Privacy Policy

1. About Instrumate

Instrumate is an online platform that connects independent music instructors with students (and their parents or guardians) for scheduled, primarily online music lessons. Instrumate is operated by Parallel Fifths, LLC, a New York limited liability company doing business as “Instrumate,” with a mailing address at #1025, 91 Pompton Avenue #93, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009.

Most features of the Services require an account. A parent or legal guardian who is at least eighteen (18) years old must create and control any account used by or on behalf of a minor student. Personal information is collected when you voluntarily provide it (for example, when you register for an account, complete a profile, book or provide a lesson, or make a payment) and automatically through standard web analytics and cookies.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information:

Information You Provide Voluntarily:

• Account Registration Information – First and last name, email address, phone number, password, and your role (Instructor or Student/Parent), collected when you create an account. Account credentials are managed through our authentication provider, Google Firebase Authentication.
• Profile Information – For Instructors: biographical description, instruments taught, music styles, location, photograph, rates, availability, and qualifications or experience you choose to share. For Students/Parents: information you provide about the student, such as name, age or age range, skill level, and lesson preferences.
• Lesson and Booking Information – Details about lessons you book, schedule, provide, cancel, or attend, including trial lessons, scheduling, and lesson history.
• Payment Information – Information needed to process payments and, for Instructors, payouts. Payment card details are collected and processed by our payment processor, Stripe (see Sections 7 and 9); we do not store full payment card numbers. For Instructors, we collect the information needed to pay you by ACH transfer (direct deposit), which includes your name, address, phone number, email address, and your bank account and routing information. We also collect the tax information described in Section 9.
• Background Check Documentation (Instructors only) – Documentation of a background check that you obtain and provide to us, such as a report or clearance letter issued by a professional background screening company, a school, a school district, or a government agency. This documentation may contain your full legal name, date of birth, and the results of the check. We do not obtain background checks ourselves, and we do not collect your Social Security number for screening purposes.
• Communications – The content of messages you send to other users through the Services and of any email or other message you send us.
• Reviews and Ratings – Reviews, ratings, and feedback you submit about Instructors or lessons.
• Optional Demographic or Biographical Information – If you choose to share it (for example, in a profile or communication).

Information Collected Automatically:

• Usage Data – Pages visited, links clicked, features used, lessons viewed or booked, time spent, referral source, and similar interactions with the Services.
• Device and Browser Data – IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, screen size, and language settings.
• Approximate Location – Derived from your IP address (city or region level). Instructors may also choose to provide a general teaching location shown on their profile.
• Cookie and Tracking Data – As described in Section 4 below.
• Communication Engagement Data – When you receive emails or messages from Instrumate, our providers may record opens, clicks, and similar engagement information.

Information From Third-Party Sources:

• Payment Processor – We may receive limited transaction and payout information from our payment processor (such as confirmation of payment, the last four digits of a card, and payout status).
• Service Providers – We may receive information from our hosting, communication, video, analytics, and integration providers as described in Section 7.
• Advertising Platforms – We advertise on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram). We may receive aggregated or de-identified reporting about the performance of those advertisements. We do not use information about a child for advertising purposes.

We do not knowingly collect Social Security numbers, government IDs, or precise geolocation from Students, Parents, or site visitors. Instrumate does not itself store full payment card numbers; card payments are handled by Stripe. For Instructors, we collect a taxpayer identification number (which may be a Social Security number for a sole proprietor) solely for tax reporting purposes, as described in Section 9. For Instructors, any date of birth or similar identifying information reaches us only within the background check documentation an Instructor chooses to provide; we do not collect a Social Security number for screening purposes.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect information through:

• Account registration, login, and profile forms on our website. Login and authentication are supported by Google Firebase Authentication.
• Lesson search, booking, scheduling, and payment flows on the Services.
• Messaging and review features within the Services.
• Contact and support requests you send to us by email. We do not currently use a third-party form provider.
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (subject to your consent, where required).
• Embedded third-party tools and services (described in Section 7).
• Analytics tools that help us understand site performance and usage.
• Video lessons delivered through Zoom, as described in Sections 7 and 10.
• Instructor onboarding and payout setup, including the bank account and tax information described in Sections 2 and 9.
• Background check documentation that Instructors obtain themselves and submit to us, as described in our Terms of Use.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies (Cookie Policy)

This section serves as Instrumate’s Cookie Policy.

