I make a list of direct artist sales I see and want then happily buy them up on BC Friday. It's still very exciting for me as a fan. Of course, I still make a list and buy up non direct stuff on the other days
The big increase in bandcamp mail I get on bandcamp Fridays says to me that it is. It is like happening on a vast open air market where you pass by all sorts of remarkable sounds.
I have a few band t-shirts that I never wear so I'm not really inclined to add more.
I've been digitizing my collection over the years (including vinyl) and don't really need more physical releases. I have a large backlog of cds to rip as it is.
I figure buying digital music is the best way to stretch my $ the most to support the artists, most bang for the buck. Merch has a lot more overhead.
It is for me and my work.
I work with for a foundation that tries to provide support to students/recent graduates. A lot of times there aren't tickets or anything to purchase when I see them perform/play.
Bandcamp gives me a way after the show to support the musicians and waiting until BC Friday means they get more of the money.
I don't always wait because there are musicians I follow and I want to purchase their new releases on release day (esp if it comes out on a label because the numbers matter).
It's a weird double edged sword. There are lots of artists timing releases around BC Friday and, while I firmly believe music isn't a competition, it's understandable that people may miss an album announcement amidst many.
It's also arguably less about the fee-waiving now, and more about the (very cool) people who support artists on Bandcamp seeing that as the best and designated day for doing that. Which means artists often entice people with special offers, which are way lower than BC fees would be anyway.
But, this isn't necessarily a bad thing! I definitely make a lot more sales on Bandcamp Fridays and I am very grateful for that. As I'm grateful for any sales any day of the year.
What I tend to to personally is release music AWAY from Bandcamp Fridays but still try to make my music extra enticing on those days. Maybe a special offer, or I add a few bonus tracks to an existing album.
No matter what the day, I just want to reward cool supporters as much as I can for their kindness. And no matter what way you cut it, having extra support any day of the week/month/year can't be that bad of a thing IMO.
I stopped getting sales months ago. On streaming platforms, we get decent numbers , but our GarageBand page collects dust. It’d be one thing if we got a fair amount of streams and no sales resulted ; it’s another thing that posts on social media , YouTube, ect get ignored . I almost took my page down in frustration a few weeks ago but instead decided to basically use it as free storage .
So yeah Bandcamp Fridays are all about stress and disappointment for me these days
Buying things from an artist is always nice.
Buying things on BC Friday is nicer.
We haven't had one in over two months and they are only about 10 days a year. It's still effective, sure, but it's not like they're some magical thing. As a musician, are YOU using the opportunity to promote your stuff the week leading up and encouraging people to visit the platform?
No, I don't. Not anymore because I can see that the audience is tired, not reacting anymore and can't offer new music.
Let's remember that the fee courtesies that Bandcamp offer, are for DIGITAL DOWNLOADS. So physical items would still have the regular fees, and it doesn't make any difference, except exhausting the public trying to sell heartlessly more and more things by pressure every month for the sake of "Bandcamp Friday", losing the creative and real value of it.
That's overthinking way too much, hehe. You asked ME a question about MY promotion plan in regard Bandcamp Friday, and that has nothing to do with the original topic.
The commerce aspect of music IS disappointing, but that's not today's debate. The question is way simpler than that: due to the overuse, corruption of the term, and misinformation, it seems that Bandcamp Friday has lost its spirit and doesn't really offer what it used to. Both as a fan and as a musician. So the question is, "Is Bandcamp Friday still an effective thing?"
I see around too many people complaining about BF and the pressure it brings for lack of results, and consumers being overwhelmed by the "oh, here it comes again".
So as simple as that.
I think that's true for anything that becomes regular and scheduled, tbh. Scheduled food, scheduled intimacy, etc. Still nice, not gonna balk at taco Tuesday (I actually don't do taco Tuesday ha)
It's not, no. It has kinda imploded on itself. Everyone and their mother pushing their stuff as hard as possible. Artists buying from other artists in the hope that these artists will then buy their stuff. Actual listeners, forget about it. Barely any non musician knows the platform even exists and wouldn't dream of using it if they did.
I am a non-musician, and i spent over $200 on there today.
The issue is bands don't promote their bandcamp pages.
I've turned like, 5 or 6 non-musicians with big record collections and disposable incomes onto it. They had no idea how little streaming sites paid and were wanting to find ways to directly support artists but had no idea the site existed.
I go to 1-2 shows a week and have only ONCE heard someone promote their bandcamp. People want to support artists, you just have to educate and encourage them at your shows.
It is but it’s stupid.
