Mateba Terms of Use

Last updated: 10 June 2026

These Terms apply to Mateba Audiograph services.

1. What Mateba Does

Mateba creates Audiographs: personalised musical works shaped by real people, relationships, life events, memories, emotions, and stories.

Each Audiograph is treated as a personal work of art. The process may include story intake, emotional direction, lyric writing, Audiograph brief creation, AI-assisted music production, revision, final audio delivery, and supporting written material.

An Audiograph may sound like a song, but Mateba is not primarily a custom song business, music production service, counselling service, legal service, psychological service, medical service, factual documentation service, historical record service, or dispute-resolution service.

2. Fictionalised Artistic Interpretation

Every Audiograph is a fictionalised artistic interpretation created from, inspired by, or guided by material submitted to Mateba.

Mateba may adapt, fictionalise, compress, anonymise, generalise, summarise, restructure, combine, omit, soften, transform, or artistically interpret any information, names, stories, memories, events, relationships, emotions, photographs, recordings, messages, lyrics, instructions, or other material provided by the client.

An Audiograph is not a factual statement, biography, historical record, legal record, medical record, psychological assessment, family record, confession, admission, proof of any event, professional opinion, or literal representation of any real person, relationship, event, dispute, memory, or circumstance.

Lyrics, characters, emotional perspectives, scenes, events, images, metaphors, symbols, and narrative elements in an Audiograph may be fictionalised, symbolic, composite, simplified, anonymised, generalised, softened, omitted, or artistically altered.

No Audiograph should be understood as claiming to accurately represent what any real person thought, felt, said, did, intended, experienced, believed, caused, suffered, or meant.

Where an Audiograph appears to refer to real people, memories, relationships, or events, that connection arises from the client’s submitted material and instructions. The client remains responsible for ensuring that the material may lawfully and appropriately be submitted, used, shared, transformed, and incorporated into an Audiograph.

3. Information Provided by the Client

The client is responsible for all information, names, stories, photographs, recordings, voice notes, messages, lyrics, instructions, memories, personal details, and other material provided to Mateba.

By providing material to Mateba, the client confirms that they have the necessary right, permission, consent, authority, or lawful basis to provide it and to allow Mateba to use it for the Audiograph process.

The client must not provide material that is unlawful, defamatory, misleading, confidential without authority, invasive of privacy, harmful, exploitative, discriminatory, abusive, or infringing of another person’s rights.

The client must not provide material that they are not authorised to share, or material that must remain strictly confidential from all third-party processing.

Mateba may refuse, adapt, remove, anonymise, generalise, fictionalise, limit, or decline to use any material that creates legal, privacy, ethical, reputational, family-dispute, dignity, platform-policy, or safety concerns.

4. Consent, Children, Deceased Persons, and Sensitive Stories

Audiographs may involve living people, children, deceased persons, family members, partners, private memories, emotional events, bereavement, conflict, trauma, medical information, religious information, criminal allegations, legal disputes, or other sensitive material.

The client is responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary consent, authority, or lawful basis to provide and use any personal information or material relating to another person.

If an Audiograph includes or concerns a child, the client confirms that they are the child’s parent or legal guardian, or that they have obtained appropriate consent from the child’s parent or legal guardian before submitting the material to Mateba.

If an Audiograph concerns a deceased person, the client confirms that they are authorised to submit the relevant material and that, to the best of their knowledge, the project is not likely to unlawfully infringe the privacy, dignity, reputation, cultural, religious, family, estate, or other legally protected interests of any person.

Where a project involves a child, deceased person, family dispute, private information, sensitive personal information, recordings, images, voice material, or another person’s story, Mateba may request additional confirmation, limit the project, require changes, anonymise details, fictionalise details, or decline the project.

Mateba does not guarantee that all family members, recipients, listeners, affected persons, or third parties will agree with, approve of, or emotionally accept the Audiograph.

The client accepts that Mateba is not responsible for family conflict, personal disagreement, emotional disagreement, reputational consequences, or third-party objections arising from material submitted by the client or from the client’s use, sharing, publication, performance, or presentation of the Audiograph.

