Privacy Policy
Last updated 1 September 2026
The short version. We collect what we need to run a shared recording archive for your band, plus anonymous analytics to see which features get used. We don't sell your data, we don't run ads, and we don't listen to your recordings. You can delete your account and everything in it at any time.
Using Unison with a class? Schools are covered separately and more strictly — the school controls the data, no analytics run on student accounts, and nothing about a student is sold, advertised against, or used to train a model. See Unison for Schools below.
Who we are
Unison ("we", "us") operates unison.band. For data protection purposes we are the data controller for the information described below. You can reach us at privacy@unison.band.
What we collect
| Data | Why |
|---|---|
| Email address, display name, profile photo | To create your account, sign you in, and show who recorded what to your bandmates. |
| Audio recordings and any titles, notes, charts, or ratings you add | This is the product. Stored so your group can play them back. |
| Group names, membership, and invite codes | To decide who can see which archive. |
| Subscription and billing status | To give paid groups the storage they've paid for. |
| Analytics events — pages and screens viewed, approximate location (country/city level), device and browser type | To see which parts of the app get used, and which are ignored, so we know what to improve. |
We do not analyse, transcribe, or train any model on the contents of your recordings.
Cookies and analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand aggregate usage. It sets cookies in your browser containing a random identifier — not your name or email.
If you're in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, no analytics cookies are set until you choose "Accept" on the banner. Decline, and Google Analytics runs without storage: we receive an anonymous, aggregate count and nothing is kept on your device. Elsewhere, analytics is on by default and the banner lets you turn it off.
To change your mind later, clear your site data for unison.band and the banner will ask again.
We also use browser storage that is strictly necessary and is not covered by the consent banner: keeping you signed in, remembering your consent choice, and caching your archive so the app opens quickly and works offline.
Who processes your data
- Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Cloud Storage, Hosting, Cloud Functions) — hosting, accounts, and file storage.
- Google Analytics — usage analytics.
- Stripe — subscription payments. Card details go directly to Stripe; we never see or store them.
- Resend — sending notification and invitation emails.
These providers process data on our instructions. Some are based in the United States, so your data may be transferred there under the providers' standard contractual clauses and Data Privacy Framework certifications.
Who can see your recordings
Only members of the group a recording was uploaded to. Groups are private by default and joinable only with an invite code. We do not make any archive public, and staff do not access recordings except where strictly necessary to fix a fault you've reported to us.
How long we keep it
Account and archive data is kept until you delete it or close your account. Deleting a recording removes it from storage. Closing your account removes your profile and the recordings you own. Analytics data is retained by Google for 14 months.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you have the right to access, correct, export, or delete your personal data, to object to or restrict processing, and to withdraw consent at any time. Email privacy@unison.band and we'll action it. If you're in the EEA or UK and think we've got it wrong, you can complain to your national data protection authority.
Unison for Schools
Schools and teaching programs use a separate part of Unison, at unison.band/schools. Where a school, district, or teaching program uses it with their students, the school is the data controller and we act as a processor on their instructions — the "school official" arrangement under FERPA. Everything in this section is in addition to the rest of this policy.
What is different there. The school app itself — every screen behind sign-in at unison.band/schools/app, which is the only part of Unison a student ever uses — loads no analytics software at all. Not for students, and not for teachers. We run no analytics on student accounts, we set no cookies there, we do not sell student data, we do not advertise, we do not build profiles of students for any non-educational purpose, and we never use student recordings to train any model.
The public marketing page at unison.band/schools does use Google Analytics, exactly as the rest of this policy describes, so we can see whether directors are finding us. Students are never sent to that page — a student reaches Unison only through an invitation emailed by their director, which links straight to the app.
What a school gives us
- Student name, instrument, part or chair, and section — entered by the director. Students never sign themselves up; there is no public join code.
- A school email address, where the school issues one. Used to send the invite and the notifications described below, and nothing else.
- Audio recordings a student submits for an assignment, plus the takes they recorded and did not submit.
- Scores, rubric selections, and written feedback from the director.
- Rehearsal recordings the director uploads, which capture the ensemble playing together. These are made and shared by the school, not by a student, and are visible to the members of that ensemble once the director publishes them.
We do not ask for student ID numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, or any demographic information.
Who can see a student's recordings
The student who made them, and the director and staff of that ensemble. Other students cannot hear them. Of the takes a student records, only the one they choose to submit is ever available to their director. The rest stay private to the student, and are deleted automatically at the moment the student turns the assignment in.
If a student records takes and never turns the assignment in, those takes stay private to them — no member of staff can play them — but they are retained rather than deleted, and are removed when the student's account or the school's account is deleted, or on request.
How long student data is kept
- Takes a student did not choose: deleted automatically the moment they turn the assignment in.
- Takes on an assignment a student never turned in: retained, private to the student, and deleted with their account or on request.
- Submitted recordings, scores, and feedback: kept while the school's account is active, and deleted on the school's request at any time.
- On termination, we delete or return student data at the school's direction.
We do not currently expire student audio on a schedule. If your district requires a fixed retention period, tell us at privacy@unison.band and we will delete to that schedule.
Grade exports contain scores and text only. Audio is never included in an export.
School and parent requests
Requests to access, correct, export, or delete student data should come through the school. Parents and eligible students should contact their school, which we will assist promptly. Schools can reach us at privacy@unison.band, and we will sign a data privacy agreement on request.
State student privacy laws
Districts reviewing us against a state student privacy statute — California's SOPIPA and AB 1584, New York Education Law §2-d, Illinois SOPPA, or an equivalent elsewhere — should read the following as binding commitments, in addition to FERPA:
- We do not sell student data, and we will not, including in a merger or acquisition without the same protections carrying over.
- We do not serve advertising of any kind, and we do not use student data for targeted advertising anywhere.
- We do not build a profile of a student for any purpose other than the educational one the school is using Unison for.
- We do not use student recordings, scores, or feedback to train any model.
- We delete or return student data at the school's direction, during the agreement and on termination.
- Student data is held on Google Cloud infrastructure in the United States, encrypted in transit and at rest.
If your district requires its own agreement rather than ours, send it to privacy@unison.band.
Children
Unison is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. Unison for Schools is intended for high school, college, and adult programs. Directors must not add students under 13. If a child under 13 has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes
If we make a material change to this policy we'll update the date at the top and, where the change matters, tell you in the app.