Release Selection Terms

1. What NorthBeat does if the song is selected

The purpose of the paid release stage is not simply to upload the customer's private MP3 to a streaming service. NorthBeat performs additional human work before public distribution.

• A human review of the actual finished song, including musical impact, vocal result, sound quality, story permissions and catalogue fit.
• Sound finishing where the source allows, including work on balance, dynamics, stereo, fades and audible issues.
• Final sound preparation so the public version translates more consistently across headphones, cars, phones, speakers and streaming playback. This technical stage includes professional mastering.
• A final human release-quality check before distribution.
• Release artwork, title, credits, public story identity and required release information.
• Distribution and release administration under the shared artist identity Story By Anyone, with NorthBeat Records as label, unless another written agreement states otherwise.

2. Two release plans

NorthBeat Release includes the complete release-production process described above. NorthBeat controls the official release master and retains master/distribution revenue paid to NorthBeat or its distributor, except where another written agreement or a verifiable third-party right requires different treatment.

NorthBeat Co-Release includes the same release-production process and adds a contractual customer share equal to 50% of Net Master Revenue from the official master, as defined below. NorthBeat still controls and administers the official release master and distribution.

The plan selected at checkout, the price paid and the revenue-share percentage (if any) are stored with the release-application record and form part of the agreement for that song.

3. Price and private post-delivery offers

The standard prices are those shown on the service at checkout. Story By Anyone may show the original customer one fixed, time-limited private price for the standard NorthBeat Release after meaningful engagement with the delivered song, such as listening through most of the track, completing a listen or downloading it.

The private offer start and expiry are stored server-side for that delivered song and do not restart when the page is reloaded. NorthBeat may, at its discretion, grant the original customer a discretionary courtesy extension or reopen the private NorthBeat Release price after customer contact. Any such extension is stored server-side, shown with a real new expiry and does not create a general right to another discount. The private offer applies only to NorthBeat Release unless the service explicitly states otherwise. NorthBeat Co-Release has its own fixed price because the revenue share is part of that plan.

4. Selection and refund

NorthBeat may decline a song where the composition, performance, generation quality, recording quality, story permissions, legal risk, catalogue fit or release potential is not considered sufficient.

If NorthBeat declines the application before approving the song for release work, the full application fee is refunded. Bank and card-processing times are controlled by the payment provider and customer's financial institution.

Once NorthBeat approves the song and begins the agreed release work, the application is no longer treated as a declined selection. Statutory rights and rights concerning delay, defects or non-conformity are not limited by these terms.

5. Public identity and story credit

The customer chooses whether public Story By Anyone material uses a full name, first name, selected public story name or no personal name.

A story credit such as “A story by …” is not automatically an artist, performer, featured-artist, composer or songwriter credit. Music-service metadata reflects the roles actually agreed and performed.

6. Permission to prepare and release the song

If selected, the customer authorises Story By Anyone and NorthBeat to edit, arrange, repair where technically possible, master, reproduce, distribute, promote and monetise the approved release and related promotional material.

The permission applies to the selected song and approved public-release materials. It does not make the private interview, Story Vault contents or unrelated private information public.

7. Official master and the standard NorthBeat Release plan

NorthBeat controls and administers the official public release master. Under the standard NorthBeat Release plan, NorthBeat retains master and distribution revenue paid to NorthBeat or its distributor unless another written agreement says otherwise.

A public story credit does not by itself create a royalty or revenue-share entitlement. Any verifiable human songwriting, composition, performance or neighbouring-rights contribution requiring separate treatment remains subject to the actual contribution and applicable rights.

8. NorthBeat Co-Release — 50% Net Master Revenue

For a paid and selected NorthBeat Co-Release, the customer receives a contractual share equal to 50% of Net Master Revenue actually received by NorthBeat from exploitation of the official master recording.

Net Master Revenue means money actually received by NorthBeat or its distributor for the master side of the official recording, including streaming/download master revenue and master-side licensing income, less only direct distributor/platform/collection fees, refunds, chargebacks and taxes or withholding amounts directly attributable to receiving that revenue. Publishing/composition income and other rights belonging to separate rightsholders are not Net Master Revenue.

NorthBeat does not deduct general company overhead, ordinary staff costs, AI costs, the original song-production cost or general marketing overhead before calculating the 50% customer share unless a separate written agreement expressly says otherwise.

The customer share accrues from the first unit of Net Master Revenue. Payout is normally made after the accrued unpaid customer share reaches 500 SEK (or a reasonable equivalent in the payout currency). Amounts below the threshold roll forward. Any remaining accrued balance is normally settled once per calendar year, subject to complete payout and tax information.

The revenue share continues for as long as NorthBeat commercially exploits that official master under the Co-Release agreement. NorthBeat will keep reasonable revenue records and can provide a summary statement for the customer's share. NorthBeat may make legally required tax deductions, reporting or withholding. The customer remains responsible for their own tax obligations except where law places a reporting or withholding duty on NorthBeat.

The Co-Release revenue share is a contractual participation in Net Master Revenue. It does not by itself transfer ownership of the official master or create publishing, composition, performer or neighbouring rights that the customer did not otherwise have.

9. Existing rights are not invented or taken away by a plan label

The fact that a song is based on a customer's story does not by itself make the customer the songwriter, composer, performer, producer or master owner. Conversely, if the customer supplied original protected lyrics, melody, performance or another verifiable human contribution, any pre-existing rights in that contribution remain subject to applicable law and any separate agreement needed for release.

10. No promise that every technical issue can be repaired

Release finishing and mastering can improve balance, loudness, dynamics, fades, tonal consistency and some artefacts. They cannot guarantee that every generation defect, vocal error or instrument artefact can be repaired. NorthBeat may require a different generation, edit or production version before release.

11. Relationship to the private licence

The customer's private delivered song and personal-use licence remain available whether the release application is approved or declined. The official public master, artwork and distribution package are separate release assets managed under these terms.