Distributor comparison
ONCE vs RouteNote
for AI music
RouteNote Free takes 15% of your royalties forever. Premium is $10 per single plus $9.99 every year. ONCE is $2 per AI release, paid once, with 100% royalties and automatic AI disclosure.
Disclosure: We're ONCE. We built one of the two distributors in this comparison. Every number on this page comes from RouteNote's own support docs and pricing pages as of June 2026. If anything's stale, email us and we'll fix it.
| ONCE | RouteNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $2 per AI song / $1 per human song, paid once | Free (15% commission) or Premium ($10/single + $9.99/year) |
| Tracks live if you stop paying | Forever | Forever (Premium reverts to Free if renewal lapses) |
| Royalty split | 100% to artist | 85% on Free; 100% on Premium (if renewed) |
| AI music policy | Explicit support, auto-disclosure to DSPs | Accepted with manual review; source links required |
| AI provenance scanning | Built in (Vobile partnership) | Manual moderation only |
| YouTube Content ID (AI tracks) | Not bundled | Blocked for AI content |
| Korean DSPs (Melon, Genie, etc.) | 20+ major global DSPs | AI releases blocked on Korean partner stores |
| MCP / AI agent support | Public MCP server at /mcp | None |
Where ONCE wins
- 100% royalties — RouteNote Free keeps 15% of every payment, in perpetuity.
- Pay once ($2 AI / $1 human), not $10 upfront plus $9.99/year per release on Premium.
- Automatic AI provenance scanning and DSP disclosure — RouteNote relies on manual moderation.
- ONCE is the ethical AI distributor: the extra dollar on every AI release routes to the Artist Compensation Fund.
- No per-release renewal stacking — ten AI tracks on ONCE = $20 once; ten Premium singles = $100 upfront plus ~$100/year.
- ONCE's MCP server lets AI agents distribute tracks programmatically.
When RouteNote is still the right call
- You want $0 upfront and are fine with 15% commission on a small test catalog.
- You distribute human-made music and want free YouTube Content ID without a subscription.
- You need Korean DSP coverage for non-AI releases (AI is blocked on Melon, Genie, Bugs, Flo, Vibe).
Verdict
RouteNote's Free tier is one of the few genuinely no-upfront options left — and it accepts AI music, which is rare. But 15% forever is expensive the moment your tracks earn anything, and Premium renewal fees stack per release. For AI music in 2026, ONCE wins on royalty retention, per-track economics, automatic compliance, and the Artist Compensation Fund — unless you specifically need RouteNote's free Content ID for human-made catalog.
Skip the subscription — invite Suno friends instead
Earn +5 free credits when each friend submits their first release. Three friends = 15 free releases.
Common questions
Is RouteNote really free for AI music?
RouteNote's Free tier has no upfront cost and accepts AI releases, but it keeps 15% of every royalty payment forever — you get 85%. To keep 100%, you pay $10 per single upfront plus $9.99 every year per release. ONCE charges $2 once for an AI release and you keep 100% with no commission and no annual renewal stacking across your catalog.
Does RouteNote accept AI-generated music?
Yes, with conditions. RouteNote's moderation team reviews AI uploads and may ask for links to the AI tools you used. AI content cannot go to Content Recognition stores (YouTube Content ID, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram) or Korean partner stores. ONCE is built for AI music with automatic provenance scanning and mandatory DSP disclosure on every upload.
When does RouteNote Premium beat ONCE on cost?
RouteNote Free is genuinely $0 upfront, which wins for a single test release that earns almost nothing — the 15% cut only hurts once royalties add up. RouteNote Premium at $10 + $9.99/year per single beats ONCE only if that one track earns enough that 15% of lifetime royalties exceeds roughly $12 in year one. For catalogs of multiple AI tracks, ONCE's flat $2-per-track model avoids per-release renewal fees that stack fast.
When is RouteNote still the better choice?
If you want zero upfront risk and are fine giving up 15% forever on a small catalog, RouteNote Free is a legitimate entry point. RouteNote also includes YouTube Content ID on human-made releases at no extra charge on the Free tier — a perk ONCE does not bundle. For AI music distribution with 100% royalties, built-in ethical compliance, and no manual moderation delays, ONCE is the better default.