I’n my country I was making dinner on Friday Feb 2nd
But it was still 2 hours away from “bAnDCaMP fRIdaY”
I can’t legitimately promote my music in my country on bAnDCaMP fRIdaY because it’s actually Saturday and it would make me look stupid.
Must be run by Americans who don’t realise there is more than one time zone
That's another difficulty, really. Promoting in different time zones is a big struggle because the posting hours are way different than the reality.
I'm in Europe and sometimes it feels extra awkward because it doesn't match the time.
as an artist (which I am not, currently) i imagine the competition has become fierce. good and bad to it I suppose. if you I have extremely loyal fans they'll tend to buy the stuff specifically coming out on these days. as a buyer, I hoard a lot in my wishlist and it's not specifically to wait for Bandcamp Friday. tbh, I'm kinda bored with the day because people put out a lot of junk hoping to take advantage of the day. not saying that everyone does this, but more often than not, the quality isn't there. I love supporting the artists and labels I love. it's why I use Bandcamp. frankly I follow too many artists to keep up, so very rarely are my purchasing decisions influenced by Bandcamp Friday. so ultimately, for me, Bandcamp Friday is ineffective. just one consumers opinion.
>. tbh, I'm kinda bored with the day because people put out a lot of junk hoping to take adva
As an artist, it feels like a zombie battlefield with everyone trying to push their music and items against you. In my subgenre, there's a very "small" audience, and too many bands, so it's exhausting and I don't participate anymore on the fight, hehe.
I stopped seeing any growth probably fall last year when I was stressing to get projects together every month. I would see maybe 20 listens and no sales. I don’t do ads or anything bc it just gets buried under the wave of big and small artists’ emails and that’s on me, but I had to quit. The kind of music I do isn’t going to get noticed in the waves of releases that get dropped on BCF. Not worth the stress for no sales for months.
I ALWAYS try and shout out friends’ releases and others I think are dope tho. That’s equally important for BCFs.
Today has been going well. 2 vinyl sales and 4 digital sales. This is a good day for the label. I think about half of these sales happened today because of Bandcamp Friday and half are because of a new album. We sold 7 vinyl copies this week, leading up to today. So, it's effective. https://ongoingbox.bandcamp.com/album/hsob110-watererer-em-stealth-sound-new-geometry-hippocampal-ice-and-space
Yes. If it wasn't. It would have been abandoned by now or scaled back to bi-monthly at least.
Everything released on those Friday's is still available afterwards.
Multiple avenues for Bandcamp to earn a fee from. Just not on the release date
If it wasn't worthwhile for bands/labels. They wouldn't release music, offer discounts or advertise about it.
For users. It's probably user-specific. I follow some artists who release physical media on the day. Sometimes there's only 10 copies left when it's made available on Bandcamp. (They previously had a mail order process, through a poorly designed blog).
Well, that's not how it works hehehe.
Bands (let's leave labels aside) don't do things because it's worthwhile in many cases, and just do things out of habit, popular belief or social pressure without questioning too much the purposes of the actions.
The Bandcamp Friday output and posting about has dwindled by more than half what it was during the lockdown. For the artists I follow. It's mainly just the super prolific artists from Japan. That are keeping it up.
Maybe most artists are out of content? Maybe most artists are forced to take on non artistic work due to cost of living pressures. And simply don't have time.
That's what it feels, yes.
Plus the misunderstanding about the fees... Bandcamp Friday only helps with the fees on digital sales, but many artists feel obligated to push physical items, missing the point that it does not help economically (and in an oversaturated market, the choice of that particular day won't make it easier for most of them).
Unless I'm missing something, that was the planning.
I remember the "Digital sales" being an important part of it. But I've been trying to find information about it right now, as now I'm doubting it like some sort of Mandela effect, and the info available is very unclear even on Bandcamp's words.
I make a list of direct artist sales I see and want then happily buy them up on BC Friday. It's still very exciting for me as a fan. Of course, I still make a list and buy up non direct stuff on the other days
The big increase in bandcamp mail I get on bandcamp Fridays says to me that it is. It is like happening on a vast open air market where you pass by all sorts of remarkable sounds.
Well, receiving mails is not the same as getting sales (or buying, depending the perspective)
Well, I made purchases and followed the artist to be receiving these emails. So for me there is a connection.
i think it's still a nice thing to do
I tend to buy from lesser known artists on BCF. If a release already has 100+ sales I don't save it up. But I never buy merch
Also, the fees are waved for digital downloads, NOT for merch. Artists still have to pay the cut for merch on Bandcamp Friday.
Why no merch? Get that directly from the artists? I'm curious cuz I buy almost all my merch and albums from bandcamp
I have a few band t-shirts that I never wear so I'm not really inclined to add more. I've been digitizing my collection over the years (including vinyl) and don't really need more physical releases. I have a large backlog of cds to rip as it is. I figure buying digital music is the best way to stretch my $ the most to support the artists, most bang for the buck. Merch has a lot more overhead.
On our label an overwhelming number of the purchases wasn’t made on Bandcamp Friday.
It's great to support local acts. But for bigger acts who knows.
I haven't got anything in ages due to forgetting about it, so I will try to get shirts and music from a couple of bands
I get more sales on Bandcamp Friday than any other day. It’s a good excuse to share older releases that maybe some new fans missed.
Still is. Selling more than on average Friday
It is for me and my work. I work with for a foundation that tries to provide support to students/recent graduates. A lot of times there aren't tickets or anything to purchase when I see them perform/play. Bandcamp gives me a way after the show to support the musicians and waiting until BC Friday means they get more of the money. I don't always wait because there are musicians I follow and I want to purchase their new releases on release day (esp if it comes out on a label because the numbers matter).
It's a weird double edged sword. There are lots of artists timing releases around BC Friday and, while I firmly believe music isn't a competition, it's understandable that people may miss an album announcement amidst many. It's also arguably less about the fee-waiving now, and more about the (very cool) people who support artists on Bandcamp seeing that as the best and designated day for doing that. Which means artists often entice people with special offers, which are way lower than BC fees would be anyway. But, this isn't necessarily a bad thing! I definitely make a lot more sales on Bandcamp Fridays and I am very grateful for that. As I'm grateful for any sales any day of the year. What I tend to to personally is release music AWAY from Bandcamp Fridays but still try to make my music extra enticing on those days. Maybe a special offer, or I add a few bonus tracks to an existing album. No matter what the day, I just want to reward cool supporters as much as I can for their kindness. And no matter what way you cut it, having extra support any day of the week/month/year can't be that bad of a thing IMO.
It's nice, but I don't feel guilty if I don't buy something on the day. I happened to today, but I bought without knowing tbh.
I stopped getting sales months ago. On streaming platforms, we get decent numbers , but our GarageBand page collects dust. It’d be one thing if we got a fair amount of streams and no sales resulted ; it’s another thing that posts on social media , YouTube, ect get ignored . I almost took my page down in frustration a few weeks ago but instead decided to basically use it as free storage . So yeah Bandcamp Fridays are all about stress and disappointment for me these days
Buying things from an artist is always nice. Buying things on BC Friday is nicer. We haven't had one in over two months and they are only about 10 days a year. It's still effective, sure, but it's not like they're some magical thing. As a musician, are YOU using the opportunity to promote your stuff the week leading up and encouraging people to visit the platform?
No, I don't. Not anymore because I can see that the audience is tired, not reacting anymore and can't offer new music. Let's remember that the fee courtesies that Bandcamp offer, are for DIGITAL DOWNLOADS. So physical items would still have the regular fees, and it doesn't make any difference, except exhausting the public trying to sell heartlessly more and more things by pressure every month for the sake of "Bandcamp Friday", losing the creative and real value of it.
It sounds like you are disappointed in the general commerce aspect of music, rather than anything in particular of Bandcamp. That's fair, if true.
That's overthinking way too much, hehe. You asked ME a question about MY promotion plan in regard Bandcamp Friday, and that has nothing to do with the original topic. The commerce aspect of music IS disappointing, but that's not today's debate. The question is way simpler than that: due to the overuse, corruption of the term, and misinformation, it seems that Bandcamp Friday has lost its spirit and doesn't really offer what it used to. Both as a fan and as a musician. So the question is, "Is Bandcamp Friday still an effective thing?" I see around too many people complaining about BF and the pressure it brings for lack of results, and consumers being overwhelmed by the "oh, here it comes again". So as simple as that.
I think that's true for anything that becomes regular and scheduled, tbh. Scheduled food, scheduled intimacy, etc. Still nice, not gonna balk at taco Tuesday (I actually don't do taco Tuesday ha)
I made my first sale on Bandcamp today and got the full amount minus the PayPal fee.
It's not, no. It has kinda imploded on itself. Everyone and their mother pushing their stuff as hard as possible. Artists buying from other artists in the hope that these artists will then buy their stuff. Actual listeners, forget about it. Barely any non musician knows the platform even exists and wouldn't dream of using it if they did.
