Bandcamp step up to help artists and labels effected by coronavirus
Bandcamp has always been a pretty wholesome place for indie artists and labels by offering a way to directly sell music to fans with high-quality downloads and help streamline the whole process.
It comes as no surprise then that the team at Bandcamp HQ have decided to scrap their fees on all sales this Friday (global release day) to help artists and labels effected by COVID-19/corona virus.
In short, it means more cash into the right people’s pockets so they can continue their creative paths and survive what will be an incredibly difficult time for anyone working in the arts that has seen cancellations en masse.
Co-founder and CEO Ethan Diamond released a pretty honest statement about what is happening and what they are trying to do to help.
The Covid-19 pandemic is in full force, and artists have been hit especially hard as tours and shows are being canceled for the foreseeable future. With such a major revenue stream drying up almost entirely, finding ways to continue supporting artists in the coming months is now an urgent priority for anyone who cares about music and the artists who create it. The good news is that we’re already seeing many fans going above and beyond to support artists across Bandcamp.
To raise even more awareness around the pandemic’s impact on musicians everywhere, we’re waiving our revenue share on sales this Friday, March 20 (from midnight to midnight Pacific Time), and rallying the Bandcamp community to put much needed money directly into artists’ pockets.
For many artists, a single day of boosted sales can mean the difference between being able to pay rent or not. Still, we consider this just a starting point. Musicians will continue to feel the effects of lost touring income for many months to come, so we’re also sharing some ideas below on how fans can support the artists they love and how artists can give fans new, creative ways to provide support.
It may sound simple, but the best way to help artists is with your direct financial support, and we hope you’ll join us on Friday and through the coming months as we work to support artists in this challenging time.
What does this mean? If you have any spare dollars, now is the time to throw them at your favourite indie artists and labels releases! This will likely fill the massive void of cancellations of bookings for local club shows, festivals and ability for their music to be played in clubs.
Below are a list of Australian artists on Bandcamp, post a comment underneath the article on Facebook and we’ll add as many as we can.
