Terms Of Service - Recordbuilds

Extended Terms of Service

Recordbuilds Terms of Service

Last Updated: March 7, 2026

Welcome. These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) govern your use of recordbuilds.com and any related pages, content, features, email signups, community areas, and services we operate (collectively, the “Site”). If you use the Site, you agree to these Terms.

If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

1) Who we are

“Recordbuilds,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refers to Recordbuilds.

Contact: info@recordbuilds.com

2) What the Site is (and what it is not)

Recordbuilds provides educational content and tools to help people understand vinyl gear and plan setups.

Not professional advice. Information on the Site is general and educational. It is not professional, technical, electrical, or safety advice. You are responsible for how you use it.
No guarantees. Gear specs, prices, availability, and compatibility information can change and may be incomplete or incorrect.

3) Eligibility and accounts

Some features may require creating an account.

You must provide accurate info and keep your login secure.
You are responsible for activity under your account.
We may suspend or terminate access if we believe there is abuse, fraud, harassment, automation, scraping, or other harmful behavior.

4) Affiliate links and third-party links

Some links on the Site may be affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure for details.

The Site may link to third-party sites (retailers, social platforms, tools). We do not control them and are not responsible for their content, pricing, shipping, returns, warranties, outages, or policies.

5) Intellectual property

Our content. Except for User Content (defined below), the Site and its original content, design, text, graphics, logos, and other materials are owned by Recordbuilds or its licensors and protected by intellectual property laws.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, sell, or create derivative works from our content without written permission, except where allowed by law.

6) User Content (submissions) and license

“User Content” means content you submit to Recordbuilds, including photos, text, comments, descriptions, and other materials.

You keep ownership of your User Content.
You grant us a license: By submitting User Content, you grant Recordbuilds a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, modify (for example crop, resize, compress), publish, display, distribute, and promote your User Content in connection with the Site, community features, contests, and Recordbuilds marketing.
You promise you have the rights to submit it and that it does not infringe others’ rights (copyright, trademark, publicity, privacy).

We can remove User Content at any time for any reason, including violations of these Terms.

You agree not to:

Break the law or violate others’ rights
Harass, threaten, impersonate, or spam
Upload malware or attempt to disrupt the Site
Use bots, automation, scraping, or bulk data extraction without permission
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to accounts or systems
Abuse voting systems or community features (if applicable)

8) Disclaimers

The Site and its content are provided “as is” and “as available.” We do not guarantee the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

9) Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Recordbuilds and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost data, or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of the Site, third-party links, purchases you make, outages, errors, or reliance on information presented.

10) Indemnity

You agree to defend and hold harmless Recordbuilds from claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your use of the Site, your User Content, or your violation of these Terms.

11) Changes to the Terms

We may update these Terms by posting a new version on the Site. Changes are effective when posted unless stated otherwise.

12) Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by California law, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. You agree to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in state and federal courts located in San Francisco County, California, for disputes not subject to mandatory legal requirements.

Intellectual Property

Builder Terms

Recordbuilds Builder Terms
Last Updated: March 7, 2026

These Builder Terms (the “Builder Terms”) apply to your use of the Recordbuilds Builder and related features (the “Builder”). The Builder is part of recordbuilds.com, but these Builder Terms focus on the Builder-specific rules.

By using the Builder, you agree to these Builder Terms and the main Recordbuilds Terms of Service.

1) What the Builder does

The Builder helps you plan a vinyl setup by browsing components, viewing specs, and assembling combinations.

The Builder may show:

estimated prices and sale prices
specs and features
general guidance on compatibility
links to third-party retailers

2) No guarantees, not professional advice

The Builder is informational and educational.
Compatibility guidance is best-effort and may be wrong.
Prices, availability, shipping, taxes, and returns are controlled by retailers and may change at any time.
You are responsible for confirming compatibility, safety, and suitability before purchasing or installing equipment.

3) Outbound links and affiliate tracking

The Builder may contain affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission. Retailers handle your purchase, order, shipping, and support.

We are not responsible for:

retailer errors or cancellations
damaged shipments
warranty issues
price differences between what you saw and checkout

4) Custom components and user-entered data

If the Builder allows you to add custom components or enter your own values:

You are responsible for accuracy.
Do not enter content that is illegal, infringing, harmful, or misleading.
We may remove custom entries or restrict features if we believe there is abuse.

5) Sharing builds

If you share a build link or build code, you understand:

Anyone with the link or code may be able to view that build, depending on how sharing is configured at the time.
Do not include sensitive personal information in build names, notes, or custom component fields.
We are not responsible if you choose to share a link publicly.

