Legal & policies

1. Parties and eligibility

This agreement is between you (the creator, artist, producer, DJ or studio) and Mpabeat. By submitting an application or uploading a record, you agree to it.

You must be at least 18, have authority to enter the agreement, and have the legal right to upload every recording, composition, sample, cover image and credit you submit. If you upload on behalf of a band, label or company, you confirm you are authorised to do so.

2. You keep ownership

You retain ownership of your master recordings, compositions, artwork and other content. Mpabeat does not become the owner of your catalogue.

You are responsible for registering your rights where you choose to, for example with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau, and for any collective management arrangements with UPRS or another licensed society.

3. Licence to Mpabeat

You grant Mpabeat a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing licence to host, store, reproduce, transcode, stream, preview, sell downloads of, display artwork for, and promote your records on Mpabeat and its official channels.

The licence covers the technical and promotional uses needed to run the service, including search results, charts, editorial selections and short previews. It does not give Mpabeat ownership or the right to sell your master outside the service.

The licence lasts while the record is published and for the period reasonably needed to wind down caches and backups and to honour existing purchases after take-down.

4. Pricing and free downloads

You choose whether a record is free to download or paid, and you may set the price. The default is UGX 500. A price of zero makes the download free and also removes the premium stream restriction for that record.

You can change the price, make a record free, disable downloads, take it down or restore it from the creator studio. Price changes apply to future purchases and do not rewrite completed transactions.

Mpabeat may display the price, taxes and any provider charges required by law. We may decline a price that is misleading or unlawful.

5. Revenue share

Mpabeat currently retains 40% of net download revenue and credits the creator with 60%, unless a separate written agreement says otherwise. The creator share shown in the studio is calculated on successful paid downloads.

Mobile money provider fees, refunds, reversals, taxes and payment disputes are deducted before the net amount is calculated. Free downloads generate no revenue.

Mpabeat may change the standard share with at least 30 days' notice. A change does not apply retrospectively to completed sales.

6. Payouts and taxes

Earnings are recorded in the creator studio. Payout and withdrawal mechanics are being finalised; until they are enabled, no withdrawal is available and the studio balance is a record of accrued earnings, not a bank balance.

When payouts are enabled, we will publish the minimum threshold, payout schedule, verification requirements and any applicable fees. You must provide accurate identity and tax information.

You are responsible for your own income tax, VAT and other taxes. Mpabeat may withhold tax where the law requires it. We do not give tax advice.

7. Your warranties

• You own or control all rights needed to upload and sell the record.
• All samples, features, cover art, photographs and writers are cleared and correctly credited.
• The record does not infringe copyright, neighbouring rights, trade marks, privacy or other rights.
• The metadata, credits and price information you provide are accurate.
• The record does not contain unlawful, hateful, defamatory or sexually exploitative material.
• You have consent from every identifiable person featured in artwork or video.

8. Review, moderation and take-down

Every upload is reviewed before publication. We may reject, restrict or remove a record that breaches this agreement, our Acceptable Use Policy or the law, or that creates a rights or safety risk.

You can take down your own record from the studio. Take-down hides it from the catalogue but keeps purchase, payment and entitlement records. Buyers may still access a download they already bought where the law and platform policy allow.

We may suspend a creator account for repeated infringement, fraud, manipulation of plays or downloads, or serious abuse.

9. Data and analytics

We give you aggregate plays, downloads and earnings. We do not give you listener email addresses, phone numbers or payment details.

You must use creator data only to understand your catalogue and improve your releases. Do not attempt to re-identify listeners or combine the data with other sources to target them.

10. Term and termination

This agreement starts when you submit your first upload and continues until you or Mpabeat terminate it.

You may stop publishing and request account closure. We may terminate for breach, fraud, infringement, legal requirements or prolonged inactivity, with notice where practical.

Termination does not affect completed purchases, accrued payment obligations, records we must keep by law, or provisions that are intended to survive.

11. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify Mpabeat against claims, losses, legal costs and damages arising from your breach of this agreement, your content, or your failure to clear third-party rights, to the extent permitted by Ugandan law.

We will notify you of a relevant claim and give you a reasonable opportunity to participate, but we control the defence of claims against the platform.

12. Governing law and contact

This agreement is governed by the laws of Uganda, and the courts of Uganda have jurisdiction. Nothing prevents either party from using mediation or arbitration by agreement.

Creator support: support@mpabeat.com. Post: Mpabeat, Nandee Towers, Plot 12 Wilson Road, Kampala, Uganda. WhatsApp: +256 757 566 144.