MatchMaker.fm is a service provided by Podcasting Ltd, registered in England & Wales (Company No: 10923794 & VAT Number: GB302800063).
Referred hereinafter as ‘MatchMaker.fm', 'our', 'we' and 'us'; is an internet service provider. All customers under our service are subject to the terms and conditions described in this document.
MatchMaker.fm reserves the right to make alterations to this document whenever we deem reasonable. It is the client's sole responsibility to check this document for updates on a regular basis.
Our Services are very diverse, so sometimes additional terms or product requirements (including age requirements) may apply. Additional terms will be available with the relevant Services and those additional terms become part of your agreement with us if you use those Services.
Community Guidelines
By using MatchMaker.fm, you agree to these guidelines and our Terms of Use. These guidelines are designed to protect our diverse user base. Breaking these guidelines may result in deleted content, disabled accounts, or other restrictions.
Share only content/media that you’ve created or have the right to share. You own the content you share on MatchMaker.fm. Remember to post authentic content, and don’t post anything you’ve copied or collected from the Internet that you don’t have the right to post.
Be Kind
Our user base is diverse and from all walks of life. They all have their own story to tell. When contacting users you are expected to be courteous and respectful towards them. Whether intended or not, we will not tolerate hate speech or any derogatory comments in relation to a person or show’s; race, religion/spiritual beliefs, sexuality, gender identity, or disabilities (ableism).
We remove content that contains credible threats or hate speech, content that targets private individuals to degrade or shame them, personal information meant to blackmail or harass someone, and repeated unwanted messages.
Any reports received relating to profiles or conversations against the type ‘hate speech’ or ‘harassment’ will be investigated and handed over to local authorities if required.
Profanity should be kept to a minimum where possible on any profile. We advise to censor any profanity in show names, artwork or descriptions with an asterisk (*). Profanity in messages is not permitted.
Be Considerate
Only contact users you have a genuine interest in interacting with. Do not use the platform to push any commercial material (e.g. courses, books, consultations). Free content is permitted in passing (e.g. Do not cold contact users pushing a free book).
Help us stay spam-free by not posting repetitive (cookie cutter) messages or repeatedly contacting people for commercial purposes without their consent.
Users who contact a high volume of profiles in a short period of time may be rate limited to prevent spam.
If you obtain a user’s external contact information do not use this to harass them. Our community guidelines extend to external communications. If we receive reports of harassment following initial interaction on MatchMaker.fm we will investigate and may take action.
Be Genuine
Your profile(s) should sell your story or cause so other users can understand if you’d be a good fit for their show/them as a guest.
It’s forbidden to create fake profiles or provide false information including for the purpose of violating our guidelines or misleading others. Any profiles that do this will be removed from the platform.
Do not post content that engages in, promotes, encourages, facilitates or admits to the offering, solicitation or trade of fake and misleading user reviews or ratings.
Be Transparent
We understand some users may charge fees for appearances/interviews or accept donations. This MUST be clearly posted on your profile in the description or where available, via the 'Appearance Fees' field on your profile. You must not hold a guest/show interview ransom in return for payment under any circumstances.
Any reports of payment requests after interviews or off the platform, or ransom requests will be treated as a guideline violation and may result in your removal from the platform.
Charitable donation requests are permitted but must be displayed clearly on your profile.
Please refer to the Appearance Fees and Off Site Transactions terms below for more details.
Be Lawful
MatchMaker.fm is not a place to support or praise terrorism, organized crime, Sexual exploitation or hate groups. We have zero tolerance when it comes to sharing any content identified within the above categories.
Posting of content deemed inappropriate is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to sexually explicit, CSAM, promoting violence, extreme drug use, racism or self harm.
Where a show or guest discusses the above in an educational capacity, profile text may contain references but only if they are relevant.
It's never OK to encourage violence or attack anyone based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disabilities, or diseases.
Serious threats of harm to public and personal safety aren't allowed. This includes specific threats of physical harm as well as threats of theft, vandalism, and other financial harm. We carefully review reports of threats and consider many things when determining whether a threat is credible.
If contacted by an authority in the event of an illegal situation regarding the distribution of adult, racist or any other unsociable material, we will cooperate fully in any investigations they decide to make against clients found to be breaking the law.
Reporting Activity
Users can report any misbehaviour to our team by emailing [email protected] or clicking the report button if applicable.
Reporting Process
On receipt of a report our team will investigate. There are a number of outcomes:
No Action
- If a user is deemed to have not violated our guidelines.
