Created by Sharada Audio

songScout is created by Sharada Audio, an audio-focused product studio building software for deeper music discovery and careful listening.

Sharada Software & Systems Services LLC does business as Sharada Audio and develops songScout from Frisco, TX.

Why songScout exists

songScout is built for listeners who want a more intuitive and lasting way to discover music.

Instead of treating discovery as a disposable list of suggestions, songScout starts from something you care about, such as an artist, album, genre, instrument, or local-library cue, then follows musical relationships toward records worth hearing closely.

Music metadata foundation

songScout uses MusicBrainz as an important source for seed music metadata, including artist, release, recording, label, area, and relationship data that helps ground discovery routes.

MusicBrainz is an open music encyclopedia maintained by MetaBrainz and a global contributor community. We are grateful for the public music metadata work that makes projects like songScout possible.

MusicBrainz data is one foundation layer. songScout's listening experience, curated paths, local library features, search, account features, and app interface are built by songScout and Sharada Audio.

The listening point of view

Sharada Audio comes from a hands-on love of sound, music systems, materials, and careful listening.

songScout brings that same listening-first mindset into software: the product is meant to help listeners find routes, records, players, scenes, local matches, and textures that make music feel alive again.

Acceptance

By using songScout, you agree to these Terms and to any policy linked from them. If you do not agree, do not use the app.

These Terms are a product baseline and should be reviewed with counsel before production launch.

Accounts and access

songScout may use passwordless email sign-in through Auth0 on web/PWA surfaces and iOS-appropriate account handling in the native app. You are responsible for keeping access to your email account and devices secure.

We may treat actions taken from a valid signed-in session, trusted install identity, or local app session as actions taken by that account or install.

Trial and paid access

New browser identities, PWA installations, or native app installations may receive 5-day risk-free trial access where enabled. After that, full access may require web payment for web/PWA use or native purchase handling for the iOS app when available.

Access, history, and paid-state features may depend on browser storage, install identity, account status, backend storage, native app storage, and provider availability.

Subscriptions and billing

Web/PWA paid subscriptions are currently processed by PayPal unless another provider is added later. Native iOS purchases should use Apple's in-app purchase system when enabled.

Pricing, billing interval, renewal details, cancellation, paid-through access, failed payment handling, and refund handling are shown before purchase or described in the Subscription, Cancellation, and Refund Policy.

Discovery and local-library content

songScout provides music discovery routes, recommendations, local-library matching, editorial context, and AI-assisted summaries. The app may be incomplete, incorrect, or change over time.

Music names, releases, external links, local metadata matches, and recommendations are provided for discovery and informational use only.

Acceptable use

Do not misuse the service, bypass access or quota controls, attack the app, scrape it at unreasonable volume, or use it to infringe rights.

We may suspend or restrict access when activity appears abusive, fraudulent, harmful, or inconsistent with these Terms.

External services

songScout may link to Apple services, PayPal, Auth0, TIDAL, Spotify, YouTube, MusicBrainz, and other third-party services. Those services are governed by their own terms and policies.

We are not responsible for third-party sites, apps, purchases, content, or account actions.

Availability and changes

The service may change, pause, or be unavailable. We may update features, access rules, prices, pages, policies, app builds, and provider integrations.

Questions about these Terms can be sent to hello@songscout.app.

Information we collect

Account data: email address, authentication subject, local session id, login device or app-surface details, and session timestamps.

Guest and usage data: signed guest identifiers, install identifiers, coarse browser/device/app signals, route history, journey usage, trial/access state, theme choice, and app diagnostics.

Billing data: subscription identifiers, selected plan, subscription status, paid-through timestamps, payment status signals, store/provider transaction signals, and billing session records when paid access is enabled.

Support data: messages and contact details you provide when requesting help.

Local library data: selected sources, local index rows, playback queue, saved tracks, playback history, playlists, selected renderer state, and local cue/enrichment results may be stored in browser/PWA storage or native app storage on your device.

How we use information

We use this information to run the app, authenticate users, enforce access rules, restore journeys, maintain local library features, process subscriptions, prevent abuse, troubleshoot issues, and improve the product.

We do not sell personal information. We do not use advertising cookies in the current implementation.

Bridge, NAS, and local network privacy

songScout Bridge is a local Windows companion that runs on your computer so the installed app can discover UPnP/DLNA music libraries, browse local folders, index local music metadata, and send playback to home-network renderers.

The Bridge control API is intended for localhost. Local music files stay on your computer or home network. songScout does not upload your music files, NAS addresses, private IP addresses, playable NAS URLs, ContentDirectory URLs, object IDs, folder paths, private playlist or folder names, renderer identities, or full local catalog rows to songScout cloud services.