What Are Cookies?Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. We also use similar technologies such as local storage, pixel tags (also called web beacons), and software development kits (SDKs) within third-party tools. Throughout this Policy we refer to all of these collectively as “cookies.”

How We Use Cookies. We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• operate the Services and keep you logged in, and remember your preferences (such as cookie consent choices);
• understand how visitors use the Services (analytics);
• diagnose technical issues and improve performance;
• support core features such as account authentication, booking, and payments;
• measure the effectiveness of our content and communications; and
• measure and improve the performance of our advertising on Meta platforms.

Categories of Cookies Used On the Services:

• Strictly Necessary / Essential Cookies – Required for the Services to function (for example, authentication and session cookies that keep you logged in through Google Firebase Authentication, security functionality, content delivery, and recording your cookie consent preferences).
• Analytics and Performance Cookies – Used to understand how visitors interact with the Services. We use Google Analytics.
• Functional Cookies – Remember choices you make, such as your preferences and cookie consent preferences.
• Advertising / Marketing Cookies– We advertise on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) and may use Meta advertising tools and pixels to measure and target our advertising. These technologies may track clicks and conversions in order to measure campaign performance. Under some state privacy laws, this activity may be considered “sharing” or a “sale” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. You may opt out as described below and in Section 12. We do not use these technologies to advertise to children or to target advertising based on a child’s information.

Managing Cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences for the Services through our cookie consent banner and preference center, provided by Silktide. Most web browsers also let you block or delete cookies through your browser settings; for more information, consult your browser’s help documentation. You can opt out of Google Analytics via the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, and you can manage advertising preferences within your Facebook and Instagram account settings. For interest-based advertising opt-outs, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative ( optout.networkadvertising.org), the Digital Advertising Alliance ( optout.aboutads.info), or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance ( youronlinechoices.eu).

If you reject non-essential cookies, certain features of the Services may not work as intended.

5. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

• create and manage your account, authenticate you, and provide the Services;
• enable Instructors and Students/Parents to connect, communicate, and book, schedule, and conduct lessons;
• process payments and, for Instructors, remit payouts, and detect and prevent payment fraud;
• deliver transactional and account communications (such as booking confirmations, enrollment and renewal acknowledgments, reminders before recurring charges, lesson reminders, receipts, and security notices), and, with your consent where required, marketing and educational communications, and respond to your questions, support requests, and other communications;
• contact you individually, where you have opted in, to request feedback about your experience;
• display Instructor and Student profiles, reviews, and ratings as part of the marketplace;
• understand how the Services are used and improve our offerings;
• measure the performance of our content and communications, and of our advertising on Meta platforms;
• detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, security incidents, safety concerns (including concerns involving the safety of a child), and unlawful activity;
• comply with legal obligations (including any tax reporting related to Instructor payouts) and enforce our Terms of Use; and
• communicate with you about Instrumate, including changes to our policies.

We do not sell your personal information for money. We do not engage in profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. We do not use information about a child for advertising, and we do not use Lessons or information about a minor Student to train any artificial intelligence or machine-learning model. As described in Section 4, we (or our service providers) may use cookies and similar technologies that, under some state privacy laws, are considered “sharing” or “sale” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes. You can opt out of these activities as described in Section 12.

6. How We Share Information

We share information only as described in this Policy, including:

• Service Providers and Processors – With vendors who perform services on our behalf (such as hosting, payment processing, video/lesson delivery, authentication, email and, where applicable, SMS, analytics, cookie consent management, and security). These providers are authorized to use personal information only as needed to perform services for us.
• Between Users to Facilitate Lessons – When you book, schedule, or provide a lesson, we share the information reasonably necessary to facilitate it. For example, an Instructor and the Student/Parent who books with them will have access to information such as names, relevant scheduling details, messages, and information shown on profiles. Instructor profile information (such as name, biography, instruments, styles, general location, rates, and reviews) is displayed publicly on the marketplace.
• Payment Processor – When you make a payment or receive a payout, payment information is shared with and processed by Stripe (see Sections 7 and 9).
• Our Bank and ACH Network – To pay Instructors, we share the payout information described in Sections 2 and 9 with our bank and the ACH network to complete the transfer.
• Video Provider – Lessons are conducted through Zoom. Information necessary to host and join a lesson (such as name and connection data), and the audio and video of the lesson itself, are processed by Zoom under its own privacy practices. Instrumate does not record or retain lessons.
• Advertising Platforms – We advertise on Meta platforms and may share limited information (such as data collected through advertising cookies or pixels) with Meta to measure and target our advertising. We do not share information about children for advertising purposes. See Sections 4 and 12 for how to opt out.
• Tax Authorities – Where required by law, we file information returns reporting amounts paid to Instructors, as described in Section 9.
• Legal and Safety Reasons – When we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law, legal process, or governmental request, or is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Instrumate, our users, any child, or others.
• Business Transfers – In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of all or part of our assets, in which case personal information may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to this Policy.
• With Your Consent – With other parties when you specifically direct us to share your information.