5. Privacy

Mateba respects client privacy and will not sell client information.

Mateba may use information provided by the client to understand the story, create and revise the Audiograph, manage payment, communicate with the client, deliver the final product, improve Mateba’s internal administrative and creative workflows, keep reasonable business records, and protect Mateba’s legal and business interests.

Mateba will not intentionally publish a private Audiograph, story, photograph, recording, voice note, message, or personal material without permission, unless required by law or reasonably necessary to protect Mateba’s legal rights.

Where reasonably possible, Mateba may minimise, anonymise, generalise, or fictionalise sensitive personal details before using third-party AI or creative platforms.

The client understands that absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where material is processed through third-party AI, music generation, writing, editing, storage, hosting, communication, payment, administration, or delivery platforms.

Mateba’s separate Privacy Policy or POPIA Notice may provide further information about how Mateba collects, uses, stores, shares, protects, and retains personal information.

6. Third-Party AI and Creative Platforms

Mateba uses human creative input together with AI-assisted tools and third-party creative platforms.

These may include ChatGPT, Suno, and other services used for writing, lyric development, music generation, editing, hosting, payment, communication, storage, administration, or delivery. Mateba may change the tools or platforms used from time to time.

By placing an order, proceeding with payment, making payment, submitting intake information, approving a brief, approving lyrics, approving creative direction, or using the final Audiograph, the client agrees that selected information may be processed through third-party platforms where reasonably necessary to create, revise, administer, deliver, store, or manage the Audiograph.

The client gives Mateba permission to process selected material through third-party platforms where reasonably necessary for the Audiograph process.

The client should not submit material to Mateba unless the client is authorised to share it for this purpose.

The client should not submit material that must remain strictly confidential from all third-party processing.

The client agrees not to request content that breaches the law, another person’s rights, or the terms and policies of any third-party platform used in the process.

Mateba does not control third-party platforms and is not responsible for platform downtime, technical errors, rejected generations, moderation decisions, takedown decisions, platform enforcement, changes in terms, changes in features, changes in pricing, changes in licence conditions, changes in moderation policies, or changes in output quality.

7. AI-Assisted Output and Copyright

AI-assisted output may not always be legally unique or eligible for full copyright protection.

Mateba does not guarantee copyright registration, complete exclusivity, or absolute ownership of every AI-generated element.

Mateba provides a guided creative process and a final delivered Audiograph for the agreed purpose.

The client must not request imitation of a specific artist, protected work, private person, public figure, deceased person, voice, likeness, name, image, recognisable performance style, or protected creative work where this may infringe rights or create legal, ethical, reputational, or platform-policy risk.

Mateba may refuse or alter requests that appear to imitate a specific artist, protected work, voice, likeness, public figure, private individual, deceased person, or recognisable performance style.

8. Price and Payment

The price of an Audiograph will be the price agreed in writing between Mateba and the client before work begins.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, work begins only after payment has been received and the client has accepted these Terms.

Proceeding with payment or making payment confirms that the client has read and accepts these Terms, and wishes Mateba to begin the story-capture and creative process for the agreed Audiograph.

Any additional work, urgent turnaround, extra revision rounds, major changes, expanded usage rights, public release requirements, commercial use, or unusual project complexity may require a further quote or written agreement.

Fees are charged for the creative process, time, story development, artistic direction, generation work, review, administration, and delivery of the Audiograph. Payment is not dependent on any guaranteed emotional response or specific listener reaction.

9. Refunds and Cancellations

Refunds and cancellations are subject to applicable South African law, including any non-excludable consumer rights that may apply.

Because each Audiograph is personalised and creative work may begin shortly after payment and intake, payments are not refundable once Mateba has started story capture, writing, briefing, generation, review, revision, administration, or production work, except where required by law or agreed in writing by Mateba.

If the client cancels before work has begun, Mateba may refund the amount paid, less reasonable payment-processing or administrative costs, where permitted by law.

Dissatisfaction with the artistic direction, subjective preference, emotional response, recipient reaction, or personal expectation does not automatically entitle the client to a refund.