6) Changes to the Builder

We can change the Builder at any time, including:

adding or removing components
changing scores, labels, or recommendations
changing logic, warnings, or compatibility rules
changing how sharing works

We may also temporarily disable the Builder for maintenance or security.

7) Acceptable use and misuse

You agree not to:

scrape the Builder database at scale
use automation to generate or click links
attempt to reverse engineer private logic or abuse scoring
create fake accounts or spam submissions
interfere with the Builder’s performance

We may rate-limit, block, or suspend access for abuse.

8) Disclaimer of warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Builder is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind.

9) Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Recordbuilds is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, profits, or goodwill arising from your use of the Builder, reliance on its information, or purchases made through third parties.

10) Contact

Questions or bug reports: info@recordbuilds.com

Recordbuilds “Build of the Month” (B.O.T.M.) – Official Rules & Terms of Service

Last Updated: 10/24/25

Sponsor. Recordbuilds, 1388 Haight St PMB 1036, San Francisco, CA 94117 (“Sponsor,” “Recordbuilds,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

No Purchase Necessary; Void Where Prohibited. A purchase or payment will not increase your chances of winning. The Contest is void outside eligible territories and where restricted by law.

Skill-Based Contest. Winners are determined by public voting that applies stated, non-random criteria (creativity, originality, and adherence to the monthly theme). This is not a random drawing.

By accessing or using the B.O.T.M. contest at https://recordbuilds.com/botm/ (the “Website”) or submitting an entry (an “Entry”), you agree to these Official Rules & Terms of Service (the “Terms”). If you do not agree, do not participate.

1) Eligibility

Open to natural persons 18 years or older at the time of entry.
Employees, contractors, agents, officers, and directors of Sponsor (and members of their households) are not eligible.
Prizes ship to addresses in the continental United States only. Non-U.S. winners (or those outside the continental U.S.) may receive a digital or alternate prize at Sponsor’s discretion.

2) Contest Period

Each monthly contest has (a) an Entry Period and (b) a Voting Period.
Unless stated otherwise on the Website, the Entry Period opens at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on the first day of the submission window and closes at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the last day of the submission window. The Voting Period begins immediately after the Entry Period ends and runs until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the last day of the month.
Dates/times may change at Sponsor’s discretion. Any change will be posted on the Website or via other official channels.

3) How to Enter

Submit one (1) photo of your vinyl listening room via the submission form on the Website during the Entry Period. One Entry per person per contest.
Entries must be submitted by the actual entrant. No proxy submissions (including by parents/guardians or third parties).
Incomplete, late, unintelligible, or non-conforming Entries may be rejected.

4) Photo Requirements & Content Guidelines

Originality/Ownership. You must be the creator and copyright owner of the photo, or have all rights/permissions needed to submit and license it under these Terms.
No Infringement. Do not submit content that infringes the rights (including copyright, trademark, publicity, or privacy rights) of any person or entity.
Appropriate Content. No obscene, sexually explicit, unlawful, hateful, harassing, discriminatory, or violent content.
Verification. Sponsor may require proof of ownership/permission and may disqualify any Entry it reasonably believes violates these Terms or applicable law.
Edits. Sponsor may make minimal, good-faith edits for presentation (e.g., cropping to remove non-photographic elements like watermarks, borders, collages, or overlaid graphics) and may ask you to resubmit a compliant file.

5) License to Sponsor

By submitting an Entry, you grant Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify (for formatting/presentation), adapt, publish, translate, distribute, publicly display, and otherwise exploit your Entry (including your name, likeness, and any accompanying text you provide) in connection with the Contest, the Website, Sponsor’s social channels, press, and promotional materials—now known or later developed—for the duration of applicable copyrights. You retain all ownership in your photo.

6) Community Voting (Skill Criteria)

During the Voting Period, registered users may cast up to three (3) free votes per contest. Voting is free; paid votes and vote purchases are prohibited.
Voting is intended to reflect the following non-random criteria applied by the community: creativity, originality, and adherence to the monthly theme.
Casting votes is optional and not a condition of eligibility to win as a Competitor.
Sponsor may provide reasonable, clearly disclosed vote multipliers or incentives that do not require payment (e.g., time-limited two-for-one free votes), and may verify voter eligibility (e.g., email/SMS checks).
Any attempt to game or distort community voting (including bots, automated scripts, duplicate accounts, vote-buying/selling, financial incentives for votes, or organized brigading) is prohibited and may result in disqualification and/or vote invalidation.

