Among various other platforms designed for artists and labels to share music and make money, there is BandCamp. Also, a platform that is highly popular with fans and buyers, BandCamp is pleasing both creators and music enthusiasts all around the world.
With fans having paid artists on the platform $15.8 million in the past 30 days alone, it is safe to say that the platform is thriving and that artists are reaping the rewards. So, are you wondering whether to sign up and if BandCamp can help you?
In this article, we will take a look at what BandCamp is, how it can benefit artists, features, pricing, and more. Let’s get started!
What Is BandCamp App?
BandCamp is an online platform where artists can create their online store to promote and sell their music, as well as merchandise. Artists can sell digital downloads, physical copies such as vinyl and cassette tapes, and merchandise.
This music distribution and merchandising company was founded in 2007 and has grown extensively since its inception.
The company’s mission statement is “to create the best possible service for artists and labels to share and earn money from their music, and for fans to discover and enjoy it”.
The platform is used by millions of artists, fans, and more than 3,000 labels around the world! A company that delivers on its promise to artists, BandCamp is renowned for putting the artist first, and giving fair treatment, allowing artists access to more of their royalties than competitors.
Why Is BandCamp Great For Artists?
Let’s take a look at why BandCamp is great for artists, and some of the best parts about the platform.
Artist Centric
Firstly, BandCamp (more than other similar platforms or streaming services) do genuinely seem to have artists at the center of what they do. Their quality is fantastic, especially BandCamp’s loudness.
All artists are treated equally, no matter their fanbase or recognition. The platform is especially helpful for independent artists without financial backing or support with music promotion.
Having a professional-looking page to send fans to instantly allows artists to engage with fans and direct them toward music and merchandise.
Instant Payment
Unlike other digital distributors, artists don’t have to wait to receive their payments. With other means of distribution such as DistroKid or CD Baby, you will usually be waiting to receive quarterly payments for your royalties.
However, with BandCamp, artists get the returns straight away and don’t have to wait for digital distributors.
Reputation For Undiscovered & Underground Music
A lot of artists only upload their music to BandCamp rather than the usual streaming sites like Spotify or Apple Music, as they receive a higher percentage of the royalties, and have more direct interaction with fans.
This means that BandCamp has a ‘cool’ reputation for finding undiscovered and rare gems.
Building Fanbases
For independent artists looking to start building their fan base, you can upload tracks that are free to download, but ask for donations to get fans interested and earn a few tips.
This allows artists to test the waters, begin interacting with fans, and build their brand. Plus, it is a more personal experience, with fans feeling more like they are supporting the artist themselves rather than a large conglomerate.
Fans can get in touch with artists directly via their BandCamp accounts, allowing for a closer relationship and personal touch.
Why Is BandCamp Great For Fans?
BandCamp isn’t just about artists having a great experience – the platform makes sure to cater to fans, too.
There is a reason why there are so many active fans purchasing music and items from BandCamp. Fans receive instant streaming of their purchases, and the ability to follow their favorite artists.
They can also curate a wishlist, showcase their collection, and explore the music of and connect with like-minded fans. This creates a sense of community and allows fans to discover new music through connections made on the site.
Among some of the great features for fans, BandCamp offers unlimited mobile streaming, a customizable page to share the music you love, and the ability to re-download past purchases. Sound good, music fans?
BandCamp’s Features
Okay, so this all sounds great. But what features are included in BandCamp? We have picked a few highlights. This isn’t an exhaustive list, so be sure to check out what else is on offer on BandCamp’s website.
Customisable Page
BandCamp allows you to design your page to make it as appealing and attractive to fans as possible.
This involves custom headers, images, album artwork, alignment, a range of colors, and more. Check out BandCamp’s guide to designing your page for more information.
You can also add related tags to your music. For example, BandCamp’s loudness. BandCamp loudness brings up tags such as distortion and gnar core – perfect for discovering new genres! Try it out for yourself and see what you can find!
Tipping And Customizable Pricing
Fans can listen to music, decide if they like it, and then pay the artist. This allows for easier discovery with no commitment, and if the listener enjoys it, they may tip you or download the track.
According to BandCamp’s website, fans pay more than the amount requested a whopping 50% of the time, which goes to show what a supportive community this platform creates.
Embedding Options
BandCamp gives artists, press, and fans access to customizable music players to embed online. Artists can highlight and showcase cover art, merchandise, and with a Pro account, even videos.
Promotion & Showcases
In 2016, BandCamp launched an editorial branch to work alongside purchasing and streaming, Bandcamp Daily. This publishes articles promoting upcoming artists on the site and is a great way to get noticed by audiences.
In addition to this, BandCamp also has a record store and performance space in Oakland, California. At this site, they showcase the more than 5 million albums available on Bandcamp. This is open Mon–Fri from noon–7 pm at 1901 Broadway, Oakland, California, if you fancy stopping by!
Access To Stats
Bandcamp’s stats system reveals who has linked to your music, where your music is embedded, which tracks are most popular, what’s being purchased and when, and even things such as which search terms and blogs are directing fans to you.
Pricing
We know what you’re thinking – this all sounds great, but how much does BandCamp cost? Allow us to answer this for you now!
The great news is that BandCamp accounts are totally free! The company makes its money through revenue sales. So, in theory, artists can sign up for nothing and begin earning money for their music straight away. For those wanting access to more features, BandCamp Pro costs just $10.
