Royalty Splits
ONCE lets you attach royalty splits to a distributed release so collaborators can review their share inside ONCE.
This workflow is for setting up split participants and their percentages. It does not send payouts yet.
What You Can Do
- Add royalty recipients at the release level
- Override the split on individual tracks when needed
- Save a draft while you are still confirming names, emails, or percentages
- Apply the split so ONCE can invite recipients or link existing ONCE accounts
- Resend an invitation email without removing and re-adding the recipient
- Give recipients a locked, view-only release page that shows their split details
When Splits Are Available
The Splits action appears on the release page after the release has been successfully distributed to at least one store.
You can open it from the Status & Action Bar on a distributed release.
What You Need For Each Recipient
Every split recipient needs:
- Legal name
- Email address
- Percentage
You can create:
- A release-wide split that applies to the full release
- A track override for any track that needs a different allocation
If a track has its own override, that custom track split takes precedence over the release-wide default for that track.
How The Workflow Works
1. Build the draft
Open Splits, add the recipients, and enter the release-wide percentages.
If one or more tracks need different numbers, turn on a track override and enter the custom percentages for that track.
2. Save draft
Use Save draft if you are still waiting on collaborator details or percentages. ONCE keeps the split structure attached to the release so you can come back later.
3. Apply the split
When everything is ready, click Apply splits.
At that point ONCE:
- Links any recipient whose email already belongs to an ONCE account
- Emails any recipient who does not have an ONCE account yet
- Waits for new recipients to claim their invite before finishing the external split sync
What Recipients See
Recipients do not become release owners.
The claim page shows the release artwork, title, artist, and the invited split details before they claim access.
Once they are linked or claimed, the release appears in their Releases list with a locked, non-owned indicator. Opening it shows a dedicated read-only page with:
- Release artwork and metadata
- The release owner name and email
- Their release-wide split, if one exists
- Any custom per-track split overrides that apply to them
- A clear notice that they cannot edit metadata or distribution settings
Existing ONCE Users
If the email already belongs to an ONCE account, ONCE links that recipient automatically after you apply the split.
They will see the locked release in their library without needing a separate invite email.
If they do open a split claim link, ONCE tells them that the invited email already exists and sends them to Log in with that email pre-filled.
New Recipients
If the email does not belong to an ONCE account yet, ONCE emails them an invitation to claim the split.
If the recipient did not get the first email, use Resend invite from the recipient row instead of deleting and recreating that entry.
They should:
- Open the invite link.
- Create an account or log in with the invited email address.
- Confirm their email if they are signing up for the first time.
- Return to the claim page and claim the split.
After claiming, the locked release appears in their ONCE account.
The claim page tells them when the invited email does not exist yet and sends them to Create account with that email pre-filled.
Important Notes
- Splits are currently for access and contract setup only.
- Payouts are not available in ONCE yet.
- Recipients should always use the same email address that was entered in the split.
- If you remove or change a recipient after a split has already been activated, ONCE revokes the current synced split contracts and you will need to apply the updated split again.
- If the wrong email was used, update the split and apply it again so ONCE can issue the correct invitation.