Legal Notice, Disclaimer & Privacy Policy

Website and Digitization Project:
 Musical Heritage Organization
Johannisburgstrasse 48
CH-8700 Küsnacht ZH
Switzerland
Media archive /
Medienarchiv:
 Bahnhofstrasse 196
CH-8620 Wetzikon
Switzerland
Workspace:
 Sindelenstrasse 8
CH-8340 Hinwil
Switzerland
Represented by: Carl Flisch-Aghayan
Johannisburgstrasse 48
CH-8700 Küsnacht ZH
Switzerland		  
Legal Notice & Project Authority: sounds.earth is the digitization and preservation project operated by Musical Heritage Organization.

Operator:
musicalheritage.org (Non-Profit Organization)

Purpose:
Physical cleaning, preservation, archiving, and high-fidelity digitization of historical 78 rpm shellac records and phonograph wax cylinders. This includes correcting and enriching historical metadata using pressing plant records, encyclopedias, discographies, and the Catalog of Copyright Entries from the Library of Congress.


Data Distribution:
All processed metadata is structured within our internal database, featured on the MediaWiki of musicalheritage.org, and contributed open-access to Wikidata (Wikimedia).		  
Notice on Advertising, Marketplaces, and Payment Services: This website displays advertisements via Google AdSense and provides payment/donation options via PayPal or direct transfer. It facilitates the sale of surplus carriers via Ricardo/Discogs and acts as a prelude to a future Online Music Store. Responsibility for these third-party services and transactions lies entirely with the respective operators.  
Disclaimer of Liability: Content on the website, in the database, and audio files are provided "as is" and "as available" without guarantees. We aim for high academic accuracy in historical data correction but cannot guarantee absolute correctness, completeness, or timeliness. Links to external platforms (ZHdK, Wikimedia, Ricardo, Discogs, PayPal) are outside our control; we disclaim any liability for such websites.  
Copyright, DMCA & Terms of Use: We strictly observe third-party copyrights and neighboring rights. Recordings are cleared for rights before publication, also on behalf of third parties.

Public Domain Material:
Verified recordings are hosted on ZHdK servers and Wikimedia Commons.

Free Access:
Free for private, educational, research, and non-governmental (NGO) use.


Commercial Use:
Commercial providers must pay a Data Volume Fee to support our non-profit operational costs.


Notice and Takedown:
If you believe content violates your rights, please contact us with details for immediate review and potential removal.

  
Privacy Policy:

1. General Information and Controller

The data controller is musicalheritage.org. Data is treated confidentially according to relevant data protection regulations (including FADP, GDPR, and US law).

2. Data Collection (Server Log Files)

Upon visiting or downloading, our host collects technical data (e.g., browser, IP, time) required for secure, optimized operation (legitimate interest).

3. Contact Form

Data submitted via the contact form is stored only for processing inquiries.

4. International Data Transfers

Data may be processed on servers in Switzerland, the EU, or the USA (e.g., via Wikimedia).

5. Children's Online Privacy

We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13.

6. Do Not Track (DNT) Signals

We do not track across third-party sites and thus do not respond to DNT signals.

7. User Rights

Users have rights regarding access, correction, or deletion of their personal data, contactable via our form.

8. Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense, which uses cookies for analysis, potentially transferring data to the USA.

9. PayPal (Payment/Donation Processing)

We use PayPal for transactions, transferring data for payment processing.

  
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PUBLIC DOMAIN United States Geological Survey: View looking at the NE end of the actively propagating fissure. Lava is just breaking the surface in foreground crack.