Getting Started

This page takes you from sign-up to the point where you are ready to build your first release.

Creating your account

Go to beta.once.app and click Sign Up. There are three ways in.

The fastest option, and the one we recommend. Click Sign up with Google or Sign up with Apple, pick the account you want to use, and you’re in. There’s no password to choose, no confirmation email to wait for, and usually no text message step.

If the email address on your Google or Apple account already has a ONCE account, ONCE connects the two instead of making a second one. You’ll see a confirmation on your Sign-in methods page, and your existing password keeps working.

Continue with Discord works the same way, with one difference: new accounts created through it still go through the mobile number step below, because a Discord account is free to create and doesn’t tell ONCE as much as a Google or Apple one does. Spotify sign-in is shown as coming soon and isn’t available yet.

If you’re an ONCE Insider and already in the ONCE Discord server, signing in with Discord gives you your Insider role right away, with no separate connect step. If you haven’t joined the server yet, use Connect Discord on your Insider page and it will add you and set your role in one go.

Click Sign up with email to open the email form.

Enter an email you have access to. You will need to verify it.
Optionally set a default release label. If you leave it blank, ONCE uses the release’s artist name as the label until you set one for that release.
Click the verification link in your inbox.
Verify your mobile number. ONCE texts you a six-digit code; enter it to finish setting up your account.
Add your artist name and basic details.

Verifying your mobile number

Signing up with an email address includes one text message step. After you confirm your email, ONCE asks for a mobile number, texts you a code, and unlocks your account once you enter it.

Google and Apple signups usually skip it. Those accounts arrive already verified by the provider. Discord signups don’t skip it, and ONCE does occasionally ask for a number on a Google or Apple signup as well.
It’s a one-time step. Once verified, you’re never asked again.
Existing accounts are never asked. If you had a ONCE account before this step existed, nothing changes for you.
One number, one account. A number that’s already verified on another ONCE account can’t be used again.
It only secures your account. The number is never used for marketing, and only its last four digits are ever shown in the app.
Standard message rates apply. Codes usually arrive within a few seconds. If one doesn’t turn up, you can request another after 60 seconds.

If you can’t complete this step, sign out and ask the ONCE team in the ONCE Discord. ONCE does not offer email support.

Trouble confirming your email?

Check spam or junk. The email comes from notifications@once.app.
Resend it. On the “Check your email” screen, click Resend confirmation email. You can request another every 60 seconds.
Use a login link instead. Click Email me a login link instead (also on the login page). The one-time link signs you in and confirms your email in a single step, no password needed.

Logging in

The login page offers the same options in the same order: Continue with Google, Continue with Apple, Continue with Discord, or Continue with Email for your email address and password. If your account is connected to more than one of them, any of them gets you to the same place.

Forgot your password? is always on the login page, and once you open the email option you can also have ONCE email you a one-time login link instead of typing a password. If you visit a protected page while logged out, ONCE prompts you to sign in and then returns you to the page you asked for.

Manage all of this from Sign-in methods: connect Google, Apple, or Discord to a password account, disconnect a provider you no longer use (never your last one), change your password, or add or change your verified mobile number.

Finding your way around

The header. Once logged in, My Releases is directly in the header (Releases on a phone). YouTube Toolkit is beside it on desktop and in the menu on a phone. The right side also holds your avatar (hover or tap for Account & Settings, My Releases, and Insider Benefits), a New Release button that starts a new chat, and the bell for your notifications.

Chat history. On the main chat page, the sidebar icon in the top-left (just below the header) opens a panel of all your past releases with album art, status, and date, plus a search bar. Click any release to load that conversation without a page reload.

My Account. Your home base: credit balance and purchases, your referral link, quick actions (email preferences, artist profiles, migration, developer settings), and the public profile toggle. Details live on Credits & Referrals and Your Account.

Before your first release

Have these ready before you start the chat:

Audio: your final masters. WAV is recommended; MP3, AAC, M4A, OGG, FLAC, and AIFF are accepted. Check for clipping and for silence at the start or end. Full list in audio requirements.
Cover art: a square JPG or PNG, ideally 3000×3000, with no streaming platform logos, URLs, or social handles. You can also generate art in the chat. Full list in cover art requirements.
Release details: title, artist name(s), track titles, genre, release date, and songwriter names (full legal names) for every track.
Credits: 1 credit per track, 2 for a track flagged as AI. You can buy them mid-flow if you run short. See Credits & Referrals.

A few things that save trouble later:

Spelling is permanent-ish. Titles and artist names can be edited after release, but each edit is a redistribution. Get them right the first time.
Mark explicit tracks accurately. A mismatch between the flag and the audio is one of the most common reasons a release is held.
Already on Spotify or Apple Music? Have your artist profile links handy so the release lands on your existing page. See Artist Store Links.

Ready? Head to Releasing Music.

The release chat’s Release details & checklist control (Details & checklist on smaller screens) opens or closes the structured details and remaining requirements. Sign-in options marked Coming soon are not yet available.

Quick Answers Releasing Music