Community Guidelines

Spam

We don't allow content whose primary purpose is to drive traffic, sell something off-platform, or repeatedly post the same thing.

Not allowed

• Posting the same link, message, or comment many times across threads, chats, or fan clubs.
• Mass-following or mass-DMing strangers to promote a product, service, or unrelated platform.
• Engagement bait that explicitly asks users to like / follow / subscribe in exchange for nothing meaningful.
• Affiliate-link dumps, unsolicited "promote your music here" replies under unrelated posts.
• Bot-driven activity (automated likes, follows, comments).

Allowed

• Sharing your own music, gigs, merch, and projects on your profile, fan-club posts, or in conversations where it's relevant. Self-promotion in context is welcome.

What we'll do

Repeated spam is hidden or removed. Persistent spammers are suspended; coordinated spam networks are banned.

Nudity or sexual activity

Melodon is a music app used by listeners of all ages. We don't allow sexual content.

Not allowed

• Photos, videos, or illustrations depicting sexual acts, full or partial nudity, or sexually suggestive poses.
• Sexually explicit text — descriptions of sex acts, solicitation, or escort-service language.
• Profile pictures, banner images, or fan-club artwork that contain nudity or sexual imagery.
• Sharing links to pornographic sites or services.

Allowed

• Album artwork and music videos that contain artistic nudity, where the work is widely distributed by the artist or label. We may still age-gate it.
• Discussion of sexuality, identity, and relationships in non-explicit terms.

What we'll do

Sexual content is removed. Accounts that post it repeatedly are suspended or banned. Sexual content involving minors is removed immediately, the account is permanently banned, and we report it to the appropriate authorities.

Hate speech or symbols

Everyone on Melodon should be able to participate without being targeted for who they are.

Not allowed

• Slurs, dehumanising language, or stereotypes targeting people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or serious illness.
• Calls for violence, exclusion, or discrimination against any of those groups.
• Hate symbols, hate-group logos, propaganda, or coded language used to spread hatred.
• Praise, support, or representation of designated hate groups.

Allowed

• Discussing hate speech in news, education, or counter-speech contexts when the intent is clearly to inform or oppose.
• Reclaiming a slur within the community it applies to (we use context — who's saying it and to whom).
• Critique of beliefs, practices, or institutions (this is not the same as attacking people).

What we'll do

Hateful content is removed. Targeted harassment campaigns lead to suspension or ban. We do not allow hate groups to organise on Melodon.

Violence or dangerous organizations

We don't allow content that incites violence or supports the people and groups behind it.

Not allowed

• Threats of violence against a specific person, group, or place.
• Glorification or celebration of violent acts, perpetrators, or terrorist attacks.
• Recruitment or fundraising for terrorist organizations, cartels, or violent extremist groups.
• Detailed instructions for committing violent acts, building weapons designed to harm people, or carrying out attacks.
• Graphic depictions of real-world violence shared for shock value.

Allowed

• News reporting, educational content, or documentary footage of violence, presented with context.
• Lyrics, music videos, or fictional storytelling that depict violence as part of an artistic work.
• Discussion or critique of violent events, organizations, or ideologies.

What we'll do

Threatening or recruitment content is removed and the account is suspended or banned. Imminent threats may be reported to the appropriate authorities.

Sale of illegal or regulated goods

Melodon is not a marketplace, and we don't allow listings for things that aren't legal to sell openly.

Not allowed

• Offering to buy, sell, trade, or solicit illegal drugs, prescription medications without a prescription, or controlled substances.
• Offering firearms, ammunition, explosives, weapon accessories, or 3D-printable weapon files.
• Offering counterfeit goods, stolen items, fake IDs, or fraudulent documents.
• Offering services that require a licence the seller doesn't have (e.g., medical or legal advice as a service).
• Offering live animals, body parts, or human remains.

Allowed

• Discussion of substances, weapons, or regulated goods in an educational, news, or harm-reduction context, without a transactional intent.

What we'll do

Listings are removed immediately. Accounts offering illegal goods are banned. Where required by law, we report to the appropriate authorities.

Bullying or harassment

People should be able to use Melodon without being targeted, mocked, or pursued.

Not allowed

• Repeated unwanted contact, especially after someone has asked you to stop.
• Insults, name-calling, mocking imagery, or coordinated pile-ons aimed at a specific person.
• Sharing someone's private information without permission (real name, address, phone number, employer, family) — also called "doxxing".
• Sexual harassment: unwanted sexual comments, images, or repeated propositioning.
• Targeting someone over their appearance, voice, identity, or a vulnerability they've disclosed.
• Encouraging others to harass or harm a specific person or account.

Allowed

• Robust criticism of public figures' work or public statements (an artist's album, a manager's business decisions). Critique is not harassment.
• Disagreement, even sharp disagreement, in a thread — as long as it stays on the ideas and not on the person.

What we'll do

Harassing content is hidden or removed. Sustained harassment leads to suspension or ban. Doxxing and sexual harassment lead to immediate suspension at minimum.

Intellectual property violation

We respect creators' rights — that includes other creators' rights, not just yours.

