What Makes Bandcamp Different From Other Online Audio Distributors?

Bandcamp is one of many platforms that labels can use to share music and make money. Bandcamp is a popular platform with both music lovers and creators around the globe.

It is clear that the platform is growing, and artists are reaping the benefits. In the last 30 days, the platform has received $15.8million from fans. Are you still unsure whether BandCamp is right for you?

We will be discussing Bandcamp, its features, pricing, and other aspects in this article. Let’s get started!

What is Bandcamp?

Bandcamp allows artists to create an online store on Bandcamp. This online platform allows them to sell their music and merchandise. Artists can also sell digital copies, physical copies, cassette tapes, or merchandise.

This music distribution merchandising business was established in 2007. It has experienced tremendous growth since its inception.

The company’s mission is to “create the best service possible for artists and labels to share their music and make money, as well as for fans to find and enjoy it.”

Millions of artists and fans use the platform, as well as more than 3,000 labels worldwide. Bandcamp is known for its commitment to artists and fair treatment. Bandcamp allows artists to access more royalties than their competitors.

What Is The Best Way To Use Bandcamp As A Platform For Artists?

Bandcamp allows you to sign up as an artist. This page asks you a few simple questions, such as: What genre of music do you usually create? Are you from? Which URL would you like to attach to your artist page? This is what you would do. You can also add a unique identifier to your fan base if there is another artist with the same name.

After you have set up the basics, you will be able to edit your Bandcamp account. You can choose a profile photo, edit your artist biography, add links for all your social media accounts, etc. The “Page Design” function is one of the best parts of creating your profile. Bandcamp allows you to personalize your main page. This is where your URL takes you. You can change the design and layout attributes of your page, such as your background image, color scheme, and header image. You can also decide whether fans should be directed to your complete discography, available merchandise, or most recent release.

How Can You Sell Music On Bandcamp?

After you have created a great song and recorded it, and mixed it to perfection, you can upload it to Bandcamp. Uploading tracks and albums is easy. Bandcamp has a guide that will help you determine the best pricing for your releases. Bandcamp will take between 10-15% and 15% depending on the number of sales you have made.

You can ask your fans to enter their email addresses to gain unlimited access to your song/album if you aren’t in it for the money. You can also give all your songs unlimited play. It’s possible to offer listeners the chance to pay more than the price listed. This is quite common for fans to do. Bandcamp claims that this happens 50% of the time. Fans can buy your music in their currency, and prices will adjust according to FOREX exchange rates.

Bandcamp allows you to personalize your releases with track credits, lyrics, featured artists’ names, lyrics, and album artwork. You can also add your song’s International Standard Recording Codes (ISRC) to Bandcamp. You can choose any release date, past, present, or future. You can also make your song private, public or subscriber-only.

The process for releasing an album or EP is similar. Upload each track separately and include all information. You can also customize album-specific attributes, such as information about the album and a catalog number for sales reports. You can either bundle the merch or sell it separately. You have the option of including bonus items such as photos or bonus tracks in your album upload. These will be available as a digital download. You can select a featured song from your album when people go to your album.

Bandcamp allows you to upload audio-only in lossless formats such as WAV, FLAC, or AIF. The file is then converted into other formats for streaming and high-quality downloading. So, your music remains in good condition, and your audiophile friends are happy.

Why Is Bandcamp So Great For Fans?

Bandcamp is not just about providing great experiences for artists – it also caters to their fans.

Bandcamp has a lot to offer, which is why so many people are buying music and other items. Fans can stream their purchases instantly and follow their favorite artists.

You can also create a wishlist and showcase your collection. This helps to create a sense of community and allows users to discover new music via connections made on the site.

Bandcamp has many great features, including unlimited mobile streaming, a page where you can share your music, and the ability to redownload previous purchases. Are you a music fan?

Bandcamp’s Features

All sounds great. What features actually come with Bandcamp? Here are some highlights. These are just a few highlights. Be sure to visit BandCamp’s website for more information.

You can customize the page.

Bandcamp lets you design your page and make it appealing to fans.

This includes custom headers, images, and album artwork. For more information, see BandCamp’s guide to designing your page.

You can also add related tags for your music. Bandcamp loudness is an example. Bandcamp loudness shows tags like distortion and gnar core – great for discovering new genres! You’ll be amazed at what you find.

Tipping and Customisable Pricing

Listen to music and decide if you like it. Then, pay the artist. This makes it easier to discover music and allows you to tip or download the track if they like it.

Bandcamp claims that 50% of Bandcamp fans pay more than what was requested. This shows how supportive this platform is.

Options for Embedding

Bandcamp allows artists, journalists, and fans to embed custom music players online. Artists can showcase merchandise, cover art, and videos with a Pro account.

Promotional & Showcases

Bandcamp created Bandcamp Weekly, an editorial branch that works alongside streaming and purchasing. This publication promotes upcoming artists and is a great way for audiences to be noticed.

