Today, the 5th of June, marks the fourth time this year that Bandcamp are donating their share of revenue fees (15% of digital sales and 10% of merchandise) to the artists on their site. In a statement posted onto their news feed Bandcamp Daily, the online music platform highlighted a list of artists and labels that had been preparing releases for today. The list also included and highlighted several that are in turn donating their own share to organisations that “support … racial justice and change”, as well as other charitable institutions.
We’re waiving our share of sales this Friday, June 5th, from midnight to midnight PDT. Here’s a list of artists and labels with special releases, including many donating to organizations in support of racial justice and change. https://t.co/G5W0kdakHz
— bandcamp (@Bandcamp) June 3, 2020
Having first engaged with this initiative back in March, the online platform had reasoned that in light COVID-19’s impact on live tours (the primary source of income for most working musicians) “many artists have found merch and digital sales to be a last remaining financial lifeline … so, it’s more important than ever for fans to support musicians by purchasing from them directly”. The initial event was a huge success. Fans across the world spent $4.3 million in the space of 24 hours, 15 times the amount for a typical Friday and the highest number of sales in a single day of Bandcamp’s history.
To keep supporting musicians during the Covid-19 pandemic, we are waiving our revenue share on all sales this Friday, May 1, from midnight to midnight PDT. Let’s come together as a community to put money directly into artists’ pockets: https://t.co/hPhgm7WBR4 pic.twitter.com/DG6KYI2IN5
— bandcamp (@Bandcamp) April 27, 2020
As if that wasn’t enough, the company then unveiled plans to repeat the initiative for the first Friday of the following three months. Today is the second of those three dates, after the first in May set another daily sales record of $7.1 million. Though initially the company’s actions were designed “to support the music community in this time of unprecedented need”, in light of the recent protests against police brutality towards black communities, it’s clear that Bandcamp are encouraging those participating in today’s event to redirect their aid to artists and labels donating to the protests. Just this Monday, Bandcamp themselves announced that every Juneteenth (the 19th of June) they would be donating 100% of their profits to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, in addition to an annual pledge allocating $30,000 every year to organisations “that fight for racial justice and create opportunities for people of color”. See the full list of the artists and labels alongside the organisations they’re donating to here.
