Publishing with ONCE

ONCE includes a dedicated publishing workflow for each track in your release. This workflow is separate from distribution and is designed to help you register songwriting and publishing metadata in one place.

What ONCE Publishing Can Do

• Open publishing registration directly from your release page
• Auto-fill publishing fields with AI to save time
• Let you review and edit all fields before final registration
• Save drafts while you gather missing writer or split details
• Register one track or multiple tracks at once
• Capture PRO + IPI details per writer when needed

Where to Access It

1. Open your release from the Releases page.
2. Click Register Publishing in the Status & Action Bar.
3. Select the track(s) you want to work on.

The publishing modal is available while a release is in Submitted or Distributed status. For status details, see Status & Action Bar.

Publishing Workflow

1) Review auto-filled publishing fields

When you open the publishing modal, ONCE can auto-fill a draft using your release and track metadata.

You can review and edit details across sections like:

• Song details
• Composer details
• Publisher details
• Recording details

2) Save draft data

Use Save Draft at any time while you are still preparing information. This is useful when collaborators still need to confirm splits or writer metadata.

3) Resolve validation issues before registering

Before final registration, ONCE checks for required data and consistency. Typical checks include:

• At least one composer or publisher
• Required composer/publisher fields when that party is listed
• Combined MO/PO/MC/PC share totals equal 100%

4) Choose the registration path

When you click Register, ONCE asks whether any writers are already registered with a PRO:

• No: register with ONCE
• Yes: set PRO and IPI details for each writer

5) Submit track registrations

You can register one or more tracks in a single action. After a track is submitted, that track’s publishing entry becomes read-only.

Important Timing and Limits

• You can prepare drafts before distribution is complete.
• Final publishing registration is locked until the release has been successfully distributed to at least one store.
• Publishing registration is track-based, not release-based.
• Publishing registration is separate from music distribution delivery.

Best Practices

• Use legal writer names.
• Set composer capacity codes correctly: A for Writer, C for Composer, and CA for Composer/Lyricist.
• Enter full copyright dates. If you only provide a year, ONCE expands it to include day and month (for example, 2025 becomes 1/1/25).
• ONCE is not auto-added as a publisher. If ONCE should collect a publisher share, add ONCE as a publisher and set the corresponding MO/PO/MC/PC shares.
• Confirm PRO affiliations and IPI numbers before submitting.
• Verify share splits with collaborators before you register.
• Keep ISRC/ISWC details handy when available.