We do not share your name, email address, or phone number with third parties for those third parties’ own direct marketing purposes without your consent. In particular, we do not sell or trade user contact information to unrelated marketers for those parties’ own use without your separate, explicit opt-in consent.

7. Third-Party Tools and Service Providers

We use third-party tools to operate the Services. Each is bound by its own privacy practices, and we encourage you to review their policies.

Notes on Our Current Setup. Payments from Students and Parents are collected by Stripe. Instructor balances are paid out by ACH transfer (direct deposit) through our bank. Lessons are conducted live on Zoom, and Instrumate does not record, store, or archive lessons. We do not currently use a third-party form tool or a separate third-party website firewall product; account authentication is handled by Google Firebase, and our hosting provider supplies the security and content-delivery features included with our hosting plan. We do not currently operate an automated text-message program. Instrumate does not obtain background checks. Instructors are responsible for obtaining their own background checks and providing us with documentation of the results; we do not screen Students or Parents. Account, transactional, and marketing email is currently delivered using Google (Gmail SMTP); we may transition to another email-delivery provider, such as Resend, as we scale, and will update this Policy if we do. We may add additional tools in the future. If we do, we will update this Policy to disclose the additional tools, the data they handle, and any data flows between platforms.

This list may change as we add or replace tools. Material changes will be reflected in updates to this Policy.

8. Communications

Instrumate delivers account, transactional, and (with consent where required) marketing communications through email and, where you have opted in, individual text messages. Email is currently delivered using Google (Gmail SMTP); we may transition to another provider, such as Resend, as we scale.

Transactional and Account Messages. We send messages necessary to provide the Services—for example, account confirmations, enrollment and renewal acknowledgments, reminders before recurring charges, lesson reminders and scheduling notices, payment receipts, security alerts, and notices about changes to these policies. You may receive these even if you opt out of marketing messages.

Marketing Messages. With your consent where required, we may send newsletters, updates, promotions, and educational content. You can opt out at any time using the unsubscribe link in an email, your account settings, or by contacting us at instrumatemusic@gmail.com.

Text Messages. We do not currently operate an automated text-message program. If you provide a mobile number and opt in, a member of our team may contact you individually by text to request feedback about your experience or to follow up on your account or lessons. Message and data rates may apply, and message frequency varies. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP or by contacting us at instrumatemusic@gmail.com. Consent to receive texts is not a condition of purchasing lessons. If we introduce automated text messages in the future, we will obtain any additional consent required by law and update this Policy.

Tracking Pixels in Emails. Our email and messaging providers may use tracking pixels and similar technologies to measure opens, clicks, and engagement.

Unsubscribing. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link. To stop receiving marketing messages, use that link, adjust your account settings, or contact us at instrumatemusic@gmail.com. We may continue to send transactional or administrative messages (for example, a booking confirmation or a notice about changes to this Policy) even if you have unsubscribed from marketing messages.

9. Payments

We use Stripe to process payments for Trial Lessons and recurring Lesson Packages. Payments are made by credit or debit card. When you make a payment, you provide payment information directly to Stripe, and its collection and use of that information is governed by its own privacy policy. Instrumate receives limited information such as confirmation of payment, the last four digits of a card, and payment status, but does not store full payment card numbers.

Instructor Payouts. Instructor balances are paid by ACH transfer (direct deposit). To pay you, we collect your name, address, phone number, email address, and your bank account and routing information. This information is used only to remit your payouts, to maintain our financial records, and to comply with applicable law. Payout details are shared with our bank and the ACH network to complete the transfer. If we offer an alternative payout method in the future, we will update this Policy to describe the information that method requires.

Tax Information. Instructors are independent contractors and are responsible for their own taxes. We collect a completed IRS Form W-9 (or Form W-8, if applicable) from each Instructor at onboarding and before the first payout. This includes your name, address, and taxpayer identification number. Where required by law, we file information returns, such as IRS Form 1099-NEC, reporting amounts paid to an Instructor during a calendar year. We use tax information only for tax reporting and related recordkeeping, restrict access to it, and retain it for the period required by law.

