Last updated: 29 September 2026
This policy explains how The Classical Source (“we”, “us”) collects and uses personal information when you visit www.classicalsource.com, contact us, comment on our reviews or write for us. It also explains your rights under UK data protection law: the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), as amended.
1. Who we are
The data controller responsible for your personal information is Chris Caspell of The Classical Source, Stafford, United Kingdom.
Email: info@classicalsource.com
We have not appointed a Data Protection Officer because we are not required to. Please send any questions about this policy or your data to the email address above.
2. The information we collect
When you browse the site
- Technical information your browser sends automatically: IP address, browser type, device and operating system, the pages you visit and the date and time. Our host keeps this in server logs for security and to keep the site running.
- If you accept statistics cookies, Google Analytics collects information about how you use the site, such as pages viewed, time on page, approximate location (town or region) and how you arrived. We cannot identify you from this information.
- Your cookie choices, which are stored so we don’t ask you again.
When you contact us
If you use our contact form or email us, we receive your name, email address and the content of your message. Our contact form is protected by Google reCAPTCHA, which checks that a person rather than an automated program is using it.
When you comment
We collect the name and email address you enter, your comment, your IP address and your browser’s user agent string. Your name and comment are published on the site. Your email address and IP address are never published. If you use the like/dislike buttons on a review, we record your IP address or set a cookie to prevent repeat votes.
If you write for us
We hold contributors’ names, contact details and the biography and photograph they supply for their reviewer page. Your name, biography and photograph are published with your reviews.
Press releases and news
If you send us press releases or information for publication, we hold your contact details and the material you send. We may publish that material, including your name and organisation.
People we write about
Our reviews and news naturally mention performers, composers and other people in the arts. This is journalism, and it is processed under the special purposes provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018.
We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. We don’t use your information for automated decision-making or profiling that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.
3. Why we use it and our lawful basis
| Purpose | Information | Lawful basis (UK GDPR Article 6) |
|---|---|---|
| Running and securing the website, preventing spam and abuse | Server logs, IP address, comment metadata, reCAPTCHA checks | Legitimate interests: keeping the site secure and working |
| Understanding how the site is used so we can improve it | Google Analytics data | Consent, given through the cookie banner. You can withdraw it at any time |
| Answering your enquiry | Contact form and email details | Legitimate interests: responding to people who contact us |
| Publishing and moderating comments | Comment details | Legitimate interests: running a discussion space. You choose to publish your comment |
| Working with contributors and publishing their reviews and profiles | Contributor details | Legitimate interests: publishing our reviews and crediting their authors |
| Publishing news and press material | Press contact details and material | Legitimate interests: publishing arts news |
| Meeting legal obligations, such as responding to lawful requests | As needed | Legal obligation |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have weighed our interests against your rights and consider the processing to be expected and low-risk. You can object at any time (see section 9).
4. Cookies
We use cookies that are strictly necessary for the site to work without asking you. We only set statistics cookies if you agree to them in our cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time using the cookie settings link at the bottom of every page. Our Cookie Policy lists each cookie, what it does and how long it lasts.
5. Who we share your information with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the service providers who help us run the site. They act on our instructions and must keep it secure:
| Provider | What they do | Information involved |
|---|---|---|
| SiteGround | Hosting, security and backups | All site data, server logs |
| Google (Google Analytics) | Visitor statistics, only with your consent | Analytics data, IP address |
| Google (reCAPTCHA) | Protecting our contact form from spam | Device and browser information |
| Google (YouTube) | Playing videos embedded in our reviews | Viewing data, once you play a video |
| WPForms (contact form) | Sending your message to us by email | Your name, email and message |
Comments are checked for spam by Antispam Bee, which runs on our own server and doesn’t send your data to anyone else.
Embedded content from other sites, such as YouTube videos, behaves as if you had visited that site. Those sites may collect data and set their own cookies, especially if you are logged in to them.
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, for example to the police or a court, or to protect our rights or the safety of others.
6. International transfers
Some of our providers, including Google, may process data outside the UK, for example in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United States. When that happens, we make sure the transfer is protected by one of these:
- UK “adequacy regulations”, which cover the EEA and US companies certified under the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (the “UK–US data bridge”), or
- the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
7. How long we keep your information
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Contact form messages and emails | 2 years after our last exchange, then deleted |
| Published comments | For as long as the comment remains on the site. Ask us and we’ll remove it |
| Spam and rejected comments | Deleted automatically after 30 days |
| Server and security logs | Up to 30 days |
| Google Analytics data | No more than 14 months, then deleted automatically by Google |
| Contributor details | While you write for us. Your published reviews and profile stay on the site as part of our archive unless you ask us to remove your profile |
| Press releases | For as long as they are relevant to our coverage |
| Backups | Overwritten on a rolling basis, usually within 30 days |
8. Keeping your information secure
The site is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. It’s protected by our host’s firewall and security tools, and access to the site’s administration is limited and password-protected. No website can be completely secure. If a data breach is likely to put your rights at risk, we will tell the Information Commissioner’s Office within 72 hours, and tell you without undue delay where the law requires it.
9. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you and receive a copy
- correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete
- erase your information in certain circumstances
- restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances
- object to our use of your information where we rely on legitimate interests
- data portability: receive information you gave us in a commonly used format, where we rely on consent or contract
- withdraw consent at any time, for example by changing your cookie settings. This doesn’t affect anything we did before you withdrew it
To use any of these rights, email info@classicalsource.com. There is no charge. We may need to confirm your identity, and we will respond within one month. If your request is complex, we may extend this by up to two further months and will tell you why.
Some rights are limited where information is processed for journalism, for example we may not have to remove accurate, published reviews. We will always explain our reasons.
10. Complaints
If you’re unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first at info@classicalsource.com. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and respond without undue delay.
You also have the right to complain to the UK regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
- Helpline: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
11. Links to other websites
Our reviews link to other sites, such as record labels, venues, retailers and the BBC. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, so please read their privacy policies.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top shows when it last changed. If we make significant changes, we’ll highlight them on this page.