Sound Music Privacy Policy

Collingswood Sound Music LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company doing business as Collingswood Sound Music, Haddonfield Sound Music, Merchantville Sound Music, and Sound Music NJ (collectively, "Sound Music," "we," "us," "our")

Effective Date: 06/11/2026

Last Updated: 06/22/2026

Version: 3.0

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This is a single Privacy Policy that applies to every Sound Music studio. It replaces and supersedes any prior Privacy Policies.

Sound Music respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights you have under New Jersey law (including the New Jersey Data Privacy Act, "NJDPA") and applicable federal law (including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, "COPPA").

If you have questions about this Policy, contact:

Collingswood Sound Music LLC

417 Champion Ave., Collingswood, NJ 08107

office@collingswoodsound.com

856-202-3949

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1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly, information collected automatically when you use our websites or services, and (occasionally) information from third parties such as our scheduling and payment systems.

1.1 Information you provide directly

When you sign up, enroll, communicate with us, or use our services, we may collect:

  • Identifiers and contact information: name, email address, phone number, mailing address.
  • Account information: username, password (stored hashed), preferences.
  • Student information: name, age (optional; date of birth not required), preferred instrument, lesson goals, school name and grade (optional).
  • Family information: parent or guardian names and contact information for a minor Student.
  • Payment information: Sound Music does not store your credit card or bank account numbers. Payment information is entered into Stripe through My Music Staff. Sound Music receives a payment token (not the card number), the last four digits, the card brand, and the cardholder name and billing ZIP. See §3 for more on Stripe.
  • Health and accommodation information: voluntary disclosures of medical conditions, allergies, sensory needs, or accessibility needs the Student or family chooses to share so we can make reasonable arrangements.
  • Emergency contact information.
  • Communications: the content of emails, texts, MMS messages, and voicemails you exchange with us.
  • Photo, video, audio: as authorized in a Photo and Media Release.

1.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit a Sound Music website, our systems may collect:

  • Log data: IP address, browser type and version, the pages you visit, the date and time of your visit, the time spent on those pages, the referring URL, and similar.
  • Cookies and similar technologies: small text files that help our websites function and that help us measure use. See §6.

1.3 Information from third parties

  • My Music Staff (MMS): our scheduling and lesson management platform. MMS captures sign-up form submissions and adds them to your Student record.
  • Stripe: our payment processor. Stripe provides us with a payment token, basic card metadata (last four, brand, expiration, cardholder name and billing ZIP), and transaction status.
  • Ring (or comparable platform): our security camera platform. Cameras at each studio capture video and audio in lesson rooms, hallways, and common areas, as described in our Student Policies (§8) and Liability Waiver (§9).
  • Gusto and Checkr: background-check vendors for staff. This Privacy Policy does not cover Sound Music's employment privacy practices, which are described in the Sound Music Employee Handbook and related employment documents.

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2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to provide and manage music lessons, communicate with you, and run our business. Specifically:

  • Provide and schedule lessons, classes, and ensembles.
  • Process payments and manage your account.
  • Communicate with you about your account, lessons, scheduling, billing, and customer service matters.
  • Send you newsletters, promotions, and updates only where you've opted in to marketing communications. You can opt out at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or by emailing the office.
  • Match Students with appropriate teachers based on disclosed goals, instruments, accommodations, and availability.
  • Maintain studio safety through security cameras, incident response, and (where applicable) lawful information sharing in an investigation.
  • Comply with legal obligations, including mandated reporting under New Jersey law and responses to lawful requests from government authorities.
  • Detect and prevent fraud, including detection of stolen or unauthorized payment methods.
  • Improve our websites and services.

We do not use personal information for targeted advertising or profiling that could produce legal or similarly significant effects for you.

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3. Third-Party Services We Use

These third parties process some of your information on our behalf. Each has its own privacy practices, which apply to your use of their services. We choose vendors who maintain reasonable security practices and limit their use of your information to what is necessary to provide their service to us.