User Coached
- Our team have reached out to the user to reiterate our guidelines and how to correct their profile/communications.
Profile Removed
- If a profile violates our guidelines it will be removed from the platform.
User Removed
- If a user has violated our guidelines or we have received a high volume of reports we will cancel their account.
- If they have paid for Pro access the remainder will be forfeit without refund.
The decision of the MatchMaker.fm review board will be final.
Appearance Fees and Off Site Transactions
Disclaimer on Transactions
Our platform acts as a channel for users to form connections and collaborate. We wish to clarify that we do not oversee or participate in any financial transactions resulting from these connections. Therefore, we cannot be held responsible for any losses incurred through monetary exchanges on our platform.
Payment Processing and Responsibility
Please be advised that our platform does not serve as a payment processor. All financial transactions will take place off-platform, and we strongly recommend the use of well-known payment processors for all transactions. This approach helps safeguard your financial interactions.
Liability for Transaction-Related Losses
We must emphasize that we are not liable for any losses resulting from the payment of another member's fees. In the unfortunate event of non-fulfillment or "no shows" for agreed-upon services or appearances, our platform cannot be held responsible. Since we are not involved in the transaction process, reimbursement falls outside our purview.
Dispute Resolution and Reporting
We encourage our users to resolve disputes amicably and directly. In situations where payment protection may be applicable, based on the chosen payment method, we advise seeking assistance from the payment processor used. Additionally, users facing issues with payments are encouraged to inform us, enabling us to take necessary actions to maintain the safety and integrity of our platform.
Transparency and Ethical Conduct
Maintaining transparency is vital for trust within our community. Charges for services, appearances or interviews must be clearly disclosed on your profile via the 'Appearance Fees' feature.. Engaging in practices such as withholding services or demanding payment post-interview off the platform is strictly prohibited and may result in termination of access to our platform without refund.
Restrictions, Acceptable Use, and Copyright
You must be over the age of 18 to sign up and use MatchMaker.fm’s services.
Using our Services does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Services or the content that you access. You may not use content from our Services unless you obtain permission from its owner or are otherwise permitted by law. These terms do not grant you the right to use any branding or logos used in our Services. Do not remove, obscure or alter any legal notices displayed in or along with our Services.
Reselling MatchMaker.fm products and services without our prior consent is strictly prohibited.
Our Services display some content from third parties. This content is the sole responsibility of the entity that makes it available. We may review content to determine whether it is illegal or violates our policies, and we may remove or refuse to display content that we reasonably believe violates our policies or the law. But that does not necessarily mean that we review content, so please do not assume that we do.
In connection with your use of the Services we may send you service announcements, administrative messages and other information. You may opt out of some of those communications.
Some of our Services are available on mobile devices. Do not use such Services in a way that distracts you and prevents you from obeying traffic or safety laws.
All material on this site, including but not limited to text, images, illustrations, code, scripts and audio clips/live audio is protected by copyrights which are owned and controlled by Podcasting Limited. Material from this website may not be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, unless we give you the written permission to do so.
Do not misuse our Services, for example, do not interfere with our Services or try to access them using a method other than the interface and the instructions that we provide. You may use our Services only as permitted by law, including applicable export and control laws and regulations. You may not use our services to distribute illegal or unsociable material. If you are breaking laws, being obscene, spreading false information, or abusing our infrastructure, we have the right to stop you from doing these things. Failure to comply will result in MatchMaker.fm terminating your account with immediate effect. We may suspend or stop providing our Services to you if you do not comply with our terms or policies or if we are investigating suspected misconduct.
Mobile App Terms
These terms are provided in addition to other terms outlined in this document. Where there may be conflicting statements, information provided in this section will take precedence when using mobile apps provided by MatchMaker.fm.
Use of the term "Marketplace" refers to the method of downloading apps to your device. This would be the App Store® on iOS® devices and Google Play on Android™ powered devices.
By using our mobile apps you agree to the EULA found on their respective store listings on their respective marketplaces. Neither device manufacturer, OS developer or marketplace provider are liable for any grievances or warranty claims raised from using any MatchMaker.fm branded mobile app.
When purchasing through the mobile app you are entering into an auto-renewing subscription. Our Pro plan will renew automatically one year from purchase unless otherwise cancelled. You can cancel your subscription purchased within the app by heading to your marketplace subscription settings. You can find details on this in our help centre.
