Gigbusters

Español · English

Community Guidelines

Version 1.0 · Last updated: 28 July 2026

These guidelines form part of the Terms of Use and explain three things: what has no place on Gigbusters, what we do when it appears, and how you can challenge it if you think we got it wrong. We have kept them separate from the contract on purpose, so they stay short and so we can update them when needed.

1. The starting point

Gigbusters exists so live music can move. That means we allow an enormous amount of latitude: we are not arbiters of musical taste. A band can call itself whatever it wants, have a harsh aesthetic, uncomfortable lyrics or artwork someone finds tasteless, and nothing happens here. Punk, metal, rap and much of the music we care about have always made someone uncomfortable, and that discomfort is not a reason to remove anything.

The line is not drawn at what upsets people, but at what causes harm: inciting, threatening, humiliating, deceiving or appropriating what belongs to others. We apply these guidelines in a diligent, objective and proportionate manner, taking account of everyone's rights — including freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right and not an obstacle we work around. And when we act, we explain ourselves and accept being challenged.

2. What we remove because the law forbids it

This content is always removed, and the account responsible may be suspended or closed. It is not a matter of taste: these are offences under Spanish law, and we cite them so you know exactly what we rely on.

3. What we remove because we choose to

Beyond the above there are things that are not illegal and still have no place here. We would rather say so openly than apply it as a surprise.

Shows involving animals

We do not accept events that include animals as part of the show or as a draw, nor any activity involving their exploitation, whether or not it is legally permitted. To be completely clear: in Spain there are shows involving animals that are entirely lawful, some even protected by statute, and they still have no place on Gigbusters. We are not accusing their organisers of anything; we are deciding what kind of tool this is going to be, just as a venue decides what it programmes. If your event is of that kind, this is not your tool.

Things that are not live music

A business that does not programme music is not a music venue, and an event without live music is not a gig. We remove pages and events created to exploit the tool's visibility for another purpose — set out in section 4.

Misleading content about a gig

Announcing an artist who has not confirmed, a price or a capacity that is not real, or a place where the event will not be held. Even where it falls short of fraud, it erodes the only thing that makes listings useful: being able to trust them.

Closing clause

Something we had not anticipated may appear that is plainly incompatible with a tool made for live music. In that case we may remove it, but with exactly the same safeguards as everything else: a reasoned decision, an explanation of why, human review and the right to appeal. This clause is not a blank cheque, and the first time we use it for a new kind of case we will add it to this list in writing, so the next person knows in advance.

4. Misuse of the tool

Some conduct publishes nothing prohibited yet drains the tool of its purpose. It is set out in section 9 of the Terms of Use and is moderated like anything else. The most common cases:

• Registering a shop or a venue that does not programme music as if it were a music venue.
• Publishing events that will not take place, or padding the listings.
• Inflating reputation: self-confirming gigs, asking people who were not there to confirm, or faking agreements.
• Publishing gig offers with no real intention of hiring, in order to harvest contacts.
• Claiming someone else's venue page.
• Using the contact details exchanged when an agreement is sealed for promotion or sales.
• Creating new accounts to evade a sanction.

5. How we detect breaches

Through three routes, none of which involves reading everything before it is published:

• Reports from people who come across something. This is the main route, which is why section 9 explains how to do it.
• Review by our team, especially of events arriving through automated imports from external sources: those are not published automatically, they go into a queue where a person approves them one by one.
• Limited automated checks: formats, links, duplicates, abuse patterns and usage limits.

Where an automated check triggers a measure, you can ask for a human to review it, and a human will. We do not take final decisions about an account on the basis of an automated process alone.

6. What we do, and in what order

The measure fits the seriousness and the repetition. Not everything deserves the same response, and a good-faith mistake is not treated like a scam:

1. A warning, where fixing something is enough.
2. Removal of the specific content or page.
3. Reduced visibility: no longer distributing that account's offers, or removing it from the radar and the listings.
4. Temporary suspension of the account or the entity.
5. Permanent closure, reserved for serious cases or repeat offences.

In the most serious cases — crimes, risk to someone, fraud in progress — we may skip steps and act immediately. We will still explain it, and you can still appeal.

7. What we tell you when we take a measure

Whenever we remove something of yours, limit its reach or touch your account, we will tell you:

• What exactly we have done and to which content.
• Why, with the specific facts we rely on.
• What we base it on: the law breached or the specific rule on this page.
• Whether an automated system played a part in the detection or the decision.
• How to appeal, with the deadline and the address.

The only reason we would not tell you is that a rule or an authority forbids us from doing so — for example, so as not to frustrate an ongoing investigation.

8. How to appeal if you think we got it wrong

Write to moderacion@gigbusters.com from your account's email address, within six months of the decision, telling us what you think we misunderstood. You can attach whatever you like.

• We acknowledge receipt and a different person from the one who took the decision reviews it, whenever the size of the team allows.
• We reply with a reasoned decision within a maximum of 15 working days.
• If you are right, we reverse the measure and restore the content where possible.
• Appealing here takes nothing away from you: you can still go to the courts or to the relevant authority.

We offer this procedure voluntarily: given our size we are not required to have one, and we have it because a decision that cannot be challenged is a worse decision.

9. How to report content to us

Anyone can report content they consider illegal or contrary to these guidelines: no account is needed. If you have one, the report button is on the event, band or venue page itself. If not, write to moderacion@gigbusters.com.

So that we can act quickly, tell us:

• The exact link to the content.
• Why you believe it should not be there, in enough detail.
• A contact email, if you want to be told the outcome.

We acknowledge receipt, review it without undue delay and, if you left us an email address, tell you the decision. Reports that are malicious or manifestly unfounded and repeated are themselves a misuse of the tool: if someone mass-reports their competitors, we will stop processing their reports.

10. Cooperation with the authorities

We provide information when lawfully required to do so by a court, the police or another competent body, and only to the extent the request covers.

In addition, if while reviewing content we come to suspect that an offence threatening someone's life or safety has been, is being or is about to be committed, we will report it to the authorities on our own initiative. This is not a threat aimed at anyone: it is what has to be done, and we would rather have it in writing.

11. Changes to these guidelines

These guidelines will be expanded as new cases appear. We will always publish the date and the version, and give notice of significant changes through the usual channels. Where a change affects people using Gigbusters professionally, the 15-day notice period of the Business Terms applies.

Legal Notice · Terms · Community · Business · Privacy · Cookies · Emails