  • My Music Staff (Port Squared Inc.) - scheduling, student records, communications, lesson notes. Privacy notice: mymusicstaff.com.
  • Stripe - payment processing. Stripe stores card and bank account information; we don't. Privacy notice: stripe.com/privacy.
  • Google (Workspace, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Voice, Google Analytics) - email, document storage, calendar sync, business phone, and website analytics. Privacy notice: policies.google.com/privacy.
  • WordPress / website hosting - Sound Music websites use WordPress; contact forms on the websites currently collect only name, email, and message.
  • Ring (Amazon) or comparable platform - security camera system. Privacy notice: ring.com/privacy-notice.
  • Mailchimp / MMS Mail (and similar) - bulk email marketing (where used). Privacy notices: applicable to the chosen provider at the time.
  • Slack - internal team communication and task tracking; processes employee data and may incidentally include references to student-side workflows.
  • Gusto - payroll and HR. Gusto processes employee data; for student data, Gusto receives only what is needed for tax-related student-payment cases (typically none).
  • Checkr - background checks for prospective employees. Not used for students.
  • ECWID - gift certificate sales on our websites. Privacy notice: ecwid.com.

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for their own marketing.

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4. Children's Privacy (COPPA and NJDPA)

Sound Music serves Students of all ages, including children under 13. The following rules apply to the personal information of children under 13:

  • No direct collection from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent. Where a child under 13 attempts to sign up online (via the MMS sign-up form or a contact form), we will not complete enrollment until we coordinate with the parent or guardian to schedule and complete payment. We require an active parent or guardian on the account.
  • Parental rights. Parents may review the personal information we hold about their child, request its deletion, refuse to permit further collection, or revoke prior consent at any time. To exercise these rights, email the office at office@collingswoodsound.com (or the studio-specific office address) with subject line "Parental Privacy Request." We will verify your identity, confirm your relationship to the Student, and respond within 45 days.
  • Limited use. Personal information of a child under 13 is used only to provide the service and to communicate with the parent. We do not use a child's personal information for marketing, unless otherwise agreed to via the Photo and Media Release.
  • No sharing for third-party marketing. We do not share a child's personal information with third parties for their own marketing.

For Students between the ages of 13 and 18, Sound Music limits direct collection of personal information from the Student to information necessary to schedule and bill lessons, and we route material communications through the parent or guardian on file. See the Student Policies §14 for communication rules.

If you believe we have collected personal information from a child under 13 in a manner not described here, please contact the office immediately and we will delete it.

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5. New Jersey Data Privacy Act Rights

Subject to the New Jersey Data Privacy Act, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Right to know / access. You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal information and access to that information.
  • Right to correct. You may request that we correct inaccurate personal information.
  • Right to delete. You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to exceptions for information we are required to retain for legal, accounting, or operational reasons (e.g., transaction records, mandated reporting records).
  • Right to data portability. You may request a copy of your personal information in a portable format. We will provide your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format, typically a CSV export of your account record from MMS, sent via secure download link.
  • Right to opt out of certain processing. You may opt out of (i) the sale of your personal information, (ii) processing for targeted advertising, or (iii) profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. We do not sell personal information and do not engage in profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. We currently do not engage in targeted advertising in the NJDPA sense; if that changes, we'll update this Policy and offer an opt-out.
  • Right against discrimination. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any privacy right.

To exercise any of these rights, email the office at office@collingswoodsound.com or contact us using the information at the top of this Policy. We will respond within the timeframe required by law (currently 45 days from receipt, with possible extension for complex requests).

If you are an authorized agent acting on behalf of a consumer, we will require reasonable verification of your authority.

If you believe we have not responded to a privacy request appropriately, you may appeal by emailing the office with the subject line "Privacy Appeal." We will respond within 45 days of receiving the appeal. If your appeal is denied, you may contact the New Jersey Attorney General's office.

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6. Cookies and Tracking

Sound Music websites use cookies and similar technologies for:

  • Strictly necessary purposes (the website functioning, your login session).
  • Analytics purposes via Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand which pages are visited and how the websites are used in aggregate. We do not use Google Analytics for advertising. To opt out of Google Analytics, you can install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

We do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals because there is no consensus on what such signals require. We do honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal where applicable; receiving a GPC signal is treated as an opt-out request to the extent applicable under NJDPA.