Native app local-library features are designed around the same rule: local paths, private network addresses, renderer details, and playable local URLs stay on the device unless a feature explicitly says otherwise.

Optional AI-assisted enrichment

Optional AI-assisted local library enhancement is designed to send only privacy-safe public music metadata, such as artist names, album names, track titles, public identifiers, and bounded counts, when the feature is enabled.

Private NAS URLs, folder paths, renderer identifiers, local file organization, and playable local URLs are not sent to AI prompts or global cache.

Service providers

songScout uses third-party providers to operate the service, including Auth0 for authentication, Microsoft Azure services for hosting, storage, search, and AI-assisted processing, PayPal for web/PWA subscription payments, and Apple services for iOS distribution and native purchases when enabled.

When you open external music, store, authentication, or payment links, those third-party services may receive information under their own policies.

Storage and retention

Guest access, account-session, quota, billing, and app-state records may be stored server-side. Browser storage and native app storage are used for local restore, theme, app continuity, local library indexes, and cached app state.

Retention periods may differ by data type. Guest identity and trial/access cleanup is designed around the active access window plus a grace period. Paid, auth, billing, and server-state records use separate retention rules.

Your choices

You can clear browser storage, delete native app data, sign out, cancel paid subscriptions through the relevant provider, or contact support for account questions.

To request access, correction, deletion, or privacy help, contact hello@songscout.app.

Children

songScout is not intended for children under 13. Do not use the app if you are not old enough to consent to these policies in your location.

Website and PWA cookies

songscout_guest_id helps keep trial/access and browser-session continuity stable.

songscout_route_hint stores only the current app path for a short period so a fresh Shiny session, reconnect, or installed PWA launch can restore the visible route before browser storage finishes loading.

songscout_auth_session keeps a signed-in account session active for the configured local session period.

songscout_auth_passwordless stores short-lived email OTP pending state so the OTP screen can survive PWA reconnects.

songscout_auth_upgrade_nudge and songscout_payment_status_notice may be used as short-lived notice flags after sign-in, checkout, billing, or account-status flows.

Browser and PWA storage

localStorage, sessionStorage, IndexedDB, and service worker caches may store theme choice, route state, recent journeys, journey graph state, app-state checkpoints, source setup state, local library indexes, AI/cache hints, auth-session hints, and external provider handoff state.

This storage supports PWA continuity, local library browsing, playback, and route restoration. Clearing it can remove local history, source setup, library indexes, or visual preferences, but server-side access and account records may remain.

Native app storage

The native iOS app may use Keychain, UserDefaults, SQLite, local files, caches, and system-provided storage for API keys in internal builds, guest/install identifiers, preferences, recent state, NAS source settings, renderer choices, diagnostics, and on-device library indexes.

Deleting the app removes its local app data from the device, subject to normal iOS backup and restore behavior.

Legacy cookie cleanup

Older builds may have used legacy cookies such as client_unique_id or socialDapr_user_folder .

Current songScout builds do not use those legacy cookies for new tracking; they may clear them during startup migration.

Third-party services

Auth0, PayPal, Apple, and external music services may set their own cookies or storage when you use authentication, checkout, store purchase, management, or external music flows.

External services are governed by their own policies.

Managing storage

You can block or clear cookies and browser storage in your browser settings. You can use native app controls or operating-system controls to remove app data. Some features, including sign-in, trial continuity, PWA resume, journey restore, local library, and playback setup, may stop working correctly if storage is disabled or cleared.

For storage or cookie questions, contact hello@songscout.app.

Paid plan

The paid plan unlocks full app access after any risk-free trial. Current pricing, billing interval, renewal terms, and included journey quota are shown before purchase.

Monthly and yearly options may be offered. Yearly pricing may include an annual discount when shown in the app.

Payment processors

PayPal processes the current web/PWA subscription checkout and payment management flow. Native iOS purchases should use Apple's in-app purchase system when enabled.

songScout does not store card numbers, Apple account credentials, or PayPal account credentials. A paid entitlement is attached to the signed-in songScout account or app entitlement record after the backend verifies the provider status.

Renewal and status checks

Subscriptions renew according to the billing interval selected with the purchase provider. songScout periodically checks subscription status and may also check when you ask for a manual status refresh.

Access is based on the app-owned entitlement record reconciled from provider status, not on browser route state, native app state, or local storage alone.

Cancellation

You can cancel or manage the subscription with the purchase provider. After cancellation, paid access should remain available through any already-paid period when the provider reports a valid paid-through date.

