Privacy Policy

Last updated: 31 August 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Pauzeradio collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when people visit Pauzeradio.com, create or use an account, access or download content, vote in Pauzeradio charts, submit radio shows or playlists, request advertising or publishing services, submit material for review, or otherwise contact or interact with Pauzeradio.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Gav Pauze trading as Pauzeradio is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

Data controller: Gav Pauze trading as Pauzeradio
Trading name: Pauzeradio
Privacy email: [email protected]
Postal address: 22 Lakeman Way, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. TN4 9LB.

2. Pauzeradio account types

Pauzeradio operates private accounts for different types of users. A single person may have more than one role or permission depending on how they use Pauzeradio.

Reader / Listener accounts

Reader / Listener accounts are private consumer accounts for people who use Pauzeradio content. They may be used to access or download free content, download radio shows, vote in Pauzeradio charts, view voting and download history, manage a private profile, view recent account activity, and manage account settings.

Reader / Listener profiles are not visible to other users or to the public. They may be viewed by the account holder and authorised Pauzeradio administrators where necessary to operate, administer or secure the service.

DJ Contributor accounts

DJ Contributor accounts are private contributor accounts used by DJs, presenters and other authorised contributors to submit shows, audio, playlists, tracklists, artwork and related material to Pauzeradio for editorial review. A DJ account is not a public profile and does not allow a contributor to publish directly to the website.

Pauzeradio retains editorial control over whether, when and how submitted DJ material is accepted, edited, scheduled or published.

Advertiser / Service Customer accounts

Advertiser / Service Customer accounts are private accounts used by people and organisations requesting Pauzeradio paid services. These include website advertising, single and album review submissions, artist biography submissions, press release submissions, event listings, Spotlight event listings and other commercial or publishing services offered by Pauzeradio.

3. Private profiles

Pauzeradio accounts may contain a private profile. Depending on the account type, a profile may include:

name, display name, DJ name or stage name;
avatar or profile image;
biography or About information;
website address;
Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, SoundCloud, Mixcloud or other social-media links;
account roles, permissions and preferences.

Private profile information is not automatically published. Only the account holder and authorised Pauzeradio administrators can view the private account profile unless information is separately submitted and approved for public publication.

4. Personal information we collect

The information collected depends on how a person uses Pauzeradio. It may include the following categories.

Account and identity information

name, display name, DJ or stage name;
email address;
account identifier, role and status;
profile information and avatar;
authentication information, account preferences, privacy settings and marketing choices or consent records.

Passwords should be protected using appropriate secure authentication methods and should not be available to Pauzeradio administrators as readable plain-text passwords.

Technical and security information

IP address;
browser and device information;
login dates and times;
security and access logs;
failed login information;
information used to detect abuse, fraud, manipulation or unauthorised access.

Correspondence and support information

messages sent to Pauzeradio;
support requests;
submission or order correspondence;
communications about account, security, editorial or service matters.

5. Account activity, downloads and voting

Pauzeradio may keep a private record of activity carried out through an account. This may be displayed in the account holder's private dashboard and may also be available to authorised Pauzeradio administrators.

votes submitted and voting history;
the releases, reviews or chart items voted on;
vote dates and relevant vote status;
free downloads and download history;
radio-show downloads;
advertising campaigns and service activity;
review, biography, press release and event submissions;
order and submission dates;
approval, review, campaign, payment or download status;
other recent account actions needed to provide account functionality.

Account activity is not publicly displayed. Pauzeradio uses this information to provide account history, administer services, respond to support requests, protect accounts and help maintain the integrity of voting and charts.

Voting integrity

Where a person votes in Pauzeradio charts, Pauzeradio may record the account, the item voted on, the vote or rating submitted, the date and time, and relevant IP or technical information necessary to detect duplicate, abusive or manipulated voting. Individual voting information is not intended to be publicly associated with the voter.

6. DJ contributor information

Where a DJ Contributor account is used, Pauzeradio may process:

real name where required;
DJ or stage name;
email and account information;
radio-show title and programme information;
uploaded audio files and show recordings;
playlists and tracklists;
artwork and images;
show descriptions and submission notes;
website and social-media links;
submission history, review status and related correspondence.

Submitting material does not cause it to be published automatically. DJ-uploaded files are stored on Pauzeradio website servers while awaiting editorial review. If accepted, the relevant files may be moved into the live website files and retained as part of the published content or editorial archive. If a submission is unsuitable or declined, the uploaded files are deleted once the review is complete and the material is no longer needed to deal with the submission. Pauzeradio retains editorial control over all material appearing publicly on Pauzeradio.