Not allowed

• Posting full songs, albums, music videos, or substantial excerpts you don't have the right to distribute.
• Re-uploading another artist's work as your own.
• Using someone else's artwork, photo, or logo as your profile or banner image without permission or licence.
• Encouraging or linking to piracy of music, films, software, or books.
• Counterfeit merchandise, fake artist accounts, or impersonation of an artist or label.

Allowed

• Sharing music you have the rights to (your own, or licensed via the platform).
• Short clips and quotes used for review, critique, parody, or commentary, where the use is transformative.
• Linking to legal streams, official videos, or promotional content from artists or labels.

What we'll do

Infringing content is removed on a rightsholder's valid notice or on our own review. Repeat infringement leads to account suspension or termination. Fake artist accounts are removed and the creator banned.

Suicide or self-injury

We treat content about suicide and self-injury carefully because of the real harm it can cause.

Not allowed

• Content that promotes, encourages, or instructs on suicide or self-injury.
• Graphic depictions of self-injury (cutting, burning, etc.) or methods of suicide.
• Mocking or belittling people who have died by or attempted suicide.
• Pro-suicide or self-injury communities, hashtags, or coded language used to encourage harm.

Allowed

• Talking about your own experience, recovery, or struggle in a non-graphic, non-instructional way.
• Sharing crisis-support resources or recovery-oriented information.
• Lyrics, songs, and stories that touch on these themes thoughtfully — content warnings encouraged.

What we'll do

Content that promotes self-harm is removed. We may add safety resources to posts that discuss these topics.

Eating disorders

We don't allow content that promotes eating-disorder behaviours, even when it's framed as motivation or aesthetics.

Not allowed

• "Pro-ana", "pro-mia", or "thinspo" content — anything that promotes anorexia, bulimia, or extreme weight loss as a goal.
• Detailed methods, weight goals, or "tips and tricks" for restricting, purging, or hiding an eating disorder.
• Content that glorifies severe underweight or extreme body modification.

Allowed

• Recovery stories, body-neutral or body-positive content, and discussion of disordered eating in a non-glorifying way.
• Nutrition, fitness, and athletic training content that focuses on health, performance, or skill rather than weight or body shape.

What we'll do

Pro-ED content is removed. We may add recovery resources to posts that discuss eating disorders.

Scam or fraud

We don't allow people to deceive others on Melodon for personal or financial gain.

Not allowed

• "Get rich quick", investment, or trading schemes promising guaranteed returns.
• Fake giveaways, raffles, or prize promotions designed to harvest information or payments.
• Phishing attempts — links that mimic Melodon or another service to steal credentials.
• Romance scams, sextortion, or impersonating someone the target trusts to extract money or data.
• Fake fan-club tiers, false promises of merch, or paid services that don't exist.
• Cryptocurrency scams: pump-and-dumps, fake token drops, fraudulent NFT projects.

Allowed

• Legitimate fan clubs, paid subscriptions, merchandise sales, and tip jars where the offer is genuine and delivered.

What we'll do

Scam content is removed and the account is suspended or banned. We may also report to payment partners or app stores.

False information

We don't aim to be the arbiter of truth on every disagreement, but we do remove content that's likely to cause real-world harm because of what it claims.

Not allowed

• Health claims that contradict authoritative public-health guidance and could lead to physical harm.
• Civic and election misinformation: false claims about how to vote, who can vote, or whether to vote, in active elections.
• Manipulated media (deepfakes, doctored images, fabricated quotes) presented as real, when the manipulation is the whole point.
• Coordinated inauthentic behaviour — networks of accounts pretending to be independent voices to amplify a falsehood.

Allowed

• Genuine debate, opinion, satire, and parody. We label satire when it could be confused with real reporting.
• Discussion of controversial or contested topics in good faith.
• News reporting on misinformation (showing it in order to debunk it).

What we'll do

Content with high real-world harm potential is removed or labelled. Repeat publishers of harmful misinformation are suspended.

Identity theft or impersonation

People should be able to trust that the account behind a username is who it claims to be.

Not allowed

• Pretending to be someone else — using their name, photo, or biographical details to make people think they're posting.
• Fake accounts of artists, public figures, or other Melodon members where the imitation isn't clearly labelled as fan / parody.
• Using stolen or AI-generated images of a real person on a profile that implies they own it.
• Creating an account that mimics a friend, family member, or stranger to deceive others (catfishing).
• Using someone else's name, government ID, or credentials to register or recover an account.

Allowed

• Fan accounts and parody accounts that are clearly labelled as such (in the username, display name, or bio) and don't actively try to deceive.
• Roleplay accounts where the persona is fictional and not meant to impersonate a real person.
• Stage names, pseudonyms, and pen names — using a name that isn't on your government ID is fine, as long as you're not pretending to be a specific other person.

What we'll do

Impersonation accounts are removed and the operator is banned. Where the impersonated person is a Melodon member or artist, we'll act on a verified report from them with priority. Repeat creation of impersonation accounts (after a ban) is treated as evasion and banned again on detection.

Other

If something feels wrong but doesn't fit one of the categories above — for example, dangerous activities aimed at children, animal cruelty, content that could harm someone's safety in a way we haven't listed — report it as Other and add a short explanation. A human moderator will review.

We update these guidelines as new patterns of abuse appear. The categories aren't exhaustive — moderators have discretion to act on content that violates the spirit of these guidelines even when no specific category fits.