The power of Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an online music service for bands, artists, record labels and fans. A place where fans can find all there is to know about their favourite artist or band, and for bands the perfect place to market their music with a personal touch.
What exactly makes Bandcamp the big player they are today? Let’s dive deeper…
Fans use Bandcamp to discover new music, find merchandise, tickets and physical products. Bands can create their own micro-site and sell their music with only a small share for Bandcamp. Artists and bands keep full control over their content. So far it sounds pretty straightforward but in fact, the platform has been a one-stop shop for all genres of music since 2007.
Bandcamp Pro
Labels and artists get extra help with a Pro membership. It helps to promote releases, create download gates and see statistics of the fanbase. Bandcamp can also help improve a band’s SEO and set a customizable URL for their page. Pro also enables artists to bulk upload tracks for f.e. albums.
Messaging on Bandcamp Pro is also a handy feature. Fans can be reached using messaging, even with a built-in geo-targeting to only send messages to fans in certain territories. Very useful when on tour.
Bandcamp Pro costs USD 10 per month.
Bandcamp is also a perfect fit for emerging artists with a small budget, using standard features. On physical products, Bandcamp takes 10% revenue share and 10% to 15% on digital products. Making a Bandcamp page, or paying USD 10 per month for Pro, is considerably cheaper than building and maintaining your own website. Plus, Bandcamp has a trustworthy image, being a key player in the music industry.
Bandcamp for music fans
Fans can create profiles to show their musical preferences, get in touch with like-minded people and, above all, get in touch with artists. Interviews, behind the scenes and exclusive content is what makes Bandcamp especially interesting for music fans. Fans can customize their profile, change header images and embed content.
Each day over 74.000 products are sold on Bandcamp
The added value above services like Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music is that Bandcamp basically offers the widest range of services and, if you are a hardcore fan, the most detailed content available.
Bandcamp Live
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world and caused immense challenges for musicians. Bandcamp stepped up in 2020 and launched a live streaming platform which lets artists broadcast concerts. Live also includes a chatroom and a merch stand, very much like any regular physical performance.
The importance of tagging
Use Tagging on Bandcamp to be found by the right people at the right time. Fans use the search bar and artists are able to use tagging in their releases, bio and merchandise. Using the right tags makes you pop up in front of the right people; Bandcamp uses a so-called ‘Tag-cloud’.
Showing love to other artists
Another useful tip is to show your support for other artists and bands. Bandcamp shows recommendations and fellow artists are triggered to act reciprocally. Not only does it spark interactivity, but it also helps artists to show their own musical taste and work on their profile.
How to deliver to Bandcamp?
The best way for artists to deliver content to Bandcamp is to create a Pro account on the service. Bandcamp sells your music, and sends statements and analytics. You are in full control of all content on Bandcamp, it is a community on its own which operates independently from distributors and aggregators.
