Privacy Policy

This policy explains what information The Groove Almanac (“we,” “us,” “this site”) collects, how it is used, and the choices and rights you have. The short version: we collect very little, we sell nothing, and clear opt-outs are available for advertising cookies.

1. Who we are

The Groove Almanac is an independent editorial website about the history of vinyl records and hi-fi culture. You can contact us about anything in this policy at hello@groovealmanac.us or via our contact page.

2. Information we collect

• Contact form data. If you write to us, we receive the name, email address, subject, and message you provide. We use it solely to respond to you.
• Standard server logs. Our hosting provider may log IP addresses, browser type, and pages requested for security and reliability purposes, as virtually all web hosts do.

We do not require accounts, we do not collect payment information, and we do not knowingly collect data from children under 16. This site is a general-audience publication intended for adult readers.

3. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files placed on your device. This site itself sets no tracking cookies. However, if and when advertising is enabled on this site, third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies (such as the DoubleClick/DART cookie) enables it and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.

You may opt out of personalized advertising at any time by visiting Google’s Ads Settings. You can learn how Google uses data from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and review Google’s advertising technology policies at policies.google.com/technologies/ads. You may also opt out of some third-party vendors’ cookie use at aboutads.info/choices.

4. Your choices

• Ad personalization opt-outs. Use Google’s Ads Settings and the industry tool at aboutads.info/choices to opt out of personalized advertising.
• Browser controls. Every modern browser lets you block or delete cookies entirely.

5. Your rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal data, the right to data portability, and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Where we process data based on consent (such as ad cookies), you may withdraw that consent at any time. To exercise any right, email hello@groovealmanac.us.

6. Your rights (CCPA/CPRA — California residents)

California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request its deletion, to correct inaccurate information, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information as those terms are defined by California law. We do not sell personal information in the conventional sense; to the extent third-party ad cookies constitute “sharing,” using the Google and industry opt-outs above (or your browser’s cookie controls) effects your opt-out. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights. Requests: hello@groovealmanac.us.

7. Data retention and security

Contact-form correspondence is retained only as long as needed to handle your inquiry and is then deleted. We use reputable hosting with industry-standard security. No method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, but we minimize risk by simply collecting almost nothing.

8. Third-party links

Articles link to external sites (for example, image-source pages on Wikimedia Commons and cited industry reports). Those sites have their own privacy policies; we are not responsible for their practices.

9. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page. Material changes will be noted prominently on the homepage.

10. Contact

Questions about privacy? Email hello@groovealmanac.us or use the contact form.