Privacy Policy

Last updated: 24 September 2026

Playing Brass (playingbrass.com) is run by Scott Kardash in Australia. This policy explains what personal information the site collects, why, who it’s shared with, and the choices you have. If you have any questions, email scott@playingbrass.com.

The short version

• You can read everything on this site without giving us any personal information.
• If you download a free resource, contact us or enquire about lessons, we collect the details you type in so we can respond or deliver the download.
• Like most websites, we use cookies and third-party services for analytics, advertising, spam protection and security.
• We never sell your personal information.

Information you give us

• Free downloads and accounts. Our resources are free, but the shop still uses a checkout. When you “order” a download or create an account, we collect your name and email address, plus any other details the checkout asks for. We use them to deliver the download, give you access to it later through My Account, and contact you about your order if needed. No payment details are collected.
• Lesson enquiries. When you use the Enquire about Lessons form, we collect what you enter, usually your name, email address and message. We use it only to reply to you. Form submissions are stored on the site so we can keep track of them.
• Comments. If you leave a comment, we collect the name, email address and website you provide, along with your comment, your IP address and your browser details. Your name and comment are shown publicly. Your email address is never published.
• Emails. If you email us, we keep the correspondence so we can reply to you and refer back to it later.

Information collected automatically

• Analytics. We use Google Analytics (via Google Site Kit) and Jetpack Stats to see how the site is used, for example which articles are read and how visitors find us. These services use cookies and collect information such as your IP address, device, browser, pages visited and approximate location. We use this information in aggregate to improve the site.
• Advertising. The site shows ads through Google AdSense. Google and its partners use cookies to show ads, and may personalise them based on your visits to this and other websites. You can manage personalised advertising at Google’s Ad Settings, and learn more at How Google uses information in advertising.
• Spam protection. Our forms use Google reCAPTCHA, which collects hardware and software information to check that you’re a person rather than a bot. Its use is governed by Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Comments and form submissions may also be checked by Akismet, an anti-spam service run by Automattic.
• Security. To protect the site from attacks, our security software (Wordfence) logs visitors’ IP addresses and activity. We also use IP-based location to block traffic from some regions.
• Shop cookies. WooCommerce uses cookies to keep track of your basket and login, and to record how you arrived at the site when you place an order.
• Performance. Images may be served through Jetpack’s content delivery network, and fonts are loaded from Google Fonts. Both involve your browser connecting to those services.

Embedded content

Some articles include embedded content from other websites, such as YouTube videos. Embedded content behaves exactly as if you had visited the other website. That site may collect data about you, use cookies and track your interaction with the content, particularly if you’re logged in to it.

Cookies

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. We and the services above use them to keep you logged in, remember your basket, measure traffic, show ads and protect the site. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site will still work for reading, but logging in and downloads need cookies.

Who we share information with

We don’t sell or rent your personal information. It is shared only with the service providers that run parts of the site, including our web host, Google (Analytics, AdSense, reCAPTCHA, Fonts), Automattic (Jetpack, Akismet), Wordfence and YouTube (for embedded videos). We would also share it if the law required us to. Some of these providers are based overseas, mainly in the United States, so your information may be stored or processed outside Australia.

How long we keep it

We keep order and account information for as long as your account exists, or as long as we need it for our records. Form submissions and emails are kept for as long as they’re useful for answering you. Comments are kept indefinitely so conversations stay intact. Analytics providers keep data under their own retention settings.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Just email scott@playingbrass.com. If you have an account, you can also update your details in My Account. We may need to keep some information where the law requires us to. If you’re in the European Union or the United Kingdom, you have additional rights under the GDPR, including the right to object to processing and the right to complain to your local data protection authority.

Children

Many of our readers are young brass players. The site isn’t intended to collect personal information from children, so we ask that anyone under 16 has a parent or guardian place orders, create accounts or make enquiries on their behalf.

Security

We use HTTPS, security software and regular updates to protect the site. No method of storing or transmitting information online is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what you share with us.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example when we add or change a service. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last changed.

Contact and complaints

For any privacy question or request, email scott@playingbrass.com. If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.