3) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so the above limitations may not apply to you in full.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless The Unknown Studios LLC and its members, officers, employees, agents, and successors from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in connection with: (a) your use of our services or facilities; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights; (d) any content you produce, upload, or distribute through our platform; or (e) your breach of the Original Content Warranty in Section 7.

Governing Law & Disputes

Governing Law

These Terms and any dispute arising from your use of our services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Dispute Resolution

Before initiating any formal legal proceedings, you agree to contact us at legal@theunknownstudios.com to attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will attempt to resolve any dispute within 30 days of receiving written notice.

Venue

Any legal action or proceeding arising under these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Fulton County, Georgia, and you hereby consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of such courts.

Class Action Waiver

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted on an individual basis only and not as part of a class, consolidated, or representative action.

Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will notify you through our application, by email, or by posting a notice on our website at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of our services after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

Changes to our Royalty Participation Agreement in Section 5 will not affect royalty agreements already executed. The terms under which each recording was downloaded remain as agreed at the time of download.

Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact us:

• Email: legal@theunknownstudios.com
• Royalties: royalties@theunknownstudios.com