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 song costs 1 credit.
How Credits Work
- Purchase credits anytime from the My Account page or pricing page
- Spend credits when you submit a release (1 credit per song, regardless of length)
- Spend credits through MCP when submitting releases from connected MCP clients
- Earn credits by referring friends
Credit Pricing
Check the pricing page for current credit pricing. You can buy the number of credits you need at any time.
Earning Free Credits
Referral Program
The easiest way to earn free credits is through our referral program:
- Find your invite link in the Referrals section of the My Account page
- Share it with artist friends who might want to use ONCE
- 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 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
Purchasing Credits
Payment Methods
We accept:
- Credit/debit cards via Stripe
- Most major card networks supported
Credit Packages
You can buy credits anytime from the pricing page. Pricing is flat, so you can top up only what you need.
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.
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.