When the paid-through period ends, the account returns to the applicable non-paid access state unless a new subscription becomes active.

Failed payments and suspended subscriptions

If a provider reports failed payment, suspension, expiry, or cancellation, songScout may show an account notice and limit future paid access after the paid-through period expires.

Where an already-paid period is still active, songScout is designed to keep access through that period when the provider data supports it.

Refunds

Refund requests are handled case by case and may also depend on the purchase provider's own tools and rules. Apple purchases use Apple's refund tools and rules. PayPal may provide buyer tools or subscription controls under PayPal's own rules.

For subscription or refund questions, contact hello@songscout.app with the account email and any non-sensitive subscription reference.

How do I keep playback from stopping when the computer sleeps?

Bridge runs on this Windows computer. If the computer sleeps, Bridge cannot keep serving local files or controlling home-network players.

On Windows 11, open Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts. For plugged-in listening sessions, set sleep to Never or a long enough timeout for the session. The screen may turn off, but the computer should stay awake.

On laptops, use longer battery sleep settings only when you are comfortable with the battery impact. Plugging in the computer is the most reliable setup for long listening.

How do I allow songScout Bridge on my home network?

Use a trusted home Wi-Fi or Ethernet network and keep Windows network profile set to Private for that network when you want NAS discovery or network-player playback.

If Windows asks whether to allow songScoutBridge through the firewall, allow it on Private networks. Leave Public unchecked unless you intentionally understand and accept the broader exposure.

If you missed the prompt, open Windows Security > Firewall & network protection > Allow an app through firewall > Change settings. Add or enable songScoutBridge, then make sure Private is checked.

What should I check if Bridge is not detected?

Open songScout Bridge first, then return to songScout and choose Check Bridge in Sources or in the playback help modal.

If Bridge was installed from Microsoft Store, restart it from Start after a reboot. If you use the ZIP fallback, run songScoutBridge.exe from the same extracted folder each time so Windows can remember the firewall permission.

If the app still cannot reach Bridge, close duplicate Bridge windows, reopen Bridge, then use Hard refresh in the left rail.

Why is my speaker or player not showing up?

The computer running Bridge and the speaker or player must be on the same home network. Guest Wi-Fi, VPNs, and public network profiles can block discovery.

Turn on the speaker or player, wait a few seconds, then choose Find outputs. If it still does not appear, confirm the player supports UPnP/DLNA renderer playback.

For local files sent to a network player, allow Bridge on Private networks so the player can open the temporary local music link served by this computer.

Can songScout keep playing while the PWA is minimized?

When playback is sent to a supported network player, Bridge can keep the queue session moving while the PWA is hidden, as long as this computer stays awake and Bridge remains open.

If playback is on This device, browser and operating-system media policies still apply. Keep the app open and avoid sleeping the computer for the most reliable local playback.

How do I uninstall songScout?

To remove the installed PWA from Microsoft Edge or Chrome, open the installed app menu or the browser's apps management page and choose Uninstall. If offered, choose whether to also clear app data.

To remove songScout Bridge from Microsoft Store or Windows, open Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find songScout Bridge, and choose Uninstall.

If you used the ZIP fallback instead of the Store app, close Bridge and delete the extracted folder, such as Documents\songScoutBridge. Clearing browser site data is optional and removes local app state such as catalog cache, theme, saved local setup, and restore data on that device.

Does Bridge upload my music files?

Bridge is designed for local Windows PWA features. Local music files, NAS addresses, folder paths, object IDs, renderer details, and playback URLs stay local by default.

Optional AI-assisted local library enhancement is designed to send only privacy-safe public music metadata when enabled, not private NAS URLs, folder paths, renderer identifiers, or local file organization.

Where do I get help?

For support, email hello@songscout.app.

Include the signed-in account email when available, whether you installed Bridge from Microsoft Store or ZIP, the Windows version, and what you were trying to play. Do not send passwords, OTP codes, private NAS credentials, or payment credentials.

Support email

For help, email hello@songscout.app.

Include the signed-in account email when available, the device or browser you used, the app surface, and a short description of what happened.

Subscription and billing help

For subscription questions, include the songScout account email and any non-sensitive provider subscription reference available from PayPal, Apple, or the active purchase provider.

Do not send card numbers, passwords, OTP codes, Apple credentials, PayPal account credentials, or private local-library paths.

Privacy and storage requests

For privacy access, correction, deletion, or storage questions, email hello@songscout.app from the account email when possible.

We may need to verify account ownership before changing or deleting account-linked records.