10. Children’s Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

The Services are used by and for children, including children under the age of thirteen (13). We take children’s privacy seriously and handle it consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) and other applicable laws.

(a) Parent-Controlled Accounts. Children do not create their own accounts. A parent or legal guardian who is at least eighteen (18) years old must create and control any account used by or on behalf of a minor student, and provides the information used to book and manage lessons.

(b) Information About Children. Through a parent- or guardian-controlled account, we may collect limited information about a child student, such as first name (or first name and last initial), age or age range, skill level, lesson preferences, scheduling and attendance information, and communications relating to lessons. Lessons are conducted live by video through Zoom; the audio and video of a lesson are transmitted through Zoom while the lesson is in progress, and Instrumate does not record, store, or archive lessons. We collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide music lessons.

(c) Verifiable Parental Consent.Before we collect personal information from or about a child under thirteen (13), we provide the parent or legal guardian with direct notice of what we collect, how we use it, and that it will be shared with the child’s Instructor for the purpose of providing lessons. We then obtain verifiable parental consent through both of the following: (i) the parent’s or guardian’s affirmative acknowledgment at signup, by checking a box confirming that they are the parent or legal guardian of the child, are at least eighteen (18) years old, have read this Policy, and consent to our collection and use of the child’s information; and (ii) a monetary transaction on the parent’s or guardian’s credit or debit card in connection with the purchase of the Trial Lesson, which is an approved method of verification under COPPA. We notify the account holder of each separate transaction. A parent or guardian may withdraw consent at any time as described in subsection (e) below.

(d) How We Use and Share Children’s Information.We use children’s information only to provide and support the Services (for example, to schedule and facilitate lessons and to connect the child’s Instructor with the parent/guardian). We share it only with the child’s Instructor as needed to provide lessons, with service providers who support the Services under confidentiality obligations, and as required by law or to protect safety. We do not condition a child’s participation on disclosing more information than is reasonably necessary, and we do not use children’s information for behavioral advertising or to train any artificial intelligence or machine-learning model.

(e) Parental Rights. As a parent or guardian, you may review the personal information we have collected from your child, request that we delete it, and refuse to permit further collection or use of it. To exercise these rights, contact us at instrumatemusic@gmail.comand we will verify your identity as the parent or guardian before responding. Please note that deleting a child’s information may mean we can no longer provide lessons to that child.

(f) Lesson Recordings.Instrumate does not record, store, or archive lessons, and has no current plans to do so. Lessons are conducted live on Zoom. Please be aware that Zoom’s platform includes recording functionality, and an Instructor or a Student could attempt to record a lesson using Zoom or other software. Our Terms of Use prohibit any User from recording a lesson without the advance consent of all participants and, where the Student is a minor, the advance consent of the Parent. Instrumate does not control, access, monitor, or retain any recording made by a User. If you believe a lesson has been recorded without your consent, please contact us immediately at instrumatemusic@gmail.com. If Instrumate introduces its own lesson recording or archiving in the future, we will update this Policy in advance to describe the purpose of recording, who may access recordings, how long they are retained, and how a parent may object or request deletion, and we will obtain separate verifiable parental consent before any child’s lesson is recorded.

(g) Reporting Concerns.If you believe we have collected personal information from a child without appropriate parental consent, or you have a concern about a child’s safety on the Services, please contact us immediately at instrumatemusic@gmail.com, and contact local authorities if a child is in danger.

For users between the ages of thirteen (13) and sixteen (16), we do not knowingly engage in the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information without any authorization required by applicable law.

11. Your Choices

• Account Information: You can review and update much of your account and profile information by logging into your account. Contact us at instrumatemusic@gmail.com for help.
• Email and SMS Preferences: Use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, adjust your account settings, reply STOP to any text message we send, or contact us at instrumatemusic@gmail.com.
• Cookie Preferences: Use our cookie consent banner (provided by Silktide) or your browser settings to manage cookies.
• Advertising: You can manage advertising preferences within your Facebook and Instagram account settings, and opt out of advertising cookies through our cookie banner.
• Recurring Lessons: You may cancel your recurring Lesson Package at any time before the next charge through your account on the platform, as described in our Terms of Use.
• Children’s Information: Parents and guardians may exercise the rights described in Section 10.
• Access, Correction, Deletion: See Section 12 below.

12. Your Rights (California, Virginia, EU/UK, and Other Jurisdictions)

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. To exercise any of the rights below, contact us at the email address in Section 19. We will need to verify your identity before responding (typically by confirming the email address you used to communicate with us). We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.