7. Advertising and service customer information

When advertising or another Pauzeradio publishing service is requested, Pauzeradio may collect and process information including:

customer and contact name;
email address;
artist, group, company, organisation or record-label name;
release title, date, genre and track or mix information;
listening, download, website and social-media links;
artwork, advertising banners, promotional images and event flyers;
biography text, press release text and event descriptions;
event venue, date, time, performers and ticket links;
background information and embargo dates;
campaign and submission information;
approval, order and payment status;
correspondence with Pauzeradio.

Private customer-account information remains separate from any material that Pauzeradio later chooses to publish.

8. Information about other people and public sources

Some submissions contain information about another person, such as an artist, DJ, performer, band member, event organiser or representative. This may include names, photographs, biographies, social-media links, professional contact details or other information intended for editorial review or publication.

People submitting this material must have appropriate authority or permission to provide it to Pauzeradio and, where relevant, for it to be published.

Pauzeradio may also obtain limited professional or public-facing information from publicly accessible sources when preparing or verifying editorial content, such as artist, label, event or official social-media pages, websites and press material. Where UK data protection law requires privacy information to be given to a person whose information was obtained indirectly, Pauzeradio will provide it unless a lawful exemption applies.

9. Review, approval and publication

Advertising and service submissions are manually reviewed by Pauzeradio. This includes advertising, music review submissions, biographies, press releases, event listings and other submitted promotional or editorial material. Nothing submitted through these services is published automatically.

Editorial approval: Submitting material does not guarantee publication. Pauzeradio retains editorial discretion and may approve, decline or request changes to submitted material.

Where a paid service requires approval, the customer is not charged merely for submitting material for review. Pauzeradio first reviews and verifies the submission. Payment is only taken after the submission has been accepted in accordance with the relevant service process. If the submission is declined before acceptance, the customer is not charged.

Detailed commercial, publication and submission conditions should be set out separately in Pauzeradio's Terms of Service / Submission Terms.

10. Payments through Stripe

All Pauzeradio payments are processed through Stripe.

Pauzeradio does not collect or store customers' full payment-card or bank-account details. Payment details are entered into and processed through Stripe's payment systems.

Pauzeradio may receive and retain limited transaction information needed to administer the service and maintain appropriate records, such as the service purchased, amount, transaction date, payment status, Stripe transaction or payment reference, and refund or cancellation status where applicable.

Stripe may process personal information for its own payment, fraud-prevention, compliance and service purposes in accordance with its applicable privacy information.

11. How we use personal information

Pauzeradio may use personal information to:

create, authenticate and maintain accounts;
provide private account profiles and activity history;
provide free downloads and maintain download history;
operate voting and maintain voting history;
calculate and administer Pauzeradio charts;
detect duplicate, abusive or manipulated voting;
receive and review DJ shows and playlists;
manage advertising and service submissions;
review biographies, press releases, music submissions and event listings;
decide whether material should be accepted or published;
process accepted services and Stripe payments;
maintain order, campaign and submission histories;
communicate with users and provide support;
administer, protect and secure the website and accounts;
prevent abuse and fraud;
maintain business, tax and accounting records;
analyse website performance where lawfully permitted;
comply with legal obligations.

12. Lawful bases

Different activities may rely on different lawful bases under UK data protection law.

Contract and steps before entering a contract

Pauzeradio may process information where necessary to provide an account or service requested by a user, or to take steps at the user's request before entering into a contract. This can include establishing an account, providing downloads and voting features, receiving a DJ submission, reviewing a proposed paid service, handling a submission and administering an accepted order.

Legitimate interests

Pauzeradio may rely on legitimate interests where necessary to operate and protect the service, provided those interests are not overridden by the individual's rights. Relevant interests may include account and website security, fraud and abuse prevention, maintaining account histories, protecting voting and chart integrity, moderation, editorial review, preventing misuse of downloads and maintaining Pauzeradio's publishing standards. Anonymous, aggregate audience statistics (see section 15) are also produced on the basis of Pauzeradio's legitimate interest in understanding readership and improving the website.

Legal obligation

Pauzeradio may process or retain information where required by law, including for tax, accounting, regulatory or legal purposes.

Consent

Where Pauzeradio relies on consent, this includes optional promotional email marketing, Google Analytics 4 and other non-essential cookies or third-party technologies where consent is required. Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Creating an account or requesting a service does not automatically amount to consent to unrelated marketing.

13. Required information and what happens if it is not provided

Some personal information is necessary to create an account, authenticate a user, review a submission, provide a requested service, contact the customer or meet legal obligations. Where information is marked as required, Pauzeradio may be unable to provide the relevant account feature, download, vote, submission or paid service if the information is not supplied.

14. Marketing and service messages

Pauzeradio may send necessary service-related communications about accounts, security, password changes, submissions, approval decisions, payments, orders, campaigns, downloads, DJ submissions and other services requested by the user. These operational messages are separate from optional marketing and may need to be sent even where a user has not opted into promotional emails.

