Privacy Policy
Last updated: 9 October 2026
This policy explains what personal information Pianoers.com collects, why, who sees it, and what choices you have. We try to collect as little as we can. We don't sell your data, and we don't run ads on this site.
The short version
- We use analytics to see which pages are read. We use Google Analytics and the analytics built into our publishing software, Ghost.
- If you sign up for our email list, sign in, or comment, we store your email address and what you submit.
- If you use our contact form, we receive your name, email address and message.
- Some links on this site are affiliate links. We can earn a commission if you buy through them, and the stores and networks use cookies to credit us. We never see your payment details.
- YouTube videos on some pages, and a few other tools, load from third parties that can see your IP address.
- You can ask us for a copy of your data, or ask us to delete it, at [email protected].
Who we are
Pianoers.com ("we", "us", "our") is an independent website with reviews and guides for people learning piano. It is run by Pianoers.com Limited, which decides how and why personal information about our visitors is used (the "controller" under data protection law).
Contact: [email protected]
What we collect, and why
When you visit the site
Our web server records standard technical information about each request: your IP address, the page you asked for, the date and time, your browser and device type, and the page that sent you here. We use this to deliver the site, keep it secure, fix errors and spot abuse.
Analytics
We want to know which articles help people and which don't. We use two tools:
- Ghost analytics. This is built into our publishing software and runs on our own server. It records page views with a random identifier stored in your browser's local storage. It does not use cookies and doesn't follow you to other websites.
- Google Analytics 4, loaded through Google Tag Manager. It sets cookies (
_gaand_ga_4J8LKV62M8) and collects pseudonymous data such as pages viewed, time on site, device and browser, the site you came from, and your approximate location worked out from your IP address. Google processes this data for us.
Our Google tag setup also includes Google's conversion measurement. It can set a cookie called _gcl_au and store a value in local storage, and it contacts Google advertising servers (for example doubleclick.net). We use it to measure how visits lead to clicks on affiliate links. We don't show third-party ads on this site.
Email list, sign-in and comments
If you subscribe, sign in or comment, we collect your email address, and your name if you give it. We store this in Ghost on our own server. We use it to send you the emails you asked for (a confirmation link, our newsletter, sign-in links) and, for comments, to show your name next to your comment, which is public. Newsletters and sign-in emails are sent through an email delivery service. Every newsletter has an unsubscribe link, and you can ask us to delete your account at any time by emailing us.
Contact form
When you send a message through our contact page, your name, email address and message go to our form provider, Formcarry (formcarry.com), which passes them to us by email. We use them only to reply to you. We keep a message for as long as we need to deal with it and for a reasonable time afterwards in case you write again.
Content from other websites
- YouTube. Some articles embed YouTube videos. When a page with a video loads, YouTube (Google) receives your IP address and can set cookies. See our Cookie Policy for the details.
- Ghost scripts from jsDelivr. The sign-in and comment tools load from the jsDelivr network (cdn.jsdelivr.net), which receives your IP address when they load.
- Images. A few images load from Unsplash's servers (images.unsplash.com).
Things your browser remembers for the site
Some site features save small settings in your own browser and never send them to us: your sound on/off choice for the piano, your reading history so we can show "Continue reading", your best score in the ear-training game, and whether you closed the "recommended piano" bar. Clear your browser's site data to remove them.
Affiliate links
Some links on Pianoers.com are affiliate links, to Amazon, online piano courses and other sellers. Some of them go through short links on our own site, such as pianoers.com/PFA, before they reach the seller. If you click one and buy, the seller or its affiliate network (for example Amazon Associates, ClickBank or Impact) may pay us a commission. To do that they set their own cookies when you click, which they use under their own privacy policies. They tell us about commissions earned. They don't tell us who you are or what you bought.
Pianoers.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Our recommendations are not for sale. See our disclosure on any post marked as containing affiliate links.
Our legal bases (UK and EU visitors)
- Consent for our email list, and for any cookies where the law requires it. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Legitimate interests for running and securing the site, understanding what readers find useful, and replying to messages. You can object to this at any time.
- Contract when you create an account or comment, so we can provide what you asked for.
- Legal obligation where we must keep records or respond to lawful requests.
Who we share data with
We use these service providers, who process data for us or provide tools we rely on:
| Who | What for |
|---|---|
| Our hosting provider | Hosts the site and the Ghost software. |
| Google (Analytics, Tag Manager, YouTube) | Analytics, conversion measurement and video. |
| An email delivery service | Sends newsletters and sign-in emails. |
| Formcarry | Receives contact-form messages and forwards them to us. |
| jsDelivr and Unsplash | Deliver scripts and images. |
| Amazon, ClickBank, Impact and other affiliate programs | Track affiliate clicks and pay commissions. |
We don't sell your personal information for money. We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect our rights, our visitors or the site. If the site changed hands, your data could move to the new owner, who would have to follow this policy.
Where your data goes
Some of these providers, including Google, process data in the United States and other countries. Where the law requires it, we rely on safeguards such as the EU's standard contractual clauses or the provider's participation in a recognised data-transfer framework.
How long we keep it
- Email list and account details: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them.
- Comments: until you or we delete them.
- Contact messages: as described above.
- Analytics cookies: Google Analytics cookies last about 13 months, and Google keeps analytics data for the period set in our account. The conversion cookie lasts about 90 days.
- Server logs: kept for a short period for security and troubleshooting, then deleted.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- ask what personal information we hold about you and get a copy;
- have it corrected or deleted;
- object to or restrict how we use it, and withdraw consent;
- receive it in a portable format;
- complain to your data protection authority (in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office; in the EU, the authority in your country).
California and other US states. You may have the right to know what we collect, to correct or delete it, to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information, and not to be treated differently for using these rights. In the past 12 months we collected identifiers (such as IP address and email address), internet activity (pages viewed and links clicked) and the messages and comments you gave us. We do not sell personal information for money. Analytics and conversion-measurement tools can count as "sharing" under California law, so if you'd like to opt out, email us and also block those cookies in your browser (see our Cookie Policy). We don't currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals.
To use any of these rights, email [email protected]. We may ask you to confirm your identity first, and we aim to reply within 30 days.
Children
This site is written for adults, including parents choosing a piano or lessons for a child. It isn't directed at children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU and UK), and we don't knowingly collect their personal information. If you think a child has sent us information, email us and we'll delete it.
Security
The site uses HTTPS, and sign-in uses emailed links instead of passwords. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security.
Links to other sites
Our articles link to other websites, including stores and course providers. They have their own privacy policies, and we aren't responsible for them.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll also say so on the site.
Contact us
Questions about this policy or your data: [email protected]