Crate Cut Privacy Policy

Effective date: June 25, 2026 Last updated: June 27, 2026

The short version

Crate Cut is a free Mac app that cleans up beat grids for acapellas. To make automatic gridding better for everyone, the app shares the beat grids you confirm (together with a non-reversible "fingerprint" of each track) into a shared community database. Your audio files never leave your Mac. There is no account, and the desktop app never asks for your name or email. The app also collects anonymous, aggregated usage statistics, such as when it's opened and how many tracks you grid, that contain no personal information. This page explains exactly what is and isn't shared, why, and your choices.

Who we are

Crate Cut is operated by Prime Reach Media LLC. For any question about this policy or your data, contact us at support@cratecut.com.

What Crate Cut shares

Each time you successfully write beat grids back to Rekordbox, the app sends one submission per acapella to our community grid database. Each submission contains only:

• A non-reversible audio fingerprint: numeric hashes plus a coarse "energy over time" outline of the track. It is designed so the original audio cannot be reconstructed or played back from it.
• The beat-grid numbers: the track's tempo (BPM) and the position of the first downbeat.
• Track title and artist: only if already present in your music library, so the database is human-readable. Omitted when blank.
• The app version.
• An anonymous device code: a one-way (SHA-256) hash derived from your Mac's hardware identifier, used to limit abuse and spam. The raw hardware identifier never leaves your Mac; only the hash is sent, and it cannot be reversed back into your hardware id.

When the app contacts our server, the server also receives your IP address, as with any internet request. We use it only to operate the service and prevent abuse (e.g., rate-limiting).

What Crate Cut never shares

• Your audio. No audio recordings or clips are ever uploaded.
• File names or file paths from your computer.
• Your music library, playlists, or collection.
• Your name, email, or any account or contact details — the desktop app has no sign-up and no login.
• Your location, beyond the coarse info inherent to any web request (IP address, above).

Why we collect this

Fingerprints and grids are combined across many users to build a "consensus" beat grid for each track (a community-vetted source of truth) which powers Crate Cut's automatic gridding so the app gets more accurate for everyone over time. We do not sell this data or use it for advertising.

Anonymous usage analytics

To understand how the app is used and where to improve it, Crate Cut also collects a small amount of anonymous, aggregated usage data. This is separate from grid contribution and is on by default. It records only:

• When the app is opened, and how long it is actively used: measured with a periodic "still open" signal while the app is in the foreground.
• How many tracks you write, and whether they go to Rekordbox or Serato: counts only.
• The app version, together with the same anonymous device code described above (the one-way hash of your Mac's hardware identifier), so usage can be counted per install without identifying you. As with any internet request, our server also receives your IP address, used only to operate the service and prevent abuse.

This usage data contains no personal information, no track titles or artist names, no file names or paths, and no audio. It is sent only to our own servers (hosted on Railway; see "Who processes the data"), is never sold, and is never shared with third parties. We use it solely to understand how Crate Cut is used and to improve the product.

Website download form and advertising

When you download CrateCut we collect your first name, last name, and email address, store them in our database, and use them to send occasional product updates and news. You can unsubscribe at any time by emailing support@cratecut.com.

We use the TikTok pixel and Events API to measure the performance of our ads. This sends TikTok cookies (_ttp, ttclid), your IP address, and browser user-agent. When you submit the download form, a one-way hashed (irreversible) version of your email address is shared with TikTok to match the conversion to an ad. We never share your name, or your raw email, with TikTok.

Is sharing required?

Yes. Contributing your confirmed grids is part of using the free app; there is no separate opt-out. We deliberately keep each contribution minimal and non-reversible (see above) because it is built into the free tool. If you do not wish to contribute, do not use the app. EU/UK users, see "Legal basis" and "Your rights" below.

Legal basis (EU/UK users)

The hashed device code and IP address are "personal data" under the GDPR. Because contribution is a condition of using the free app, we rely on our legitimate interests under Art. 6(1)(f) — operating and improving the community grid database — balanced against your rights and freedoms, and we provide a right to object (see "Your choices and rights" below).

Who processes the data

We host the community database and ingest service on Railway, our cloud infrastructure provider, which processes the data on our behalf. We may use other service providers to operate the app (for example, software-update delivery) and will keep this section current.

How long we keep it

We retain contributed fingerprints and grids for as long as needed to operate and improve the service, including in aggregated/consensus form that no longer relates to any single submission.

Your choices and rights

Because there is no account and the device code is a one-way hash, contributions are pseudonymous and we generally cannot link a given submission back to you, which also means we may be unable to locate "your" data to change or delete it on request. We state this plainly so expectations are clear.

• California (CCPA/CPRA): We do not sell your personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. You have rights to know and to delete personal information we hold about you, subject to the identification limitation above.
• EU/UK (GDPR): rights of access, objection, and erasure, and the legal basis, as described above.

To exercise any right or ask a question, contact support@cratecut.com.

Security

Submissions are sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, and we restrict database access to those who operate the service.

Children

Crate Cut is a professional DJ tool and is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country).

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above.

Contact

Prime Reach Media LLC, support@cratecut.com