The numbers are in and they’re looking good; Bandcamp’s offer to donate their cut of sales to artists on Friday earnt musicians more than seven million dollars. In a statement released yesterday, CEO and co-founder Ethan Diamond reiterated the importance of supporting artists during lockdown before he revealed the recent promotion had led to music fans collectively spending $7.1 million through the site – all of which went directly to musicians.
Last Friday’s initiative had been announced after the company launched a similar campaign on the 20th of March, in an effort “to support the music community in this time of unprecedented need”. That event had been a massive success; by foregoing their usual revenue (15% of digital sales and 10% of merchandise), Bandcamp encouraged music lovers to spend over $4.3 million in the space of 24 hours. Not only was it 15 times the typical amount for a Friday, at the time it had been the highest number of sales for any day in the company’s history.
Update on last Friday's campaign: Fans paid artists $7.1 million in just 24 hours ($2.8m more than March 20th). Thank you for supporting artists impacted by Covid-19, and mark your calendars for the next #BandcampFriday on June 5th! https://t.co/hPhgm7WBR4
— bandcamp (@Bandcamp) May 4, 2020
Having already effectively gifted hundreds of thousands of dollars to the music creators on its platform, Bandcamp refused to rest on their laurels and promised to waive their fees again for the first Friday of May, June, and July. Last week saw the first of those dates come round boasting another record breaking-tally of sales, clearing the 20th of March’s already impressive total by nearly $3 million.
Despite the financial strain put upon artists owing to lost income from cancelled festivals and postponed tours, Bandcamp’s pledges to provide relief to working musicians is a beacon amongst the sea of worry that’s flooding the creative industries at the moment. But as Diamond said: “the pandemic and its impact on the music community aren’t over”.
Seeing as a recent projection put live concerts out of the question until Autumn 2021, it’s vital that those of us who care about music culture keep it alive. If you missed your chance to do so last Friday, support your favourite artists by buying their music through Bandcamp from 00:00-11:59 PDT on the 5th of June and the 3rd of July.
