Refund Policy

Last updated: 1 May 2026

This Refund Policy explains when refunds are available on the AfroPublish platform, operated by Starlight Group SA (Pty) Ltd. It forms part of our Terms of Use. Where the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (“CPA”) applies to you, nothing in this Policy is intended to limit any remedy you have under that Act.

1. Overview

AfroPublish hosts three types of paid transaction:

• Subscriptions — recurring fees for paid plans (e.g. Pro, Label). Not currently enabled.
• Beat & licence purchases — one-off fees paid by Buyers to acquire a licence to a work.
• Distribution & service fees — fees for submitting releases or for ancillary services.

Different rules apply to each, set out below. Royalty payouts owed to Artists are not refunds — they are governed by clause 8 of our Terms of Use.

2. Subscription refunds

AfroPublish currently operates on a Free tier only. Paid subscription plans (Pro, Label) are marked “Coming Soon” and cannot be purchased at this time. No User has been or will be charged a subscription fee until our payment integration is enabled and the User actively selects and pays for a plan. As a result, there are presently no subscription refunds to issue.

When paid plans become available, the following will apply:

• You may cancel a paid subscription at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.
• Subscription fees already paid for completed billing periods are generally non-refundable, save where required by law.
• If you cancel within 14 days of your first paid subscription and have not used any paid-tier feature in that period, you may request a full refund of that first payment.
• We may, at our discretion, issue a pro-rata refund where you cancel mid-period due to a material outage, a service we have committed to but failed to deliver, or another reason recognised by the CPA.

3. Beat & licence purchases

When a Buyer purchases a licence to a work on the Platform, the licence files (audio, stems, contract) become available for download immediately. Because licences are digital goods that are consumed/used as soon as they are downloaded, licence purchases are generally final and non-refundable.

We will, however, consider refund requests in the following cases:

• Files are corrupt or missing — if the audio stems or contract delivered are not in line with the listing, we will work with the Artist to redeliver the files. Where redelivery is not possible, we will refund the licence fee.
• Duplicate purchase — if you accidentally purchase the same licence twice, contact us within 14 days and we will refund the duplicate.
• Rights dispute upheld — if a third party establishes that the Artist did not have the right to grant the licence and the licence is consequently invalidated, we will refund the Buyer and recover the corresponding amount from the Artist’s balance.
• Unauthorised payment — where you can show that a payment was made without your authorisation (e.g. a card was used fraudulently), we will refund subject to verification and any applicable processor rules.

Where a refund is paid to a Buyer, the corresponding amount is reversed from the Artist’s balance, including any platform fee already credited to us.

4. Distribution submissions

Once a release has been submitted to our Distribution Partner for delivery to DSPs, fees paid for that submission are non-refundable. This is because:

• We incur costs with the Distribution Partner regardless of whether DSPs ultimately accept the release;
• Some DSPs apply per-delivery fees that cannot be reversed;
• Catalogue, ISRC and UPC assignments are immediately consumed.

If a release is rejected by all DSPs because of a defect in our Platform (rather than your metadata, artwork or rights), we will refund the submission fee or credit your account.

5. Royalty & payout corrections

We rely on royalty data reported by DSPs and Distribution Partners, which is sometimes restated, corrected or reversed (for example where DSPs claw back fraudulent streams). If a royalty amount is restated:

• A correcting entry is recorded against your AfroPublish balance and shown on your next statement;
• Where you have already been paid out an amount that is later reversed, the deficit is offset against future royalties; if no future royalties are forthcoming, we may invoice you for the shortfall.

If you believe a statement is wrong, contact us within 90 days of the statement date and we will investigate and correct any genuine errors.

6. Chargebacks

If you initiate a chargeback rather than contacting us first, we reserve the right to:

• Suspend your account pending the outcome of the chargeback;
• Recover the disputed amount, plus any chargeback fee charged by the payment processor, from your account balance or via invoice; and
• Refuse future use of the Platform where chargebacks are repeated or appear fraudulent.

We strongly encourage you to contact us at billing@afropublish.com before raising a chargeback so we can resolve the issue directly.

7. How to request a refund

1. Email billing@afropublish.com from the email address linked to your account.
2. Include the transaction ID (or the order number visible in your dashboard), the date of the transaction, and the reason for the refund.
3. Attach any supporting evidence (e.g. screenshots of corrupt files).
4. We aim to respond within 5 business days. Approved refunds are processed back to the original payment method, typically within 10 business days after approval (subject to payment processor timelines).

8. Contact

Starlight Group SA (Pty) Ltd
Billing: billing@afropublish.com
General support: support@afropublish.com