Support
How support works at ONCE
We want to be honest with you about this from the start, because honesty up front saves everyone the frustration later. ONCE is built and run by a small group of independent artists, after hours and on top of full-time jobs. That shapes everything about how we support you: automation first, an incredible community second, and an easy, no-questions-asked way out if we're not the right fit.
At a glance: No urgent queue and no guaranteed response times. We fix issues and ship features as we're able. Most things are handled by the product itself; the rest by our Discord community. If you ever need more than that, you can get a full refund and takedown at any time, no hard feelings, and we'll help you move. The price is low because the model is honest.
Setting expectations
ONCE has been growing fast, which is exciting, but it'll likely be a while before anyone gets to work on it full-time. Right now, several of us build and maintain it voluntarily, in the hours around our day jobs. We love doing it, and we'd rather tell you exactly what that means than overpromise.
Practically: we can't treat any single issue as urgent, and we don't offer SLA-backed or white-glove support. We started ONCE for our own music and made it available to others. When something breaks or a feature is needed, we make updates as we're able. If you need a distributor that can guarantee fast, hands-on help, that's a completely valid need, and ONCE is probably not the right home for you yet.
The three tiers of support
Think of it as three layers. Most people never get past the first.
Tier 1
Automation, by design
Our goal is to automate everything. The platform is built to handle the common cases, from AI provenance scanning and disclosure to metadata and delivery, without anyone needing to step in. The more we automate, the faster and more reliable your experience gets, and the less anyone has to wait on a human.
Tier 2
The community
When the product can't answer something, our Discord community usually can, and fast. It's full of artists doing exactly what you're doing. We're part of that community too, as artists, and we hop in to answer questions from time to time. It's the best resource we have, and it gets better as it grows.
Join the ONCE DiscordTier 3
The easy way out: refund & takedown
If automation and the community aren't enough for what you need, you're never stuck. Ask us for a full refund and a takedown of your releases, and we'll take care of it, no hard feelings and no guilt trip. We'll even help you get set up with a distributor that's a better fit. We mean it: we'd rather help you land somewhere good than keep you somewhere that isn't working.
Request a refund & takedownWhy we do it this way
The price is low because the model is honest. ONCE is a flat $1 per human release and $2 per AI release, with no subscription and 100% of your royalties kept. That only works because we automate aggressively and lean on the community instead of staffing a support desk around the clock. We'd rather pass those savings to you and be upfront about the tradeoff than charge more to cover overhead you didn't ask for.
We're also building toward artist independence. The more the tools handle on their own, the less any of us, you included, has to depend on someone else to get music out into the world. That's the whole point.
Where every dollar goes
Part of being honest about support is being honest about money. We're clear about every fee and where it goes, including the cut our distribution partners take and the extra dollar on AI releases that funds the Artist Compensation Fund. You can see the real numbers in our transparency report.
How to reach us
- Quick questions and how-tos: ask in the Discord community first; it's the fastest path to an answer.
- Account, rights, payments, refunds, and takedowns: email us through the contact page. This is the official channel for anything involving your account.
- Feature ideas: tell us on the public roadmap or request a feature. We build in the open.
However you reach us, please be patient and kind. A little grace goes a long way with a team doing this for the love of it.
If ONCE isn't the right fit
This support model isn't for everyone, and that's genuinely okay. There are hundreds of other distributors, and we know and respect many of the people who run them. If you need faster, more hands-on help than we can offer right now, reach out through our contact page and we'll help you find a better home, refund and takedown included. If you want to see how we compare first, our distributor comparisons are honest about where other services do things differently.
Frequently asked questions
Does ONCE offer urgent or priority support?
No. We don't have an urgent queue or guaranteed response times. ONCE is built and run by a small group of working artists, after hours and on top of full-time jobs. We fix issues and ship features as we're able. If you need SLA-backed, white-glove support, we're genuinely not the right distributor for you yet, and we'll happily help you find one that is.
How do I actually get help?
Start with the product itself, which is built to handle most things without anyone in the loop. If you're stuck, the ONCE Discord community is the fastest place to get an answer, both from other artists and from us when we hop in. For anything involving your account, rights, or money, email us through the contact page.
Why is support so different from other distributors?
Because the price is too. ONCE is a flat $1 per human release and $2 per AI release with no subscription and 100% of royalties kept. That math only works because we automate aggressively and lean on the community instead of staffing a 24/7 support desk. We'd rather pass the savings to you and be honest about the tradeoff than charge more for a call center.
What if ONCE isn't the right fit for me?
That's completely okay, and there's no hard feeling. You can request a full refund and a takedown of your releases at any time, and we'll help you move to a distributor that fits your needs better. We'd rather help you land somewhere good than keep you somewhere that isn't working.
Who is behind ONCE?
A handful of independent artists and builders who use ONCE for their own music. Nobody works on ONCE full-time. We started it for ourselves and opened it up to others, and it has grown to several thousand creators. We're transparent about that because it shapes everything about how support works here.
Will support change as ONCE grows?
Likely, yes. As more of the platform is automated and the community grows, the experience should keep getting better, and one day someone may get to work on ONCE full-time. Until then, this page is the honest picture, and we'll keep it current.