When Bandcamp ceded its revenue share from all sales on March 20, the platform generated around $4.3 million for artists grappling with financial losses related to Covid-19. More than a month later, the pandemic continues, and postponed tours and shows are still in limbo, or canceled altogether—and so Bandcamp has scheduled more fee-free days in support.
This Friday, May 1 is the first fundraising day in a series that runs every first Friday through July. From midnight to midnight PT each Friday, Bandcamp will again waive its revenue share, and your coin goes straight to the artists within 24 and 48 hours.
It’s only Tuesday, so you’ve got plenty of time to plan your purchases. Remember, merch counts too. You can also purchase a gift card to give to friends or family—any purchases with that gift card made on the designated Fridays also count.
In a post about the addition of new revenue-free days, Bandcamp points to its Artist Guide, where artists can get recs for maximizing their presence (and thus, income) on the platform.
Be sure to also look out for labels that are donating 100 percent of revenue to artists. Get on label socials closer to Friday to find out. (Here’s the list of labels that participated in the March 20 revenue waiving.)
A few of our faves to get your Friday shopping list started are below. For more ideas, see Bandcamp Daily or browse via genre tags and more:
Merch:
https://quitapenas.bandcamp.com/merch/tigrada-t-shirt
https://todaviamusic.bandcamp.com/merch/todavia-hat
https://midnitesnaxxx.bandcamp.com/merch/midnite-snaxxx-record-tote