Pauzeradio currently uses Brevo to send optional promotional email marketing. Marketing sign-up must be separate from account creation or service use, and users can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe option in marketing emails or another method provided by Pauzeradio. Pauzeradio may retain a record of marketing choices and opt-out requests so those choices can be respected. If Pauzeradio later replaces Brevo with its own email system or another provider, this policy will be updated.

Marketing: Pauzeradio will initially use Brevo for optional promotional email. Marketing must use a separate opt-in, and account creation, downloads, voting or paid service submissions must not automatically subscribe a user to promotional email.

15. Cookies, embeds and similar technologies

Pauzeradio uses cookies and similar technologies for login, account security, session management, user preferences and website functionality. Cloudflare may also process technical information needed to deliver and protect the website.

Pauzeradio uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for website analytics. GA4 is treated as a non-essential analytics service and is only activated after you have given the required cookie consent through the cookie banner. You can refuse or later withdraw that consent without losing access to the core website.

Pauzeradio also uses Matomo, software that runs on Pauzeradio's own server, to produce anonymous audience statistics. These show things like how many times a page, review, interview, article, audio item or download has been viewed, which countries visitors come from, which websites send visitors, and which devices and browsers are used. Matomo is set up so that it uses no cookies and no advertising identifiers, it is not shared with Google or any advertising network, and it does not follow you across other websites. IP addresses are shortened before they are stored and are used only for coarse, country-level location. We do not use Matomo to identify individuals, build profiles of visitors, or target advertising, and it does not record your name, email address or account details. Raw visit records are deleted after 90 days, while aggregated figures that do not identify anyone are kept so we can report readership over time. Pages used for administration, account management and payments are not measured.

You can switch off Matomo statistics at any time without losing access to anything: use the Cookie settings link in the website footer, turn off Anonymous Audience Statistics, and save. This choice is remembered in your browser using a single stored setting (no identifier) so it can be respected on your next visit. If you clear your browser data you will need to choose again. Matomo is separate from Google Analytics 4, which stays off unless you accept analytics cookies in the cookie banner.

Pauzeradio also uses YouTube videos as its third-party embedded video service, loaded in privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com). A separate Pauzeradio Cookie Policy identifies the cookies and technologies actually used on the live site and explains how you can change your choices.

16. Who receives personal information

Pauzeradio does not sell personal information.

Personal information may be made available where necessary to trusted organisations that help Pauzeradio operate the website and services. Current recipients and recipient categories include:

Hostinger — website and server hosting. Pauzeradio's primary website server is located in Manchester, United Kingdom;
Cloudflare — DNS, content delivery, website performance and security services;
Stripe — payment processing. Pauzeradio does not receive or store full payment-card or bank-account details;
Google Analytics 4 — website analytics, where you have given the required consent;
Google / YouTube — embedded YouTube video content;
Brevo — optional promotional email marketing and management of marketing preferences;
transactional email services or website mail infrastructure used to send account, security, submission and service messages;
website storage and backup infrastructure used to store account data, uploaded files and service records;
professional advisers where necessary;
public authorities where disclosure is legally required.

Where another organisation processes personal information on Pauzeradio's behalf, Pauzeradio ensures appropriate contractual and security arrangements are in place.

17. Published information

Pauzeradio is a publishing and broadcasting website. Some information is submitted specifically so that it can be considered for public publication. This can include artist biographies, press releases, music reviews, advertising, event listings, DJ or radio-show information, playlists, tracklists, artwork, promotional photographs, website links and social-media links.

Publication occurs only where Pauzeradio has chosen to approve the material. Private account information and private account activity are not made public merely because a user separately submits material for publication.

18. Retention

Pauzeradio keeps personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, taking account of account functionality, voting integrity, security, editorial administration, legal obligations, accounting requirements and the need to resolve disputes. The criteria below are used rather than retaining information indefinitely.

Different records may have different retention periods, including:

