Code of Conduct

Why this document exists

The Found Sound Commons is a shared space. Artists from dozens of countries bring their perspectives, traditions, questions, and works-in-progress here. Over nearly two decades, we have found that difference is a powerful ingredient in the process of making bold and innovative creative work. New ideas come from unlikely combinations, and unlikely combinations only happen where people feel free to offer what they carry and hold.

That freedom needs a foundation. People share half-formed ideas, unfamiliar viewpoints, and unfinished work only when they trust they’ll be met with curiosity, rather than judgment. This code of conduct exists to hold that trust in place. It is not a list of rules for its own sake, but a shared agreement about how we keep the Commons open, supportive, and free for every idea and everyone who brings one.

Who this applies to

Everyone in the Commons: community members, Found Sound Nation staff, instructors, mentors, guests, and partners. It applies in all Commons spaces: the platform itself, direct messages that begin there, video calls and events organized through it, and anywhere you are visibly representing the Commons.

Commons member commitments

Meet people as people. Members of this community are artists, teachers, organizers, and friends before they are citizens of any state. Refrain from asking a member to answer for their government, their religion, or “their side.” Refrain from treating a member as a representative of a conflict.

Assume good faith across differences, especially in regard to language. Most members are communicating in a second, third, or fourth language, often through translation tools. Bluntness is usually not rudeness; a strange phrasing is usually not an insult. Ask before you take offense. Extend the patience you’d want extended to you.

Be generous with credit and careful with ownership. Music shared here belongs to the people who made it. Don’t download, sample, remix, redistribute, or publicly post another member’s work without their explicit permission. When collaborations form here (and we hope they do), agree early and clearly on credit and ownership. A two-line message now prevents broken trust later!

Give feedback like a collaborator, not a critic. When someone shares work, they are extending trust. Honest feedback is welcome and valuable; make it specific, make it about the work, and remember there’s a person attached.

Protect each other’s safety. Some members live and work in places where an online statement, a photo, an association, or a location can have serious consequences. Therefore:

• What is shared in the Commons stays in the Commons. Do not screenshot, quote, or repost members’ words, images, or music outside the platform without their consent.
• Never share another member’s location, contact details, legal name, or identifying information anywhere, for any reason. Think before tagging or posting photos of members: let people control their own visibility.

Share your work, not just your promotions. Self-promotion is welcome in the spaces designated for it. This is a community of working artists and we want your releases, shows, and crowdfunding campaigns to succeed. But the Commons is a commons, not a feed to blast: contribute as much as you promote.

On politics and conflict

We don’t pretend politics doesn’t exist, and for many members, conflict is not an abstraction but the texture of daily life, and art made in the Commons often speaks to it. So rather than banning political discussion, we ask for discipline in how it happens:

• Speak from your own experience rather than about entire nations or peoples.
• Critique governments, policies, and systems freely; never degrade the people who live under them.
• Do not share content that dehumanizes any group, celebrates violence against civilians, or denies documented atrocities.
• If a conversation is escalating, step back and flag a moderator. De-escalation is a community skill, not a defeat.
• Accept that some members cannot safely say what they believe. Silence on a political question is never evidence of a position. Do not pressure anyone to declare one.

What is never acceptable

• Harassment, stalking, or intimidation in any form.
• Hate speech or slurs targeting nationality, ethnicity, religion, caste, gender, sexuality, disability, or language.
• Sexual harassment, unwelcome advances, or sexualized commentary.
• Doxxing or exposing members inside or outside the platform.
• Impersonation of members or Found Sound Nation staff.
• Spam, scams, or deceptive fundraising.
• Using the Commons to surveil, report on, or endanger any member.
• Retaliation against anyone who reports a concern in good faith.

Reporting

If something feels wrong, report it, whether it happened to you or you witnessed it. You can flag content directly on the platform, or contact our community team confidentially at commons@foundsoundnation.org. Reports are handled by Found Sound Nation staff, kept confidential to the extent possible, and never shared with anyone who could put the reporter at risk. We will acknowledge every report as soon as possible.

How we respond

We match the response to the situation, considering severity, pattern, and impact. Responses can range from a private conversation or a request to edit or remove content, to temporary restrictions on posting or participation, to removal from the Commons. Threats to a member’s physical safety, doxxing, and targeted hate are grounds for immediate removal. Anyone subject to a moderation decision may ask for one review by the community team. We will always tell you what was decided and why; to protect reporters, we may not tell you who raised the concern.

A living document

The Commons belongs to its members, and so does this document. We will review it annually with community input, and any member may propose a change at any time via commons@foundsoundnation.org.