Version 1.1
Effective date: 13 October 2025
Last updated: 13 October 2025
This Transparency Charter sets out the promises we make to artists, listeners, partners, and the public about how Crown Booth operates. It complements our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), Artist Upload Licence & Consent, Distribution Terms (Push to DSPs), Royalty & Rights Policy, Listener Terms (Preview Streams), Copyright & Takedown Policy, and our Environmental & Safety Notice.
Operator (UK): Crown Booth Ltd, 86–90 Paul Street, London, England, United Kingdom, EC2A 4NE. Company No. 16719138.
Contact: support@crownbooth.co.uk
TL;DR — What you can expect
- Clear fees and payout timings (monthly cycle, £25 threshold).
- No release until splits total 100% per right type.
- Counts for takedowns, appeals, uptime, and street‑booth incidents published on a regular cadence.
- High‑level explanation of ranking signals; no use of sensitive attributes.
- Download/export of your metadata, splits, and IDs on request.
1) Our transparency principles
- Plain English. Policies, pop‑ups, and dashboards prioritise clarity over legalese.
- Measurable. Wherever we promise something, we attach a metric and publish it.
- Appealable. Enforcement decisions include a clear appeal path and SLA.
- Auditable. Logs and evidence are retained so decisions can be reviewed internally and—where appropriate—by independent auditors.
- Privacy‑preserving. We report in aggregate and avoid re‑identifying individuals.
- UK‑first compliance. English law baseline with international parity where feasible.
2) Payouts & fees
What we disclose: take rates, thresholds, typical payout lags, and any pass‑through fees.
Standards in force: 15% distribution take rate (unless agreed otherwise), monthly accounting, £25 threshold, cleared funds only, set‑off for fraud/chargebacks.
Quarterly metrics (targets):
| Metric | Definition | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Payout lag | Median days from platform receipt → creator payout | ≤ 30 days |
| On‑time payouts | % of payouts that meet monthly cycle | ≥ 95% |
| Retro adjustments | Absolute value vs period Gross Revenues | ≤ 2% |
Dormant balances (< £25 or unverified for 24 months) are handled per our dormancy/escheatment clauses.
3) Rights, splits & conflicts
- Visibility: Invited contributors see role and % split.
- Blocking: No Post‑Pay or Distribution without 100% splits per right type.
- Evidence hierarchy: Executed agreements > PRO/CMO registrations > dated split sheets > dated consideration/receipts > corroborated email trails.
- Paysafe: We hold only the disputed share, continue undisputed payouts, and log decisions.
Quarterly metrics: median time to resolve split conflicts; % of releases passing split validation first‑time; % of payouts impacted by dispute holds.
4) Moderation, notices & appeals
- Process: We accept copyright/privacy/trademark reports via support; we notify uploaders and offer counter notice; trusted notifiers may have a fast lane (revocable).
- Appeals: Email subject “Appeal – [Policy Area]”; acknowledgement ≤ 2 business days; substantive response ≤ 10 business days.
Quarterly metrics: # notices received; % actioned; % restored on counter notice; # AUP enforcements by category; median appeal resolution time.
5) Previews & ranking (high‑level)
- Signals we may use: recency, creator pins, completion/skip rates, engagement quality, and trust/fraud checks passed.
- Signals we do not use: sensitive attributes (e.g., race, religion, health).
- Explainability: creators see “why” labels such as Pinned by you, New release, or High completion.
- Controls: creators can pin a track and set preview windows (pins auto‑expire unless renewed).
6) Data use & portability
- Event data: play, pause, completion, share/referrer—used for analytics, fraud prevention, and dashboards per our Privacy/Cookie policies.
- Creator export: we export release metadata, splits, and IDs (ISRC/UPC) in CSV/JSON within 30 days for accounts in good standing.
- No sale of personal data. We do not sell personal data.
7) Service levels & reliability
- Targets (non‑binding): Ingest/QC ≤ 1 business day; delivery to majors 2–3 business days; submit takedowns ≤ 1 business day; support first response ≤ 1 business day.
- Status: we publish major incidents and maintenance windows; monthly uptime for preview playback and dashboards.
Quarterly metrics: uptime %, incident count, median time to restore, backlog of open support tickets.
8) Environment, safety & street operations
- Environment: % renewable electricity (market‑based), Scope‑2 emissions, e‑waste diversion, packaging recycling.
- Safety: incident and near‑miss rates per 1,000 sessions; evacuation drill completion %.
- Street booths: counts of vandalism/misuse incidents, median clean‑up time, relocation/hour‑adjustment decisions.
See our Environmental & Safety Notice for controls and processes.
9) Sanctions & restricted parties
We screen for UK/US/EU sanctions risks. We may block territories, withhold payouts, or suspend features where sanctions risk exists.
10) Change logs & governance
- Change logs: we post notes for material changes to take rates, thresholds, sanctions/dormancy rules, or core rights handling.
- Versioning: Every policy displays Version and Last updated. Prior versions are archived and may be provided on request.
- Ownership: Transparency is owned by Policy Operations; quarterly reports are reviewed by Leadership and summarised publicly in the Trust Center.
11) How to raise concerns
Email support@crownbooth.co.uk with subject “Transparency – Concern”. Include links, IDs, and screenshots. We acknowledge within 2 business days and route to the right team.
Schedules
Schedule A — Metrics dictionary
- Payout lag (days): median days from platform receipt of funds to creator payout.
- Retro adjustment %: absolute value of DSP adjustments vs. period Gross Revenues.
- Appeal resolution time (days): median days to close an appeal.
- Uptime %: monthly availability of preview playback and dashboards.
- Environmental metrics: % renewable electricity (market‑based), Scope‑2 emissions, e‑waste diversion rate.
- Street response time: median hours to make a street booth safe and clean after a reported incident.
Schedule B — Reporting cadence & publication
- Quarterly: payout metrics, moderation/takedown counts, appeals, uptime/incidents.
- Annually: environmental KPIs, accessibility progress, privacy/data requests summary.
- Where: crownbooth.co.uk/trust/transparency (or the Trust Center).
- Methodology notes: explain any material changes to measurement methods.
Schedule C — Appeals SLA (reference)
- Acknowledgement: ≤ 2 business days.
- Substantive response: ≤ 10 business days.
- Escalation: rights/royalty decisions can be escalated to Policy Ops; complex cases may require additional time with interim updates.
