Terms of Use

Last updated: 5 August 2026

These Terms of Use govern access to Akumudzi Bwaiz, our website, music player, download services, artist profiles, professional artist portal, customer accounts, digital release store, submission services and related features. By using the platform, creating an account, submitting music or making a purchase, you agree to these terms.

1. Who we are

Akumudzi Bwaiz is an administrator-curated Malawian music platform. We provide music discovery, authorised streaming previews, approved downloads, digital release sales, artist profiles, rights records, royalty statements and payout administration. We do not claim ownership of music merely because it appears on the platform.

Music must be supplied by the artist, copyright owner, producer, label or another person who has authority to grant us the necessary permissions. We do not scrape music from other websites.

2. Account types

We operate three account types:

Administrator accounts, which control the platform and review artists, music, rights, content, transactions and payouts.
Professional artist accounts, which are created and activated only by an administrator after identity and rights checks.
Customer or listener accounts, which may be created by members of the public for listening, purchases and download access.

You must provide accurate information and keep your login credentials secure. You are responsible for activity carried out through your account unless you promptly report unauthorised access. We may suspend an account where there is fraud, abuse, a legal complaint, a security risk or a breach of these terms.

3. Music submissions and artist services

An artist or representative may begin through our official submission form or approved WhatsApp channel. Service fees are displayed before payment. The current standard prices are MWK 5,000 for artist account setup, MWK 2,000 for one song, MWK 25,000 for an EP and MWK 38,000 for an album, unless the administrator publishes a different price.

Payment for an artist service covers administration, review and catalogue preparation. It does not guarantee publication, approval, promotion, sales, streams, advertising revenue or a particular royalty amount.

We may reject or delay a submission where files are incomplete, audio quality is unsuitable, artwork is copied, identity cannot be verified, ownership is unclear, contributor percentages are incomplete, a beat licence is missing, a sample is not cleared, another website tag is present, or a credible dispute exists.

4. Rights and permissions granted to us

The submitting rights holder must have authority to grant the platform a non-exclusive licence, for the agreed territory and term, to:

host and securely store the submitted files;
create technical previews, compressed files, artwork sizes, metadata and download packages;
stream approved previews;
provide approved free downloads;
sell approved releases where a price has been agreed;
display artist names, artwork, credits and release information;
market the approved release and artist profile; and
maintain transaction, usage, rights and royalty records.

Copyright remains with the relevant rights holders. The submitting party warrants that the master, composition, beat, samples, artwork, names, photographs and other submitted material can lawfully be used for the agreed purpose.

5. Contributor splits

Master ownership and composition ownership are separate. Each set of percentages must total exactly 100 percent before publication. We may require signed split sheets and supporting documents.

We calculate platform sales and funded streaming-pool allocations using the approved records stored on the platform. We do not resolve complex ownership disputes as a court. When a genuine dispute is raised, we may suspend streaming, downloads, advertising and sales until the parties provide sufficient evidence or a binding decision.

6. Listening and downloads

You may listen through the platform for personal and lawful use. You must not manipulate plays, operate bots, loop muted audio, create device farms, interfere with counters or attempt to generate false royalties.

A free or paid download gives access to the delivered digital file. It does not transfer copyright, public-performance rights, broadcasting rights, synchronisation rights, resale rights or commercial-use rights unless a separate written licence expressly grants them.

You must not remove credits or ownership notices, falsely claim authorship, redistribute paid files, sell copies or upload the files to another download website without permission.

7. Purchases and payments

Prices are shown in Malawi kwacha unless stated otherwise. Payments are processed through the payment provider shown at checkout. We verify the transaction reference, status, currency and expected amount before delivering paid content.

A purchase is complete only after the platform confirms payment. A pending payment does not create ownership or download rights. Provider delays may affect confirmation time.

We may correct obvious pricing or catalogue errors before fulfilment. Where payment has already been taken and the purchase cannot lawfully be fulfilled, we will apply the refund policy and record the transaction transparently.

8. Royalties and payouts

Artist balances are based on ledger entries, not visible counters alone. Sales, provider fees, platform commission, taxes where applicable, funded streaming pools, refunds, adjustments and payouts are recorded separately.

Google AdSense income is not automatically credited to artists. Any artist revenue-sharing programme must identify its funding source and calculation rules in writing.

The default payout threshold is MWK 250,000 unless the administrator publishes a different threshold. Payouts may be delayed by incomplete identity checks, incorrect destination details, provider checks, refunds, fraud review or an active rights dispute.

9. Copyright complaints

A rights holder may use our copyright-claim form to identify the protected work, affected URL, ownership basis, evidence and requested action. We may temporarily remove or restrict content while reviewing a credible complaint.

The uploader may be asked to respond with evidence. False, misleading or abusive complaints may lead to account restrictions and may expose the complainant to legal responsibility.

10. Acceptable use

You must not:

break the law or encourage unlawful activity;
upload malware or attack the website;
bypass security, payment or download controls;
submit stolen music, copied artwork or false documents;
impersonate another person or artist;
harass, threaten or defame users or staff;
manipulate streams, advertising or royalties; or
use automated extraction tools without written permission.

11. Availability and changes

We work to keep the platform available, but we do not promise uninterrupted access. Maintenance, hosting failure, network problems, provider outages, legal notices or security incidents may temporarily affect service.

We may update these terms prospectively. The current version and update date will be published on this page. Material changes should be communicated through the website or account notices.

12. Liability

To the extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for indirect losses, lost opportunities, expected popularity, expected advertising income or disputes caused by inaccurate information supplied by a user or rights holder. Nothing in these terms excludes a right or responsibility that cannot lawfully be excluded under Malawi law.

13. Governing framework and contact

These terms are governed by the applicable laws of Malawi, including copyright, consumer, electronic-transactions and data-protection requirements. Questions, complaints and formal notices may be submitted through our official contact page. Nothing in these terms removes a right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded.