Bandcamp is taking significant steps to support its massive community by waiving its claim to any revenue generated through sales this Friday.
With touring made impossible by the spread of Covid-19, musicians and the music industry behind them are depending on fans to stream and buy music in the weeks (possibly months) ahead. There have already been calls for Spotify to help artists by increasing its royalty rates, but the Swedish company has remained silent on the matter. Thankfully, one streaming service is getting behind the talent that makes its platform possible.
Bandcamp will waive all revenue shares this Friday, March 20. A statement from the company sent to members of the media this morning, March 19, reads:
“The Covid-19 pandemic has hit artists especially hard as tours and shows are canceled for the foreseeable future. To help support those impacted, we’re waiving our revenue share on all sales this Friday, March 20, from midnight to midnight PST. If you are able, please join us in putting some much needed money directly into artists’ pockets.”
In the simplest terms, every dollar spent on Bandcamp this Friday, March 20, will go directly to musicians. If you spend five dollars on a new release, the artist responsible for that record will receive all five dollars.
This week has been incredibly tricky for countless industry professionals, and there are no signs of relief on the horizon. The self-isolation and quarantines required to stop the spread of Covid-19 could very well stretch into June or July, if not longer. Couple that information with the knowledge most musicians are unable to work their “day jobs” because the service industry has also shut down, and you have a recipe for stress that will affect many, if not all, of the artists you love.
If you have money to spend right now, please consider buying music on Bandcamp this Friday. If you don’t have the cash to spare, please continue streaming music whenever possible. Every stream and every cent matters. Do your part, and together, we can make it through this turbulent time.