If Mateba declines or stops work because the project creates legal, privacy, consent, dignity, safety, reputational, family-dispute, ethical, or platform-policy concerns, Mateba may decide, acting reasonably and subject to applicable law, whether a full refund, partial refund, credit, or no refund is appropriate, depending on the work already performed and the reason work stopped.

10. Revisions

One controlled revision round is included unless otherwise agreed in writing.

A controlled revision round means one consolidated set of reasonable changes submitted by the client within a reasonable time after delivery, or within any specific revision period agreed in writing.

Major changes may cost extra, including changes to the core story, language, recipient, emotional direction, genre, approved lyrics, approved Audiograph brief, intended use, or new information supplied after production has begun.

Mateba may decline revision requests that are unlawful, harmful, infringing, unethical, technically impractical, outside the agreed scope, inconsistent with the approved direction, or likely to create legal, privacy, dignity, family-dispute, reputational, emotional-harm, or platform-policy risk.

11. Delivery, Timelines, and Client Delay

Final delivery usually includes the final audio file and any agreed supporting written material.

Delivery timelines are estimates unless expressly agreed in writing.

Delivery may depend on client cooperation, complete intake information, timely feedback, third-party platform availability, revision scope, project sensitivity, and project complexity.

Mateba is not responsible for delays caused by incomplete information, late responses, changes in direction, late approvals, third-party platform issues, technical problems outside Mateba’s reasonable control, or circumstances beyond Mateba’s reasonable control.

Delivery is deemed complete when Mateba sends the final agreed file or download link to the client’s nominated email address, WhatsApp number, or other agreed delivery channel.

12. Use of the Audiograph

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the Audiograph is supplied for personal and private use.

Public, commercial, advertising, political, broadcast, streaming, monetised, paid-event, large-scale distribution, organisational, or campaign use must be disclosed to Mateba before production and may require further written agreement, an expanded licence, or an additional fee.

The client is responsible for how they use, share, publish, perform, distribute, upload, or present the final Audiograph.

The client must not use the Audiograph in a way that is unlawful, defamatory, misleading, exploitative, invasive of privacy, harmful, infringing, or likely to create legal, reputational, family-dispute, dignity, or safety risk.

13. Ownership and Licence

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, Mateba grants the client a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the final delivered Audiograph for private, personal, non-commercial purposes.

Client materials remain the responsibility of the client or the relevant rights-holder.

Mateba retains its rights in its internal prompts, briefs, drafts, workflows, production methods, unpublished alternatives, rejected versions, templates, systems, business processes, know-how, and internal materials.

The client does not receive ownership of Mateba’s internal process materials unless expressly agreed in writing.

Any public, commercial, monetised, streaming, advertising, campaign, organisational, political, broadcast, paid-event, or large-scale use requires Mateba’s prior written agreement and may require a separate licence or fee.

14. No Real-Person Representation

The client understands that an Audiograph is a fictionalised artistic interpretation and does not represent real people as a matter of fact.

An Audiograph must not be treated as a factual statement about any person, relationship, event, family, dispute, history, medical matter, legal matter, private circumstance, intention, feeling, belief, conduct, or lived experience.

Mateba does not guarantee that any lyric, line, musical phrase, emotional perspective, character, image, event, metaphor, or narrative element in an Audiograph accurately reflects any real person, real event, real relationship, or real circumstance.

Mateba may intentionally fictionalise, anonymise, generalise, soften, omit, or alter details to reduce legal, privacy, family-dispute, dignity, ethical, emotional, reputational, or platform-policy risk.

15. No Guarantee of Emotional Response

Mateba aims to create a meaningful, personal, and polished Audiograph.

Music and emotional response are subjective. Mateba cannot guarantee a specific emotional reaction from the client, recipient, family, guests, listeners, or the public.

Mateba does not guarantee healing, closure, reconciliation, family agreement, therapeutic benefit, legal certainty, reputational benefit, commercial benefit, or any particular personal outcome.

16. No Professional Advice

Mateba creates expressive musical works.

Mateba does not provide legal, medical, psychological, counselling, therapeutic, financial, religious, family, child-welfare, trauma, or professional advisory services.