A subscription is linked both to your MatchMaker.fm account and your marketplace account. This is non-transferrable.
Payments made in-app are processed by the marketplace directly and will appear on your marketplace statement. If you require a refund of your purchase please contact respective marketplace through their usual channels to request a refund.
Any support requests should be directed to MatchMaker by emailing [email protected].
iOS and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Android is a trademark of Google LLC.
Payment, Cancellations, and Refunds
As per the terms specified and agreed to on our checkout pages, all MatchMaker.fm subscriptions are recurring, and renew automatically until cancelled by the user.
Plus and Agency level services are billing on either a monthly or yearly recurring subscription unless otherwise specified. Payment collection will be attempted automatically one calendar month, or year after initial payment date and will continue until a cancellation request is received either via your self service portal, or by contacting support ([email protected]) at least 48 hour prior to the renewal date.
Failure to pay for services delivered will result in suspension of service and/or late payment fee's in accordance with the Late Payment of Commercial Debt Act (1998). If services are left unpaid for an extended period of time we reserve the right to remove the service (including all data) from our servers without notice.
All payments billed to existing clients are non-refundable, clients wishing to cancel their service should do so by visiting their account dashboard and cancelling the subscription their before the next due date. If we plan a price revision we will provide at least 30 days notice. Cancelling a PayPal or Card subscription directly without notifying us may result in an automated termination of service and loss of data.
If your cancellation has been successful, your service will continue until the end of your current billing period, unless refunded, then your service will be terminated immediately.
All paid plans offer a 28 day 'cooling off' period for new customers. If you are not happy with the service during this time, please contact [email protected] to discuss options.
It is the clients responsibility to keep track of all payments made. Any refunds to existing customers or given after the 28 day cooling off period will be made entirely at our discretion and may be subject to administrative charges.
You are not liable for any form of refund if you have breached the terms of service in any way.
Promotions
From time to time MatchMaker.fm may run promotions or provide promo codes. Any promotional codes released are for use on new accounts only and cannot be retrospectively applied.
MatchMaker.fm has the right to withdraw any promotional campaign or codes at any time without prior notice.
Flash Sale Standard Terms
From time to time MatchMaker may run Flash Sales.
Discounts cannot be retrospectively applied to existing Pro accounts. Offer entitles the user to the stated percentage off their first year of service. Standard pricing will apply thereafter. Users that may have downgraded from Pro and are currently using MatchMaker Free are eligible for this offer.
Offers apply to the annual MatchMaker Pro plan when upgrading via the website within the promotional period. Upgrades via Mobile App are not included in this promotion.
To redeem this offer the user must click the upgrade banner in the MatchMaker App followed by the 'Pay Annually' button. This will launch the checkout where the specified promotional code can be entered. We recommend users carefully review the terms of the promotion on the checkout screen prior to entering their payment details and continuing to purchase.
At the end of the promotional period the Pro plan will renew automatically at full price unless cancelled via your account.
Other Promo Codes
- From time to time we may offer unique promo codes via email. These codes are valid for the recipient of the email only, one time. They may be valid for a specific time period.
- Please refer to the email for code terms.
Support and Communications Policy
Customers who require technical support can contact us at any time by emailing [email protected]. We aim to get back to you within 72 hours. We often respond much sooner than this, however, our standard products do not include any form of support time response guarantee unless otherwise specified.
To aid our customer service representatives, it is important for clients to include a clear outline of account information, system reference numbers and adequate details of any problems when submitting a request to our support department, with a detailed description and screenshots where required. Failure to do so will result in a delayed response and/or resolution times.
Customers are expected to be courteous and professional in their communications to MatchMaker.fm. Under no circumstances will we tolerate any kind of verbal, physical, written or other abuse (including threats of abuse, retribution or ticket desk spamming) of any MatchMaker.fm customer, employee, member, or officer. If a customer is deemed abusive this will result in immediate account termination.
MatchMaker.fm agrees to offer support to customers only on topics directly relating to our services and our support team are there to assist customers with any problems directly relating to the availability or functionality of our service. Our support service does not cover generic podcasting advice. We do not offer support for third-party services. Clients will need to seek advice from the third party vendor.
Any views, information or opinions presented in any communication from a MatchMaker.fm staff member are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.
Your Content in Our Services
Some of our Services allow you to upload, submit, store, send or receive content. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.