We do not currently run third-party advertising trackers (Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, X Pixel, etc.) on our websites. If that changes, we'll update this Policy and offer a clear opt-out.

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7. How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep personal information only as long as needed to provide the service and to comply with legal obligations:

  • Active accounts: for the duration of the Student's enrollment.
  • Inactive accounts: when a Student becomes "Inactive" in MMS, we retain account records (so the Student can return without re-entering everything) but stop sending marketing communications. We will delete an Inactive account on request, subject to records we are required to keep (e.g., transaction records, tax records, mandated reporting records).
  • Transaction and tax records: retained as long as required by tax and accounting laws.
  • Security camera footage: retained per the camera platform's default retention window, unless we preserve a specific clip in connection with an incident.
  • Communications: retained for a reasonable business period; we may delete or archive older messages.

Employee-side records (background-check reports, personnel files) are handled under the Employee Handbook and FCRA, not this Privacy Policy.

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8. Information Security

We use commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information. Examples:

  • Password hygiene. Sound Music employees use unique passwords and two-factor authentication on every system that supports it.
  • Access control. Admins handle student PII on a company-issued device. Teachers access only the data needed to teach (their assigned students).
  • Encryption in transit. Our websites use HTTPS. MMS and Stripe encrypt data in transit.
  • No card storage at Sound Music. Card information is stored at Stripe under PCI-DSS standards; Sound Music never holds raw card numbers.
  • Vendor selection. We choose vendors that maintain reasonable security practices appropriate to the data they handle.

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

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9. Breach Notification

If Sound Music experiences a security incident that compromises personal information in a way that triggers a notification obligation under New Jersey or federal law, we will notify affected individuals and applicable authorities consistent with that obligation. Notification will be made in the most expedient time practicable and without unreasonable delay.

To date, Sound Music has not experienced a notifiable breach.

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10. Sharing Your Information

We share personal information only as described in this Policy. Specifically:

  • Service providers. With the third-party vendors listed in §3, who process information on our behalf to provide their service to us.
  • Legal requirements. With law enforcement, government authorities, or other parties where we believe disclosure is required by law, subpoena, or court order, or where disclosure is necessary to comply with mandatory child-protection or other statutory reporting obligations.
  • Protection of rights, property, or safety. To investigate or prevent fraud, violations of our agreements, or threats to the safety of any person.
  • With your consent. Where you have consented to the sharing (e.g., a Photo and Media Release).
  • Business transfers. In the event of a merger, sale of assets, financing, or acquisition, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy or its successor.

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for their own marketing or any other purpose.

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11. Marketing Communications and Opt-Out

If you have opted in to receive Sound Music newsletters, promotions, or marketing communications, you may opt out at any time by doing one or more of the following:

  • Click the unsubscribe link in any marketing email.
  • Email the office and ask to be removed from the list.
  • Change your communication preferences in MMS.

Opting out of marketing doesn't stop transactional communications (lesson reminders, scheduling, billing) that we send as part of providing the service.

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12. International Users

Our services are provided from the United States and intended for users in the United States. If you access our websites from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

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13. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email to active families and posted on each studio's website at least thirty (30) days before the effective date, where the change increases the scope of data we collect or share. Continued use of our services after the effective date is acceptance of the updated Policy.

The "Last Updated" date at the top of this Policy indicates when this Policy was most recently revised.

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14. Contact

Privacy questions, access requests, deletion requests, and other Privacy Policy matters:

Collingswood Sound Music LLC

417 Champion Ave., Collingswood, NJ 08107

office@collingswoodsound.com

856-202-3949

For matters specific to one of our studios:

  • Collingswood Sound Music: office@collingswoodsound.com
  • Haddonfield Sound Music: office@haddonfieldsound.com
  • Merchantville Sound Music: office@merchantvillesound.com
  • Sound Music NJ (cross-studio): office@soundmusicnj.com