Legal

Terms of Use & Content Guidelines

Last updated: September 5, 2026

VRC Downbeat is a free, open-source app for playing music together online. These terms cover the app, the official Downbeat Server (the relay behind room codes) and the optional live-streaming service. By using them you agree to the rules below. They are deliberately short — the goal is to keep jam sessions a good place for everyone.

How your data is handled is described separately in the Privacy Policy.

The short version

Only share music, files, chat and voice you have the right to share.
Be decent to the people in your room: no harassment, hate, threats or sexual content.
Recordings and live streams can contain other people — tell your band and ask before you publish.
Report problems to [email protected]; rooms, room codes and streaming accounts can be closed or blocked.
The app and services are provided free of charge and as is.

1. Who is behind it

VRC Downbeat, vrcdownbeat.org, the Downbeat Server and the streaming endpoint are operated by Maik Neugebauer, an independent open-source developer ([email protected]). The project is not affiliated with VRChat Inc., VB-Audio Software or Microsoft.

2. The software

The app is free software licensed under the GNU General Public License v3. Its source code is available on GitHub. The license governs what you may do with the software itself; these terms govern the use of the online services. If you install the app from the Microsoft Store, Microsoft’s store terms additionally apply to the download and installation.

3. The online services

The Downbeat Server relays end-to-end encrypted sessions between a host and their musicians; the streaming endpoint publishes a host’s mix as a public audio stream (by invitation only). Both are run as a hobby project, free of charge. They may be changed, interrupted or discontinued at any time and without notice, for example for maintenance or to stop abuse. If you need a service that cannot go down, host directly via your own IP address — the app supports that without any server of ours.

There are no user accounts. Only live streaming requires a personal invitation, which is tied to a user name and a stream key that you must keep to yourself.

4. Your content and your responsibility

Everything you bring into a session is yours and stays yours: backing tracks and stems, your performance, your voice, chat messages, files, recordings and streams. Because it is yours, you are also responsible for it:

Only share audio and files you own or are licensed to use. Commercial backing tracks and stems are usually licensed for personal use — check whether your license covers sharing them with your band, recording, or broadcasting them into VRChat or a public stream.
Live streams are public. Anyone with the listener link can hear them. Do not stream content you are not allowed to broadcast.
The host can record a session. Recordings can contain other participants’ performances and voices. Tell your band before recording and get their consent before you publish a recording anywhere.
Do not use the services to store or move files that have nothing to do with a jam session.

Sessions are end-to-end encrypted, so we cannot see, filter or pre-approve what you share. We also do not claim any rights to it.

5. Content guidelines

Inside rooms, in chat, over voice, in shared files and in live streams the following is not allowed:

Harassment, bullying, threats or deliberately disrupting other people’s sessions (for example joining a room only to make noise, spam or troll).
Hate speech or discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or similar characteristics.
Sexual or pornographic content, and any sexualised content involving minors.
Content that promotes violence, terrorism or self-harm.
Illegal content, including copyrighted material you have no right to share.
Malware, phishing, scams or files intended to harm other participants’ computers.
Sharing other people’s personal data (names, addresses, IP addresses, recordings) without their consent, or impersonating another person.
Trying to break into other rooms, guess room passwords, attack the relay or bypass technical limits.

Room hosts are responsible for their room: as host you can remove anyone at any time and should do so when someone breaks these rules. Musicians are free to leave any room at any time. When you stream the band into VRChat, VRChat’s own terms and community guidelines apply there as well.

6. Reporting and enforcement

If you experience or witness a violation, email [email protected] or contact marokugrim on Discord. Include what happened, when (date and time with time zone), the room code and the display name involved, and — if you have them — screenshots or a recording. Because sessions are encrypted we cannot look inside them, so your report is what we work from. Reports are handled personally and as quickly as a one-person project allows.

Depending on the case we may: warn the person involved, close a room, block room codes or display names on the relay, revoke a streaming invitation, take a public stream offline, or — for illegal content — pass the information on to the competent authorities. Content that is only stored on your own PC (songs, recordings) is yours to delete; we cannot and do not access it.

7. Age

You must be at least 13 years old to use the online services (room codes and live streaming). If you are under the age of digital consent in your country, please use them only with the permission of a parent or guardian.

8. No warranty, limitation of liability

The app and the online services are provided free of charge and “as is”, without any warranty of availability, fitness for a particular purpose or freedom from errors. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for damage arising from their use — in particular not for lost recordings, interrupted sessions or streams, or for content that other participants share. Nothing in these terms limits liability for intent, gross negligence or injury to life, body or health where such limits are not permitted by applicable law.

9. Third-party software and services

To act as a virtual microphone for VRChat, the app uses the free VB-CABLE driver by VB-Audio Software. The app does not bundle or install it; the Get VB-CABLE button simply opens the official download page, and installing the driver is subject to VB-Audio’s own license. The same applies to VRChat and to any plugins or apps you route through VRC Downbeat.

10. Changes

These terms may be updated when the app or the services change. The current version is always available at vrcdownbeat.org/terms.html. Continued use of the online services after an update means you accept the updated terms.