Workers at Epic-owned Bandcamp are unionising because “It’s not enough to get small wins alone”
“The music and tech industries are at a juncture, and it’s time that we as workers have a seat at the table to weigh in on the challenges and opportunities of this moment,” the union wrote.
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Employees of online music storefront and community Bandcamp are unionising in a push for fairer wages and greater transparency from its leadership.
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The union, now known as Bandcamp United, consists of US-based workers across all departments at Bandcamp.
Rolling Stone reports that organising efforts have been quietly underway since last summer, with workers calling the move “critical to our ability to do our best work and make good on the promise and mission of Bandcamp to provide fair economic conditions, direct support, and transparency for ourselves and all of our users”
We are Bandcamp United – a union of workers across all departments at Bandcamp committed to advocating for a better Bandcamp for all, including our international colleagues and the artists, labels, and fans who use the platform as well as ourselves. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/SKwVBPU967
— Bandcamp United (@bandcampunited) March 16, 2023
Notably, the effort is affiliated with the Tech Workers Union Local 1010 of The Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) — the same group that helped full-time Kickstarter employees organise back in 2020.
Per Bandcamp United’s mission statement, the group aims to eliminate historical disparities and promote “equitable conditions and economic stability”. Workers are also demanding adequate access to paid time off, salary growth to meet changing economic conditions and consistency in their communications with management.
According to Rolling Stone, the union has also set its sights on righting the supposed lack of transparency from management, particularly in the wake of the Epic Games acquisition last year.
“When we were acquired by Epic, new employment contracts were given to us and we were given a limited amount of time to sign them with no room for negotiation,” mobile app developer Jared Andrews told the publication.
“This was not fair and it was not transparent. Bandcamp as a marketplace is known for valuing fairness and transparency with regard to how the artists who use our website are compensated. These same values should be reflected in the workplace where Bandcamp is built.”
Founded in 2007, Bandcamp has been touted as an artist-friendly alternative to streaming giants like Spotify and Apple, where users can buy music directly from the musicians themselves.
Learn more at bandcampunited.org