When you upload, submit, store, send or receive content to or through our Services, you give MatchMaker.fm (and those we work with) a worldwide licence to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes that we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights that you grant in this licence are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. Some Services may offer you ways to access and remove content that has been provided to that Service. Also, in some of our Services, there are terms or settings that narrow the scope of our use of the content submitted in those Services. Make sure that you have the necessary rights to grant us this licence for any content that you submit to our Services.
About Software in Our Services
When a Service requires or includes downloadable software, this software may be updated automatically on your device once a new version or feature is available. Some Services may let you adjust your automatic update settings.
MatchMaker.fm gives you a personal, worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable and non-exclusive licence to use the software provided to you by MatchMaker.fm as part of the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling you to use and enjoy the benefit of the Services as provided by MatchMaker.fm in the manner permitted by these terms. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell or lease any part of our Services or included software, nor may you reverse engineer or attempt to extract the source code of that software, unless laws prohibit those restrictions or you have our written permission.
Open-source software is important to us. Some software used in our Services may be offered under an open-source licence that we will make available to you. There may be provisions in the open-source licence that expressly override some of these terms.
About Third Party Software Integrations
Some services offered by MatchMaker.fm may be provided by third parties (such as Video Profiles). Use of these services may require personal information (your name and account email address) to be sent to the provider. By accepting use of those features you agree to have this data shared with the provider. No other personal information is shared. Third party services may contact you by email relating to the use of their product.
Modifying and Terminating Our Services
We are constantly changing and improving our Services. We may add or remove functionalities or features and we may suspend or stop a Service altogether.
You can stop using our Services at any time, although we would be sorry to see you go. MatchMaker.fm may also stop providing Services to you or add or create new limits to our Services at any time.
We believe that you own your data, and preserving your access to such data is important. If we discontinue a Service, where reasonably possible, we will give you reasonable advance notice and a chance to remove information from that Service.
Our Warranties and Disclaimers
We provide our Services using a commercially reasonable level of skill and care and we hope that you will enjoy using them. But there are certain things that we do not promise about our Services.
Other than as expressly set out in these terms or additional terms, neither MatchMaker.fm nor its suppliers or distributors makes any specific promises about the Services. For example, we do not make any commitments about the content within the Services, the specific functions of the Services or their reliability, availability or ability to meet your needs. We provide the Services “as is”.
Some jurisdictions provide for certain warranties, like the implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. To the extent permitted by law, we exclude all warranties.
Liability for our Services
When permitted by law, MatchMaker.fm and MatchMaker.fm’s suppliers and distributors will not be responsible for lost profits, revenues or data, financial losses or indirect, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages.
To the extent permitted by law, the total liability of MatchMaker.fm and its suppliers and distributors for any claims under these terms, including for any implied warranties, is limited to the amount that you paid us to use the Services (or, if we choose, to supplying you with the Services again).
In all cases, MatchMaker.fm and its suppliers and distributors will not be liable for any loss or damage that is not reasonably foreseeable.
We recognise that in some countries, you might have legal rights as a consumer. If you are using the Services for a personal purpose, then nothing in these terms or any additional terms limits any consumers’ legal rights which may not be waived by contract.
Business Uses of Our Services
If you are using our Services on behalf of a business, that business accepts these terms. It will hold harmless and indemnify MatchMaker.fm and its affiliates, officers, agents and employees from any claim, action or proceedings arising from or related to the use of the Services or violation of these terms, including any liability or expense arising from claims, losses, damages, judgements, litigation costs and legal fees.
Special Terms for Managed Bookings Concierge Service
Please note that the terms outlined in this section are specifically tailored for clients of our Managed Bookings Concierge Service. In the event of any discrepancies or contradictions between these terms and others found elsewhere on this Terms of Service page, the provisions detailed in this section will take precedence for clients utilizing the Managed Bookings service.
Operational Holiday Pause
In recognition of the festive period, any pitching contracts scheduled between December 15th and January 15th will be temporarily paused. This pause allows for the observance of the Christmas Holiday period, with services resuming on January 15th. Despite this pause, the total volume of pitches will remain unaffected, and pitching activities will continue until the full three-month duration stipulated in the contract is completed.
Minimum Booking Rate Fulfillment
Should the minimum booking rate stipulated in the contract not be met by the end of the contractual period, efforts to secure the outstanding bookings will extend beyond the original term until all agreed placements are fulfilled. Furthermore, the account manager reserves the right, at their sole discretion, to terminate the agreement prematurely if the deliverables become unfeasible. In such cases, a prorated refund may be issued, reflecting the extent of services rendered up to the point of termination.