Bandcamp also owns a record shop and performance space in Oakland. They showcase more than 5,000,000 albums on Bandcamp at this location. If you’re interested in stopping by, this is open Mon-Fri, noon-7 pm, at 1901 Broadway, Oakland.

Access to Stats

Bandcamp’s statistics system shows who’s linked to your music and where it’s embedded. It also shows which tracks are most in-demand, what’s being bought, and when.

Pricing

We get what you are thinking. This all sounds great. But how much does Bandcamp cost to run? Let us answer that question for you!

Bandcamp accounts come with no fees! Revenue sales are how the company makes its revenue. Artists can sign up for free and immediately start earning money from their music. Bandcamp Pro is $10 for those who want more features.

Batch uploads targeted messaging, and private streaming is all part of the Pro plan. You also get more detailed stats and other features. Bandcamp has a comprehensive list of features that are included in a Pro account. This will help you decide if upgrading is worthwhile.

Bandcamp in the Music Industry

Bandcamp has earned a strong reputation in the industry, as The New York Times called it “one the most important underground-culture bazaars.”

This is due to the growth of the company and the artist-centric approach. You can download and purchase physical copies as well as merchandise from artists all in one location.

Bandcamp donated all sales during the CoVid pandemic. They waived their share of the revenue for 24 hours every month from March to July. This is a great example of how Bandcamp truly cares about their artists’ livelihoods and well-being.

Let’s look at some statistics to see why this company is growing so quickly.

• Bandcamp has been used by fans to pay $564 million to artists (a staggering $270 million in 2017 and $15.9million in the last 30 days).
• Bandcamp has sold 12.1 million merchandise items to fans, which totals $194 million.

To sum up the general thoughts of the BandCamp industry, here are Andrew Flanagan’s thoughts from NPR Music:

Bandcamp “Bandcamp serves to be an honest-to–goodness, proof–in-the–pudding bulwark contre the creeping artistic monoculture fueled through the consolidation of digital lives into the hands of few companies.”

Bandcamp vs. Competitors

Bandcamp’s biggest advantage is its low commission rates. They only charge 10-15% for downloads and 10% for physical or merchandise goods. Artists can earn more for their hard work.

Artists can charge whatever they like for their merchandise or music. There is no set price. Bandcamp offers one of the lowest commission rates, with nearly all royalties going directly to artists.

Bandcamp: The Pros and Cons

Ah yes, the undiscovered hero of all music platforms. Although it doesn’t have the same user base as the major platforms, it is still highly respected in the music industry due to its artist-friendly business model. But is it worthy of its glowing reputation?

Pros

Bandcamp is essentially an artist’s online store. It works in the same way that WordPress allows users to create a website. Although the main focus of Bandcamp is album downloads, an artist can also sell physical copies and merchandise. It’s very easy to set up a central hub for fans and artists just starting out. Anybody can create a professional-looking online store; artists large and small are equally welcome.

Bandcamp’s greatest draw is its payment system. Bandcamp charges a small percentage of the commission. Bandcamp charges 15% for downloads and 10% for merchandise. This is in contrast to other major players in the industry who give only a tiny fraction of the earnings earned (*cough* Spotify or YouTube). Bandcamp allows artists to set their own pricing so they can adjust prices as needed. Many people claim it’s better than buying directly from artists, but I think they are roughly the same. If they adjust their prices, artists can still get paid the same amount. Bandcamp fans can also support Bandcamp and help more artists.

Many artists opt to skip the larger platforms because they are so much better at looking after creators. Bandcamp has a lot of music, which makes it a treasure trove of hidden gems.

Cons

There is a very little fault in the artist’s side of things. The one thing that comes to mind is the absence of customization options. Bandcamp pages all look the same, but each page has a different background color and an album cover. They could have provided more options for bands to add characters to their pages to make them stand out. However, this was done without making it too complicated and by keeping the site open to all. Equal needn’t mean identical.

The fan side is the real problem with the site. Although individual band pages are fine, they feel more like pages than interconnected parts of the whole. It has been criticized for limiting artist access and making it difficult to find music. Despite its attractive appearance and its large selection of subgenres to choose from, the Discover section on the website’s homepage does not do a good job at both organizing its huge catalog and promoting new releases. At the bottom of each band page, the “like this? try…” type selection is the only real music discovery algorithm to speak of. Although it does a good job, it is not as comprehensive as the rest of Bandcamp.

Although it could be great, it feels like very little effort was made to foster community and interactivity. If they had the will to, it could be a bustling market. Instead, it seems like a lot of stalls are scattered around different streets, and all seem to ignore each other.

Final Thoughts

Bandcamp is, in many ways, like Spotify in that it focuses almost exclusively on artists, while the latter ignores them in favor of its user base. Many artists will find this a positive thing. Bandcamp does a great job, and I applaud the efforts they make. However, it is not the best at connecting with music fans. If no one visits your website, it’s useless to have a well-respected, high-paying website for selling your music. The perfect platform is somewhere in between these two. Bandcamp’s artist-driven ideals, along with all the hype surrounding discovery tools, made Spotify the most popular way to discover new artists.