Artists earned $3.5million during Bandcamp Friday this month  

Artists earned a collective $3.5million during Bandcamp Friday this month. 

The most recent date — 1st August — saw a slight increase in earnings on the previous edition, held on 2nd May. Since inception, the scheme has generated more than $140 million for producers, bands and solo musicians. 

Launched mid-2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the vast majority of independent artists saw their earnings decimated, Bandcamp Fridays see the platform waive all fees and share of revenue from digital and vinyl sales. The company then decided to continue the offer as a means of trying to support its community due to the increasingly unfair and unaffordable music ecosystem for all but the biggest names.

“After five years it’s fantastic to see another successful Bandcamp Friday,” explained Dan Melnick, Bandcamp’s General Manager. “Over $3.5million generated in just 24 hours is a testament to the artists using Bandcamp for their music and merch, but also the loyal fans supporting them, knowing we waive our share of revenue on this day. 

“As an artist-first community, we’ve continued to be on the front line of direct artist support, not just on our Bandcamp Fridays, but 24/7, all year round, as artists should always be paid fairly for their work,” he continued. 

Revisit DJ Mag’s long read on ‘the rise and rise of Bandcamp’.