7) Winner Selection, Notification & Verification

After the Voting Period closes, the top vote-getters (as displayed on the Website after removal of ineligible or fraudulent votes) will be the potential winners per the prize structure posted for that month.
Tie-Breakers. In the event of a tie after invalid votes are removed, Sponsor may (i) apply the published criteria (creativity, originality, theme adherence) via an internal panel, or (ii) use the earlier valid submission timestamp as the tie-breaker.
Potential winners will be notified via the email address provided at entry within seven (7) business days after the contest ends. Failure to respond within 14 days may result in forfeiture and selection of an alternate.
Sponsor may require reasonable identity, eligibility, and originality verification and completion of any required documents (e.g., prize acceptance, liability/publicity release, W-9 for U.S. tax reporting). Noncompliance may result in disqualification.

8) Prizes

Prizes for each contest (including approximate retail values and counts) will be listed in the contest announcement.
Winner Choice/Ranking. The top vote-getter chooses first; second place chooses next; third place receives the remaining prize (unless otherwise stated on the Website).
Shipping. Physical prizes ship to continental U.S. addresses only. International or outside-coverage winners may be offered a digital/alternate prize of comparable value at Sponsor’s discretion.
Vinyl Record Prizes. We will make a good-faith effort to purchase a record by one of the winner’s top three preferred artists. If a given record is unavailable or exceeds $100 USD retail, Sponsor may substitute a similar record aligned to the winner’s preferences or provide a $20 eGift card alternative.
No Cash Alternative. Prizes are not transferable, refundable, or redeemable for cash, except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a listed prize becomes unavailable.
If a Grand Prize winner resides outside the continental U.S., Sponsor may offer a digital/alternate prize or, in limited cases, re-rank eligible winners for physical-prize fulfillment.

9) Taxes

Winners are solely responsible for any taxes, fees, or other charges associated with prize acceptance and use. For U.S. winners, Sponsor may issue an IRS Form 1099 for prizes with a total value of $600 USD or more in a calendar year and may require a completed W-9.

10) Publicity

Except where prohibited by law, by accepting a prize, each winner authorizes Sponsor to use winner’s first name and state/county of residence, likeness, and winning Entry for advertising and promotional purposes related to the Contest and Recordbuilds, in any media, without additional notice or compensation.

11) Disqualification & Anti-Fraud

Sponsor may disqualify any Entry or participant and/or void or adjust votes if it reasonably believes (i) these Terms or the Website rules were violated; (ii) content infringes or is inappropriate; or (iii) unfair voting or abuse occurred (including bots, automation, fake accounts, vote-buying/selling, or harassment). Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding.

12) General Conditions

Sponsor may cancel, suspend, or modify any contest (or any portion of it) if fraud, technical failure, force majeure, or any factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest. If terminated, Sponsor may determine winners from eligible, non-suspect votes/Entries received up to the time of action or as otherwise fair and feasible.

13) Limitation of Liability; Release

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Sponsor and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or exemplary damages, or for any loss of data, profits, or goodwill, arising out of or relating to the Contest, prizes, shipping/fulfillment by third parties, or use of the Website—whether based in contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise.

By participating, you release and hold harmless Sponsor from and against any claims arising from your participation, your Entry (including IP/publicity claims), voting activities, acceptance/use/misuse of any prize, and any technical issues, interruptions, or errors.

14) Communications

By entering, you consent to receive Contest-related communications (e.g., status updates, rule changes, prize notices, and future contest announcements) via the contact details you provide. You may manage email preferences or unsubscribe as indicated in those communications.

15) Privacy

Information collected from participants is subject to Recordbuilds’ Privacy Policy (see Website footer). By participating, you consent to such collection and use consistent with that policy and these Terms.

16) Website & Third-Party Platforms

You are responsible for your internet access and device. Sponsor is not responsible for platform outages, rate limits, or failures beyond its control. The Contest is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with any social media platform.

17) Governing Law; Venue

These Terms and the Contest are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. You agree to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in San Francisco County, California for any claim not subject to informal resolution. Class/representative actions are waived; claims must be brought in an individual capacity.

(If you prefer binding arbitration and a class-action waiver, you can swap this section for an arbitration clause. If you do, keep it short, clear, and conspicuous.)

18) Modification of Terms; Severability

We may update these Terms and/or the schedule by posting changes on the Website; changes take effect upon posting unless a later effective date is stated. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.

19) Entire Agreement

These Terms (plus any contest-specific announcement on the Website) constitute the entire agreement between you and Sponsor concerning the Contest and supersede any prior or contemporaneous communications on the subject.

20) Contact

Questions? info@recordbuilds.com