‘Bandcamp Fridays’ Fundraisers Return for 2022
Online music retailer Bandcamp have seen success with their "Bandcamp Fridays" program over the course of the pandemic and plan to keep things going into 2022, according to a new statement from the company.
The initial program started in March 2020 when Bandcamp designated a special release day to waive their revenue share to help support the artists utilizing the platform to see their music. That allowed more money to go directly to the artists and labels involved, helping to offset some of the funds lost due to the pandemic disruption.
Over the course of the first 17 days, fans paid artists and labels more than $70 million that helped to cover daily essentials such as rents, mortgages, groceries, medications and much more. The initial "Bandcamp Friday" went so well, they've continued to the promotion several more times over the course of the past year-plus.
In a recent posting, Bandcamp offered, "It will likely be several months before live performance revenue returns in full. So we’re going to continue doing Bandcamp Fridays in 2022, on February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, and May 6th. As always, isitbandcampfriday.com has the details.
Bandcamp's CEO & Founder Ethan Diamond also issued his own statement, breaking down some of the success of the "Bandcamp Fridays" fundraising program. It reads as follows:
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact all of us, and artists have been hit especially hard as tours and shows are canceled for the foreseeable future. With such a major revenue stream drying up almost entirely, finding ways to continue supporting artists in the coming months is an urgent priority for anyone who cares about music and the artists who create it.
On March 20, 2020, we waived our revenue share in order to help artists and labels impacted by the pandemic. The Bandcamp community showed up in a massive way, spending $4.3 million on music and merch—15x the amount of a normal Friday— helping artists cover rents, mortgages, groceries, medications, and so much more. It was truly inspiring.
On May 1, 2020, we did it again and fans paid artists $7.1 million – amazing!
On June 5, 2020, fans paid artists $4.8 million, and so many artists and labels used the day to donate to organizations fighting for racial equity that we had to put together two separate posts (here and here) to list them all.
But the pandemic and its impact on the music community aren’t over, so on July 3, we’re waiving our revenue share for all sales on Bandcamp, from midnight to midnight PDT. Check isitbandcampfriday.com for timezone demystification.
Musicians will continue to feel the effects of lost touring income for many months to come, so we’re also sharing some ideas below on how fans can support the artists they love and how artists can give fans new, creative ways to provide support.
It may sound simple, but the best way to help artists is with your direct financial support, and we hope you’ll join us as we work to support artists in this challenging time.
Ethan Diamond
Co-Founder & CEO
Bandcamp
For both fans wishing to support their favorite artists or musicians wishing to use the Bandcamp platform to sell their music, the site has also offered a number of tips which can be read in full here.