Credits & Referrals

ONCE uses a credits-based system for distribution. This keeps things simple and fair, you only pay for what you use.

Understanding Credits

Credits are the currency you use to submit releases on ONCE. Each submitted human song costs 1 credit. Each submitted AI song (AI-detected or generated through OMG) costs a flat 2 credits.

How Credits Work

• Purchase credits anytime from the My Account page or pricing page
• Spend credits when you submit a release:
  • 1 credit per human track, regardless of length
  • 2 credits per AI track (AI-detected on upload, or generated through OMG), flat, no per-generation fee
• Spend credits through MCP when submitting releases from connected MCP clients
• Earn credits by referring friends

Credit Pricing

Credits are $1 each (1 credit = 1 song) when you pay the standard rate. Buy any amount you need, or save by buying in bulk:

The 20 pack is sized for an EP or album, so one purchase covers a typical release with room to spare. Credits never expire, so a bulk pack is just money saved for whenever you release next. You can always enter a custom amount at the standard $1/credit rate.

Earning Free Credits

Referral Program

The easiest way to earn free credits is through our referral program:

1. Find your invite link in the Referrals section of the My Account page
2. Share it with artist friends who might want to use ONCE
3. Earn credits when they sign up and submit their first release

How It Works

• When someone signs up using your invite link, they become your referral
• Once they submit their first release, you earn +5 credits
• Credits are earned once per referred user (their first submission only)
• There’s no limit to how many people you can refer

Referral Tiers

Your +5 credits per qualified referral never changes. On top of that, you earn a one-time bonus each time your total number of qualified referrals reaches a tier:

Each bonus is awarded exactly once, automatically, the moment your count reaches the threshold. The Referrals card on the My Account page shows your current tier and a progress bar toward your next bonus.

Where You’ll See Your Invite Link

Beyond the My Account page, ONCE surfaces your invite link at the moments you’re most likely to want to share it:

• When your release goes live: the “Your release is live” email includes your invite link (plus a link to your public release page for fans)
• When your first streams arrive: the release Performance page shows a celebration banner with a quick copy/share invite card

Each surface uses the same link, so credits are tracked no matter where you share from.

Referral Tracking

The My Account page shows:

• How many people have signed up with your link
• How many have submitted their first release
• Total credits earned from referrals
• Your current referral tier and progress toward the next bonus

Purchasing Credits

Buying credits happens right on the pricing page — there’s no separate checkout site to bounce to. Pick a bulk pack or enter a custom amount, then enter your card details inline and confirm. Your balance updates instantly.

If you reach the release confirmation without enough credits, ONCE opens the same checkout right there in the flow, with the smallest pack that covers your release already selected. Buy, then confirm your release without losing your place. A link to the full pricing page is always available from that checkout too.

Payment Methods

We accept:

• Credit/debit cards via Stripe
• Most major card networks supported

Card details are entered in a secure Stripe field and never touch ONCE’s servers. You can optionally save your card during checkout for faster purchases and to enable auto-reload.

If a payment is declined

Card declines happen, and they are almost always the bank’s call, not ONCE’s. When a payment fails, the checkout explains what went wrong in plain language and what to do next:

• Fixable details (a typo in the card number or security code): correct the field and try again. Retries reuse the same payment, so you will never be double-charged.
• Temporary issues (a processing hiccup, or your bank asking for extra verification): wait a moment and try again, completing your bank’s verification step if one appears.
• Hard declines (an expired card, or your bank refusing the charge): trying the same card again rarely helps. Use a different card, or a digital wallet if one is shown in the payment field.

If a decline will not clear, or two attempts in a row fail, a Get help from Note button appears under the error. It opens Note with a ready-to-send message describing the problem (just the pack size and the decline category, never your card details), so you can get unstuck without writing anything up yourself.

Auto-reload

Don’t want to think about credits? Turn on Auto-reload from the pricing page:

1. Choose the balance threshold that triggers a top-up (0 means only when you run out completely; set it higher, for example 2, to reload before you run empty).
2. Choose how many credits to add (any bulk pack or a custom amount).
3. Pick a saved card, or add one.
4. Save.

Whenever your balance falls to your chosen threshold or below, ONCE automatically charges your saved card for the amount you chose and tops you back up, so a release submission never gets blocked mid-flow. You can change the threshold or amount, switch cards, or turn it off anytime. If a charge ever fails (for example, an expired card), auto-reload pauses and tells you so you can update your card.

You’ll also see a one-tap auto-reload offer right after a purchase where you saved your card, preset to top up with what you just bought whenever your balance falls to 2 credits or below. It’s entirely optional, and you can adjust or turn it off from the pricing page at any time.

Purchase & credit history

The pricing page keeps a clear, running history of everything that affects your balance — purchases, auto-reloads, referral rewards, credits used on releases, and any refunds — each with the date, amount, and credits added or used. Filter by Added or Used to find a specific entry.

Patron (Optional Supporter Tier)

Patron is an optional supporter tier for artists who want to help fund the ONCE mission. It is not required for distribution.

What Patrons Get

• Peak Mastering: (Temporarily disabled) Audio Refinement toggle when distributing
• AI Cover Art Model Toggle: Nano Banana 2 (1K) by default, with Patron option to switch to Nano Banana Pro (4K)
• Patron Badge: Show your support on your profile
• Discord Access: Patron role in the ONCE Discord server with exclusive Patron channels
• Discord Q&A Helper: Ask questions in Discord and get answers backed by docs.once.app

Learn more: Discord on ONCE

What Patron is NOT

• Not required to distribute music
• Not a replacement for credits
• Not a downgrade of features for non-Patrons

Core distribution functionality remains the same for everyone. Patron is simply a way to support ONCE’s mission while getting access to optional add-on features.

AI tracks and the Artist Compensation Fund

Each AI track you submit costs 2 credits instead of 1. That extra credit is not a hidden fee — it funds the ONCE Artist Compensation Fund (ACF). Every AI song distributed through ONCE (OMG-generated, AI-detected on upload, or partner-submitted) contributes to compensating the human artists whose work makes AI music possible.

See the full Artist Compensation Fund guide for how distribution supports artists.

Tips

• Watch your balance: Make sure you have enough credits before starting a release
• Using MCP?: Open MCP Settings from Dashboard Quick Actions before connecting clients
• Share your link: Referrals are the best way to earn free credits
• Top up as needed: Buy credits whenever you need more

For memory behavior (including the auto-updated credit balance memory), see Agent Memories.