active account information — while the account remains active and until the user deletes the account or the information is otherwise no longer needed;
closed or deleted account information — private profile and account data are permanently deleted from the live account system through the self-service deletion process, subject to limited records that must be retained for legal, accounting, security, fraud-prevention or legal-claims purposes;
voting history — while needed to provide the account's voting history, administer charts, audit voting integrity, prevent manipulation and resolve disputes; after that it is deleted or anonymised;
download history — while needed to provide private download history, administer free-download access, investigate misuse or provide support; it is deleted with the account unless a limited record is still required for security or legal reasons;
IP and security logs — only for as long as reasonably necessary to protect accounts and systems, investigate abuse, prevent fraud and deal with security incidents, with retention reviewed periodically;
DJ submissions and audio files — while a submission is awaiting review. Declined or unsuitable uploaded files are deleted after review when no longer needed. Accepted files may be retained as part of live website content and the associated editorial record;
declined advertising and service submissions — only for as long as needed to record the decision, deal with questions or disputes, protect against repeated abuse, or meet legal requirements, after which unnecessary files and personal information are deleted;
published submission records — while the content remains published or while Pauzeradio reasonably needs an editorial or administrative record of the publication;
advertising and service-order records — for as long as needed to provide and administer the service and afterwards where required for accounting, tax, dispute-resolution or legal purposes;
correspondence — for as long as reasonably needed to deal with the enquiry, account, submission, service or dispute and any appropriate follow-up;
financial and accounting records — for the applicable period required by UK tax, accounting or other law;
backups — according to Pauzeradio's technical backup cycle. Deleted live account data may remain temporarily in routine backups until those backups are overwritten or expire, but backups are not used to recreate a voluntarily deleted account except where required for disaster recovery or law.

19. Account closure and deletion

Users can permanently delete their Pauzeradio account using the self-service account deletion button in the account area. Once the deletion process is completed, the private account, profile and associated live account data are deleted and are not recoverable through the account system.

Account deletion does not require Pauzeradio to erase information that must still be retained for a legal obligation, accounting, fraud prevention, security, dispute resolution, the establishment or defence of legal claims, or another lawful reason. Public material that was separately submitted and legitimately published is not automatically removed merely because the private account is deleted; you can contact Pauzeradio if you have a concern about personal information in published content.

Where information no longer has a lawful or necessary purpose, Pauzeradio will delete or anonymise it in line with the retention criteria in this policy.

20. Security

Pauzeradio takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or destruction. The primary Pauzeradio website server is located in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Access to private account information is limited to the account holder, authorised Pauzeradio administrators and service providers where access is genuinely necessary, with appropriate access controls, secure authentication, software updates, backups and incident procedures.

21. International transfers

Pauzeradio's primary website hosting is in the United Kingdom, but some service providers — including Cloudflare, Stripe, Google/YouTube and Brevo — may process or make personal information accessible from countries outside the United Kingdom as part of their services. Where a restricted international transfer takes place, Pauzeradio will use or rely on an appropriate mechanism permitted by UK data protection law, such as UK adequacy regulations, an approved contractual safeguard or another lawful transfer arrangement, and will review provider terms and transfer information as required.

22. Automated decision-making

Pauzeradio does not use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on users. Technical systems may automatically identify or flag suspicious account, security, download or voting activity, but publication decisions and editorial approval of advertising, DJ material and paid service submissions remain under Pauzeradio control.

23. Sensitive information

Pauzeradio does not generally require users to provide special category personal information, such as information about health, religion, political opinions, ethnicity, sexual orientation or similar sensitive matters, in order to create an ordinary account or use standard services.

Biographies, press releases, editorial material or correspondence may occasionally contain such information. You should not submit sensitive information about yourself or another person unless it is genuinely relevant and you have a lawful basis or appropriate authority to do so. Pauzeradio may remove, reject or seek clarification about sensitive information where necessary.

24. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis used, you may have rights including:

the right to be informed about how personal information is used;
the right to request access to personal information;
the right to request correction of inaccurate information;
the right to request erasure in certain circumstances;
the right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
the right to data portability where applicable;
the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
rights relating to certain automated decision-making where applicable.

Requests can be sent to Pauzeradio using the privacy contact details in section 29. Pauzeradio may need to verify the requester's identity before responding.

25. Your right to object

Important right: You have the right to object to certain processing based on legitimate interests and an absolute right to object to direct marketing. Use the privacy contact details in section 29 or the unsubscribe option in promotional emails.

Where Pauzeradio relies on legitimate interests, you may have the right to object to that processing. You also have an absolute right to object to personal information being used for direct marketing.

26. Complaints

If you have concerns about how Pauzeradio uses personal information, please contact Pauzeradio first so the issue can be investigated.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection.

27. Children and age limits

Pauzeradio accounts are restricted to people aged 18 or over. Do not create a Reader / Listener, DJ Contributor or Advertiser / Service Customer account if you are under 18. Pauzeradio does not knowingly provide account services to children. If Pauzeradio becomes aware that an account has been created by someone under 18, the account may be closed and the associated personal information deleted where appropriate.

28. Changes to this policy

Pauzeradio may update this Privacy Policy when services, technology, providers or legal obligations change. The current version will be published on Pauzeradio.com with the date of the latest update. Where a change materially affects registered users, Pauzeradio may also notify affected users through their account or by email where appropriate.

29. Contact us

Questions, requests or concerns about this Privacy Policy or personal information can be sent to:

Pauzeradio / Data Controller: Gav Pauze trading as Pauzeradio
Privacy email: [email protected]
Postal address: 22 Lakeman Way, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. TN4 9LB.