Pro plans include batch uploads, targeted messaging, private streaming, ad-free video hosting, even more, in-depth stats, and more! For more information and to see if upgrading is worth it, check out BandCamp’s exhaustive list of what’s on offer with a Pro account.
BandCamp In The Music Industry
With The New York Times calling BandCamp “one of the greatest underground-culture bazaars of our time,” it is safe to say that BandCamp has a great reputation in the industry.
This is due to the growth of the company, the artist-centric approach, and the ability to download, and purchase physical copies and merchandise from artists in one place.
During the CoVid pandemic, BandCamp waived its share of revenue and donated all sales to the artists for 24 hours every month between March and July. Gestures and initiatives such as this demonstrate that this company truly cares about the livelihood and well-being of its artists.
Let’s take a look at some stats to show just why this growing company is turning so many heads:
- Fans have paid artists $564 million using Bandcamp (this was $270 million in 2017), and $15.9 million in the past 30 days alone.
- In terms of merchandise, fans have purchased 12.1 million merch items through Bandcamp, totaling $194 million
Finally, to encompass the industry’s general thoughts of BandCamp, here is NPR Music’s Andrew Flanagan thoughts:
“Bandcamp serves as an honest-to-goodness, proof-in-the-pudding bulwark against the creep of artistic monoculture fueled by the consolidation of digital life into the hands of a few companies”.
BandCamp Vs Competitors
A big plus point of Bandcamp is that they only charge 10-15% commission for downloads, and 10% for merchandise or physical goods. This means that artists earn more from their hard work.
Also, artists can charge whatever amount they want to for their music or merchandise – there is no default setting to abide by. BandCamp has one of the lowest commission rates, with almost all of artists’s royalties going straight into their pocket.
BandCamp Vs Spotify
Spotify is generally the most popular music streaming service, and takes the top spot in a lot of rankings. However, Spotify doesn’t quite match up in terms of artist revenue – as they pay 50% to BandCamp’s 85-90%. Spotify has 20 million_ songs and arguably the largest collection out of its competitors.
It also usually has the fastest access to new music, which listeners love. Spotify also has features such as Weekly Discover playlists, curated playlists and so on.
In comparison, BandCamp’s discovery site has multiple filters so that listeners can find exactly what they want. For example, if you’re looking for Best-Selling Pop albums on vinyl from 3 weeks ago, Discover has you covered.
In terms of pricing, Spotify has both a free version and a Premium version. Premium is $9.99 a month, so the pricing is almost identical to BandCamp Pro.
BandCamp Vs SoundCloud
BandCamp and Soundcloud draw a lot of comparisons in the industry. This is because both platforms’ purpose is to help upcoming artists grow fanbases, rather than established artists.
To give you an idea of scale, SoundCloud has content from more than 20 million creators and 175 million people listen on SoundCloud each month.
On SoundCloud, you are more likely to find DJ mixes and underground hip-hop, whereas (as a generalization), BandCamp is more Indie based. SoundCloud also tends to favor singles, whereas BandCamp contains more albums.
SoundCloud offers three account types: Free, Pro, Pro Unlimited, and Premier. In regards to revenue, SoundCloud Premier pays artists a revenue share of 55% for their recordings.
SoundCloud is free and easy to upload tracks but charges $8 a month for a Pro account, or $16 a month Pro Unlimited account. However, there are some strings related to monetizing music with SoundCloud.
To qualify for Premier, you must be an independent creator with a Pro or Pro Unlimited account. Also, you must have at least 5,000 plays in the past month from SoundCloud-monetized countries.
Side note: Check out our Streaming Royalty Calculator to see how much your music has earned across streaming platforms.
BandCamp vs Мusic Gateway
With our incredible music distribution service, we master your music for free to make sure that you sound the best you can before your release. With a free account, you get 2 free songs to start with and you get more based on your plan.
Our distribution service gets your music onto all major platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. What’s more, you keep 100% of your sales and we don’t get a penny from you.
What makes distribution by Мusic Gateway so great?
- You can distribute your music for FREE!
- Keep 100% of your royalties!
- Get free mastering to ensure your track sounds the best it can before distributing it!
- Distribute your music to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and over 300 more DSPs!
- Instant set up, upload your music and go!
All of this and more allows you to successfully distribute your music through Мusic Gateway with no recurring annual fees.
Also, if you have songs released through other distributors, you may want to think about moving them to us!
Most other distributors will take a cut of your streaming and sales royalties. So, move your entire catalogue to us and start receiving 100% of your revenue.
It’s simple to transfer a song and we’ll ensure that all your listens, downloads and stats remain. It is a no-brainer!
In addition, we offer exclusive sync licensing opportunities and free sync representation. As well as a free press, blog, and promotional services.
We may be biased, but we think we have the better deal!
Closing Thoughts
BandCamp has risen in the ranks, and provides artists with a great platform. They can showcase their music and merchandise, reach new fans and nurture existing ones.
With the commission percentage being low, the artists really are at the heart of the company, which is refreshing to see!
In our opinion, this platform is definitely worth a shot. Why not head online, or download the BandCamp app for free? You’ve got nothing to lose but so much to gain as an artist, fan or label!
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