Client Cooperation and Compliance
Clients are required to adhere strictly to the recommendations provided by their assigned agent, encompassing content strategy, availability for bookings, targeting goals, and booking opportunities. Non-compliance with these guidelines nullifies any performance guarantees provided by MatchMaker.
Booking Confirmation Process
A booking will be deemed secure when mutual agreement on a recording date and time is reached between the podcaster and the guest. While rescheduling is permissible, it must be communicated at least 24 hours in advance of the initial booking, subject to the agent's discretion. Notification of any changes must occur within the operational hours of 9 am to 4 pm ET.
No-show Policy
A booking is not considered completed if a podcaster fails to attend or conduct the recording as scheduled. Conversely, if a guest fails to appear without prior rescheduling, the booking will still be considered as secured, placing the responsibility of failure to appear on the guest.
Early Termination and Refund Policy
Should a client wish to terminate their campaign either before or during the operational period of the contract, a refund will be calculated based on the proportion of services already performed up to the termination point minus a $500 administration fee if canceled after the first pitch week.
Agency Authority
The agent is granted full authority over booking and administrative duties to ensure that bookings are secured promptly unless explicitly directed otherwise by the client.Content Sharing and PromotionUpon successful booking and participation in a podcast, clients agree to promote the podcast episode through their social media channels, mailing lists, or newsletters, as a gesture of goodwill and to foster beneficial relationships with podcasters.
Content Reposting Restrictions
Clients are prohibited from reposting or redistributing podcast episodes from appearances as their own work without explicit permission obtained through their agent.Feedback and ReviewsWhen requested by a podcaster or the agent, clients must provide feedback or reviews in a timely manner and submit proof of such feedback.
Governing Law
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United Kingdom.
Upon Conclusion of Managed Booking Services
Transition of Bookings
Upon the conclusion of our professional relationship or the termination of services by you, our client, we commit to a seamless transition process. This includes the transfer of any bookings that have been secured but not yet executed beyond the contracted period. These bookings will be fully transferred to your control, ensuring no loss of opportunity or disruption to your schedule.
Notification of Live Interviews
We understand the importance of tracking the outcomes of our collaboration. Therefore, as interviews arranged during our service period go live, we will continue to provide you with timely notifications. These notifications will be sent directly to your designated email address, keeping you informed of the airing of your appearances.
Retention and Transfer of Records
Retention Period
We will maintain comprehensive records of all pitches and outreach efforts made on your behalf for a duration of twelve (12) months following the termination of services. This retention supports accountability and enables potential review for future strategic planning.
Back-Up Option
Recognizing the value of these records for your long-term strategy, we offer the option for you to create and retain backups of all relevant data. This ensures that you have permanent access to this information for your records and future use.
Notification Prior to Data Removal
In the event of non-renewal or the decision not to retain backups, we will provide you with a notification prior to the deletion of any data from our systems. This gives you an ample opportunity to request data retention or backup before it is permanently removed.
Renewal Consideration
In the case of a campaign renewal or the initiation of a new service contract within the 12-month record retention period, we will seamlessly continue our service provision without interruption. This includes maintaining all records and data for continued strategic alignment and operational efficiency.
About These Terms
We may modify these terms or any service-specific terms, for example, to reflect changes to the law or changes to our Services. You should look at the terms regularly. We’ll post notice of modifications to these terms on this page. We’ll post notice of modified additional terms in the applicable Service. Changes will not apply retrospectively and will become effective no earlier than fourteen days after they are posted. However, changes addressing new functions for a Service or changes made for legal reasons will be effective immediately. If you do not agree to the modified terms for a Service, you should discontinue your use of that Service.
If there is any inconsistency between these terms and the additional terms, the additional terms will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.
These terms govern the relationship between MatchMaker.fm and you. They do not create any third party beneficiary rights.
If you do not comply with these terms and we do not take action immediately, this doesn’t mean that we are giving up any rights that we may have (such as taking action in the future).
If it turns out that a particular term is not enforceable, this will not affect any other terms.
Contacting MatchMaker.fm
For customer support, sales or billing enquiries - please email [email protected]
For business and other enquiries, our correspondence address is: Podcasting Limited, Suite 2A, Basil Chambers, 65 High Street, Manchester, M4 1FS, UK.
Our telephone number is (+44) 161 884 1384.