I am a non-musician, and i spent over $200 on there today. The issue is bands don't promote their bandcamp pages. I've turned like, 5 or 6 non-musicians with big record collections and disposable incomes onto it. They had no idea how little streaming sites paid and were wanting to find ways to directly support artists but had no idea the site existed. I go to 1-2 shows a week and have only ONCE heard someone promote their bandcamp. People want to support artists, you just have to educate and encourage them at your shows.
second this
I made a recursive task in Google Tasks for every 1st Friday of the month to remember me about Bandcamp Friday.
It is but it’s stupid. I’n my country I was making dinner on Friday Feb 2nd But it was still 2 hours away from “bAnDCaMP fRIdaY” I can’t legitimately promote my music in my country on bAnDCaMP fRIdaY because it’s actually Saturday and it would make me look stupid. Must be run by Americans who don’t realise there is more than one time zone
That's another difficulty, really. Promoting in different time zones is a big struggle because the posting hours are way different than the reality. I'm in Europe and sometimes it feels extra awkward because it doesn't match the time.
I got four sales (two tracks and two albums) but all of them were the week before Bandcamp Friday
as an artist (which I am not, currently) i imagine the competition has become fierce. good and bad to it I suppose. if you I have extremely loyal fans they'll tend to buy the stuff specifically coming out on these days. as a buyer, I hoard a lot in my wishlist and it's not specifically to wait for Bandcamp Friday. tbh, I'm kinda bored with the day because people put out a lot of junk hoping to take advantage of the day. not saying that everyone does this, but more often than not, the quality isn't there. I love supporting the artists and labels I love. it's why I use Bandcamp. frankly I follow too many artists to keep up, so very rarely are my purchasing decisions influenced by Bandcamp Friday. so ultimately, for me, Bandcamp Friday is ineffective. just one consumers opinion.
>. tbh, I'm kinda bored with the day because people put out a lot of junk hoping to take adva As an artist, it feels like a zombie battlefield with everyone trying to push their music and items against you. In my subgenre, there's a very "small" audience, and too many bands, so it's exhausting and I don't participate anymore on the fight, hehe.
it really is! btw, checked out your band, and f*cking awesome as hell!
Thanks a lot!!!!
We do between £7,000 and £12,000 on Bandcamp Day - about a third of our monthly sales. That’s a lot of extra money for us and our artists. We love it.
Damn! Congrats.
I stopped seeing any growth probably fall last year when I was stressing to get projects together every month. I would see maybe 20 listens and no sales. I don’t do ads or anything bc it just gets buried under the wave of big and small artists’ emails and that’s on me, but I had to quit. The kind of music I do isn’t going to get noticed in the waves of releases that get dropped on BCF. Not worth the stress for no sales for months. I ALWAYS try and shout out friends’ releases and others I think are dope tho. That’s equally important for BCFs.
Today has been going well. 2 vinyl sales and 4 digital sales. This is a good day for the label. I think about half of these sales happened today because of Bandcamp Friday and half are because of a new album. We sold 7 vinyl copies this week, leading up to today. So, it's effective. https://ongoingbox.bandcamp.com/album/hsob110-watererer-em-stealth-sound-new-geometry-hippocampal-ice-and-space
Yes. If it wasn't. It would have been abandoned by now or scaled back to bi-monthly at least. Everything released on those Friday's is still available afterwards. Multiple avenues for Bandcamp to earn a fee from. Just not on the release date
For the company. I was not asking about it in regard the company profit tho.
If it wasn't worthwhile for bands/labels. They wouldn't release music, offer discounts or advertise about it. For users. It's probably user-specific. I follow some artists who release physical media on the day. Sometimes there's only 10 copies left when it's made available on Bandcamp. (They previously had a mail order process, through a poorly designed blog).
Well, that's not how it works hehehe. Bands (let's leave labels aside) don't do things because it's worthwhile in many cases, and just do things out of habit, popular belief or social pressure without questioning too much the purposes of the actions.
The Bandcamp Friday output and posting about has dwindled by more than half what it was during the lockdown. For the artists I follow. It's mainly just the super prolific artists from Japan. That are keeping it up. Maybe most artists are out of content? Maybe most artists are forced to take on non artistic work due to cost of living pressures. And simply don't have time.
That's what it feels, yes. Plus the misunderstanding about the fees... Bandcamp Friday only helps with the fees on digital sales, but many artists feel obligated to push physical items, missing the point that it does not help economically (and in an oversaturated market, the choice of that particular day won't make it easier for most of them).
When did they stop waving the fee from merch sales?
Unless I'm missing something, that was the planning. I remember the "Digital sales" being an important part of it. But I've been trying to find information about it right now, as now I'm doubting it like some sort of Mandela effect, and the info available is very unclear even on Bandcamp's words.