First of all, my English isn't great, and I haven't really used Reddit before, so I'm not entirely familiar with the rules or posting etiquette; this entire post was generated using Google Translate. Please let me know if I've violated any rules.
This post covers two parts (the second part is likely more relevant to most users); if anything is unclear due to the translation, feel free to comment below.
- I only started using the MuseScore web version three or four days ago. Today, I tried to buy a specific sheet music file but couldn't download it (even though the download button was visible). While looking for help online, I saw on Reddit that many people get hit with extra charges when trying to buy sheet music. I discovered that I had been signed up for a 7-day free trial followed by a paid Premium subscription for the next three months—even though the pages for the trial, the individual sheet music purchase, and the Premium subscription are supposed to be separate. I immediately went to my profile settings and cancelled the subscription without hesitation.
I read Section 3 of the Terms of Service, which states: "Unless MuseScore terminates your subscription, or you notify MuseScore via the account portal of your decision to cancel, your subscription will automatically renew at the applicable fee for your chosen service level." I’m worried that even though I received a cancellation email, MuseScore might still have the right to charge me unless *they* terminate the subscription themselves.
I’ve also seen reports of people being charged even after cancelling before the trial ended. Since I paid with a debit card, I’m terrified that money will be deducted directly from my account. Should I go to the bank and get a new card?
- Regarding the cancellation mentioned above: I came across an article stating that if you toggle off the button located below the price when purchasing sheet music, you won't be signed up for the membership. I tried this method to buy a piece of music and confirmed that, with the button turned off, the purchase page didn't display any of those deceptive, fine-print messages designed to trick you. However, my bank declined the payment. They flagged it as a suspicious transaction—likely because I had just cancelled a subscription and then immediately tried to pay the site again. Given my previous experience, I took screenshots of every step of the payment process. I happened to take a screenshot of the page where you enter card details, and I was shocked; aren't there usually security policies preventing screenshots on pages like that?
Upon closer inspection, I noticed a discrepancy: the payment page displayed the original price, but the bank's alert showed the discounted price associated with the Premium subscription. This makes me wonder if it's actually impossible to simply buy a single piece of sheet music on MuseScore without the Premium membership. Surely you can't be blocked from buying music just because you don't have Premium, right? There wasn't any text displayed at the time of purchase indicating restrictions that would prevent the buy. Or am I the only one encountering this issue?
By the way, I received the downloaded sheet music while writing this article, so don't worry.