If a project involves serious trauma, medical facts, family conflict, legal proceedings, estate disputes, child-related concerns, allegations against another person, or other sensitive matters, the client should obtain appropriate professional advice before proceeding.

17. Client Permission and Indemnity

By submitting information, names, stories, photographs, recordings, voice notes, messages, lyrics, instructions, memories, personal details, or other material to Mateba, the client gives Mateba permission to use, adapt, edit, summarise, anonymise, generalise, fictionalise, process, reproduce, transform, incorporate, store, retain, and otherwise use that material as reasonably necessary to create, revise, administer, deliver, keep records of, and protect Mateba’s rights in relation to the Audiograph.

This permission includes the right to process selected material through third-party AI, music generation, writing, editing, storage, communication, payment, hosting, administration, and delivery platforms where reasonably necessary for the Audiograph process.

The client confirms that they have the necessary right, permission, consent, authority, or lawful basis to provide the material to Mateba and to allow Mateba to use it for the Audiograph.

The client must not submit material that is unlawful, defamatory, misleading, confidential without authority, invasive of privacy, infringing, exploitative, abusive, discriminatory, or harmful.

The client must not submit material that must remain strictly confidential from all third-party processing.

Mateba will not intentionally publish a private Audiograph, story, photograph, recording, voice note, message, or personal material without permission, unless required by law or reasonably necessary to protect Mateba’s rights.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the client indemnifies and holds Mateba harmless against any claim, demand, loss, damage, cost, expense, liability, complaint, takedown request, platform enforcement action, platform moderation action, or legal proceeding arising from or connected to:

a. material submitted by the client;

b. the client not having the required right, permission, consent, authority, or lawful basis to submit material to Mateba;

c. claims by any person relating to privacy, dignity, defamation, confidentiality, copyright, moral rights, personality rights, voice rights, image rights, likeness rights, name rights, consent, family disputes, sensitive personal information, or misuse of personal information;

d. the client’s instructions, approvals, requested changes, or intended use of the Audiograph;

e. the client’s use, sharing, publication, performance, distribution, upload, commercial use, or presentation of the Audiograph;

f. any allegation that the Audiograph represents, misrepresents, harms, defames, invades the privacy of, or infringes the rights of any real person; or

g. the client’s breach of these Terms.

This indemnity does not apply to the extent that a claim arises directly from Mateba’s intentional misconduct or gross negligence.

18. Mateba’s Right to Decline or Stop Work

Mateba may decline a project, stop work, request changes, limit delivery, anonymise material, fictionalise material, or refuse to use material where the project creates legal, ethical, privacy, reputational, safety, consent, family-dispute, dignity, emotional-harm, or platform-policy concerns.

Mateba may also decline requests involving unlawful material, unauthorised voice or likeness imitation, defamatory allegations, exploitative content, harassment, threats, privacy invasion, or content that may harm another person.

Any refund, partial refund, credit, or refusal of refund in these circumstances will be dealt with under the refund and cancellation clause and applicable law.

19. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

20. Acceptance

The client accepts these Terms when the client does any one of the following:

a. proceeds with payment or makes payment;

b. submits intake information, story information, personal details, recordings, notes, messages, lyrics, instructions, memories, or other material to Mateba;

c. approves a brief, creative direction, lyrics, draft, revision, or final Audiograph;

d. requests revisions or continued work;

e. uses, downloads, shares, publishes, distributes, or otherwise makes use of the final Audiograph;

f. clicks “I accept,” selects a Terms acceptance checkbox, signs an acceptance document, or gives written or electronic confirmation of acceptance.

Proceeding with payment or making payment confirms that the client has read, understood, and accepted these Terms, and authorises Mateba to begin the Audiograph process, subject to these Terms.

Submitting intake information or other material to Mateba also confirms that the client accepts these Terms in relation to that material and the Audiograph process.

Mateba may require written confirmation of acceptance before beginning or continuing work, especially for sensitive projects.

If the client does not accept these Terms, the client must not proceed with payment, make payment, submit intake information, approve creative material, request revisions, use the final Audiograph, or use Mateba’s Audiograph services.