Bandcamp artists gain record-breaking support amidst coronavirus concerns

The platform waived its revenue shares on 20 March and music fans stormed to the site in support of artists.

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Bandcamp COVID-19 sales

Last week, Bandcamp declared it was renouncing its revenue from music and merch sales onsite for 24 hours on the 20 March to support artists affected by COVID-19. On Friday, artists earned a collective $4.3 million from 800,000 Bandcamp sales, marking the biggest sales day in the company’s history.

In a statement, Bandcamp said that the sales amounted to “more than 15 times our normal Friday, and at the peak, fans were buying 11 items per second”. The sales from Friday contribute a significant portion to the $15.2 million the site’s front page says was paid to artists in the last 30 days.

Some record labels also chimed in with their support, giving 100% of proceeds directly to the artists while continuing to spread the word to followers. Bandcamp also thanked the media outlets that reported on the waived-fee day. A number of labels and artists forwarded contributions to charities of their choice on the day, including Joy Orbsion, who donated proceeds from his new mix to Southwark Food Bank.

A few surprise releases were also uploaded on the day, including early 2002 dubstep tracks from Skream, an exclusive sample pack from Shanti Celeste and an exclusive new release from FaltyDL. The best selling albums included Porridge Radio’s Every Bad, Nap Eyes’ Snapshot of a Beginner, Moses Sumney’s græ, Khruangbin and Leon Bridges’ Texas Sun and Phoebe Bridger’s debut Stranger in the Alps.

Bandcamp’s statement closed with: “We don’t yet know the long-term impact of Covid-19, but we know that we all need music—to uplift and inspire us, to heal us, and to give us hope. We’ll continue working to make Bandcamp the best place for fans and artists to come together and sustain each other in the challenging times ahead. Thank you again, and we wish you all good health!”

Read the statement at bandcamp.com

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