For California Residents (CCPA / CPRA):

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose.
• Right to request deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to legal exceptions.
• Right to correct inaccurate personal information.
• Right to opt out of “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. To opt out, manage your cookie preferences via our cookie banner (Silktide), or email us with the subject line “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.”
• Right to limit use of sensitive personal information (we do not knowingly use sensitive personal information for purposes beyond those permitted by law). Where we collect an Instructor’s taxpayer identification number, we use it only for tax reporting and related recordkeeping.
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights.

We do not sell personal information for monetary consideration. As noted, certain advertising and analytics cookies (including those used in connection with our advertising on Meta platforms) may constitute “sharing” under the CPRA, and you can opt out as described above.

For Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Other U.S. State Residents:

You may have rights to access, correct, delete, port, or opt out of targeted advertising and “sale” of your personal information, subject to applicable law. You may exercise these rights by contacting us. If we deny your request, you may appeal by replying to our denial.

For EU/UK/EEA Residents (GDPR / UK GDPR):

• Legal bases for processing include consent, performance of a contract (for example, to provide the lessons and account you request), our legitimate interests (such as operating and improving the Services and preventing fraud), and compliance with legal obligations.
• You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, and port your personal data, and to object to certain processing.
• You may withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior lawful processing).
• You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
• The data controller is Parallel Fifths, LLC d/b/a Instrumate.

Authorized Agents.Where applicable law permits, you may use an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf. We may require verification of the agent’s authority.

13. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Specifically:

• Account and Profile Data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward for recordkeeping, dispute resolution, and legal compliance.
• Lesson, Booking, and Transaction Data: Retained as needed to provide the Services, for financial and tax recordkeeping, and to comply with legal obligations.
• Instructor Payout and Tax Data: Retained for the period required by applicable tax and financial recordkeeping laws. Tax records, including Form W-9 information, are generally retained for at least four (4) years after the applicable filing, consistent with IRS guidance.
• Instructor Background Check Documentation: Retained only as long as needed to make and document an eligibility decision, including for the duration of the two (2) year renewal cycle described in our Terms of Use, and to comply with applicable law, and access to it is restricted.
• Communications and Reviews: Retained while relevant to the Services or as needed for safety, dispute resolution, and moderation.
• Children’s Information: Retained only as long as reasonably necessary to provide lessons and is deleted upon a verified parental request or when no longer needed, subject to legal requirements.
• Lesson Audio and Video is not retained by Instrumate. Lessons are transmitted live through Zoom and are not recorded or stored by us.
• Analytics and Cookie Data is retained according to the retention settings of each tool.
• Security and Legal Records are retained as long as needed to address security and legal obligations.

14. Security

We use commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including hosting with Hostinger, authentication through Google Firebase, access controls, encryption-in-transit (HTTPS), and reliance on the security controls of our service providers (including Stripe and Zoom). We restrict access to Instructor bank account, tax, and background check documentation to those who need it to process payouts, make eligibility decisions, and meet our reporting obligations. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is one hundred percent (100%) secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

Reporting a Security Issue. If you believe there is a security vulnerability or issue with the Services, please contact us promptly at instrumatemusic@gmail.com. Please include a clear description of the issue and any information needed to reproduce or verify it.

15. International Users

The Services are operated from the United States and are primarily intended for U.S. audiences, but they are accessible elsewhere. If you access the Services from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. By using the Services, you consent to such transfer and processing, subject to applicable law. Where required (for example, for transfers from the EEA or UK), we rely on appropriate transfer mechanisms such as the Standard Contractual Clauses.

16. Do Not Track

Some browsers offer “Do Not Track” signals. Because there is no industry consensus on how to interpret these signals, the Services do not currently respond to them. We do honor opt-out preferences submitted via Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals where required by applicable law.

17. Links to Third-Party Sites

The Services link to or integrate with third-party sites and tools (including Stripe, Zoom, Google, and Meta platforms). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. Their use of your information is governed by their own privacy policies.

18. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the revised Policy on the Services and update the “Effective Date” above. If the changes are material, we will provide additional notice (such as a banner on the Services or an email to account holders). If we begin recording lessons, use children’s information in a materially different way, or otherwise make a change that requires new parental consent under COPPA, we will provide notice and obtain that consent before the change takes effect. Your continued use of the Services after the revised Policy takes effect constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

19. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Policy or your personal information, please contact: