Music commissions are made to order, which means the studio sets time aside for your project and writes material that did not exist before. This policy explains how money is handled when a commission changes shape, pauses, or stops before the song is finished. It is written to be fair to both sides rather than to protect one of them.
The deposit
A commission is reserved with a deposit, which holds your slot in the writing schedule. The deposit is set out in your written quote. It exists because the studio turns away other work for the period your commission occupies, and because the first stages of writing begin immediately after the direction note is agreed.
Before writing begins
If you cancel before the direction note is agreed, the deposit is returned in full, less nothing: no music has been written, so there is nothing to charge for. This is the cleanest point to change your mind, and we would rather you stop here than continue with a song you are unsure about.
During the melody and arrangement stages
Once writing has begun, the deposit covers the work already done. If you cancel at the melody stage, the deposit is retained and no balance is owed. If you cancel after the arrangement has been delivered, the deposit is retained and a proportion of the balance is owed, reflecting the arranging time already spent. The proportion is named in your quote so there is no argument later.
After the vocal is recorded
Where a session vocalist has recorded for your commission, their fee has been paid and a refund of that portion is not possible. Cancelling at this point means the deposit and the vocal cost are retained, and any balance for the mix is not owed. The studio will always tell you which stages are complete before you decide, so you know exactly what a cancellation costs at that moment.
If the studio stops the commission
If the studio is unable to finish your commission — through illness, an unavoidable scheduling failure, or because the brief turns out to be outside what we can do well — you receive a full refund of everything paid, and any partial work already completed is yours to keep. We would rather refund a commission than deliver something we cannot stand behind, and this clause is not a formality.
The finished song
Once the final files have been delivered and accepted, payments are not refunded. A finished song has been made to your brief and the writing time cannot be recovered. This is why revisions are built in before delivery: you hear the melody before the arrangement and the arrangement before the mix, so any dissatisfaction is dealt with while the song is still being made, not after it is handed over.
Extra rounds and extensions
Work that goes beyond the scope of your quote — additional revision rounds, a second arrangement from the same melody, a longer piece, an additional language version — is quoted as a separate item. It is paid for on the same terms as the original commission, and it is never added to your balance without your written agreement.
How refunds are made
Refunds are returned to the method that paid for the commission, within a reasonable period after the cancellation is confirmed in writing. Where a refund is partial, the written confirmation states how the figure was reached. If you believe a figure is wrong, tell us and we will walk through the schedule of work with you rather than leave it at a number.
How to ask
Cancellations and refund requests should be sent in writing to [email protected] and acknowledged by the studio. Every request is answered by the person handling your commission. The wider agreement around payment sits in the terms of service, and the choices about ownership are set out on the licensing and ownership page.