Bandcamp to waive revenue share on first Friday of next three months

Bandcamp waive fees — (Image credit: Bandcamp / Stocksnap)

Bandcamp have announced they'll be waiving their revenue share on three upcoming dates in order to help artists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The moves comes after an overwhelmingly successful first run on March 20, when fans spent $4.3 million dollars on music - 15 times the site's normal performance. At its peak, fans were purchasing 11 items of music and merch per second.

"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," says founder Ethan Diamond. "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."

He adds, "But the pandemic and its impact on the music community aren’t over, so on May 1, June 5, and July 3 (the first Friday of each month), we’re waiving our revenue share for all sales on Bandcamp, from midnight to midnight PDT on each day.

"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."

For UK fans, the period covered starts at 8am and continues until 8am on the following day.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.