The TL;DR takeaway of today’s post: times are tough for musicians, and you can help. You can purchase my music on Bandcamp today (Friday, 1 May 2020) without Bandcamp taking their 15% commission. You can also tip me directly via PayPal. Finally, you can always support the blog—and enjoy exclusive weekly content—by subscribing to my SubscribeStar Page.
Bandcamp is waiving the commission it takes on sales of musicians’ work TODAY, Friday, 1 May 2020. You can pick up my entire discography for $15.75 (or more, if you feel so inclined). To purchase the full discography—seven releases in total—you can view any of my albums (like Electrock EP: The Four Unicorns of the Apocalypse) and find a button/link that reads “Buy Digital Discography” (unfortunately, there’s no way to supply that link directly).
You can also send a digital tip to me directly, if you’re so inclined, via PayPal.
You can also purchase albums individually, either at their listed price or higher. Here are my seven releases, in chronological order:
- Electrock Music (2006, $1) – Twelve tracks from my senior year of college, all instrumental MIDI tunes. I gave physical copies to my Creative Writing Workshop class; I wonder if they still have those little homemade copies.
- Electrock II: Space Rock (2007, $5) – I’m obsessed with the idea of the sci-fi rock opera (I actually tried to write one for piano and vocals back in 2012-2013, but never finished it)—it’s the most decadent, self-indulgent form of musical expression. That was the driving spirit behind this rockin’ collection of out-of-this-world jams.
- Electrock EP: The Four Unicorns of the Apocalypse (2012, $4) – My younger brother introduced me to a song call “Biomachinery” by some melodic death metal band, and the rhythm of that word inspired the lead-off track of this four-song cycle, “Cyborg Unicorn.” Of course, the instrumental chorus of that track is basically Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” so it’s true what they say: composers swipe from each other all the time.
- Electrock Retrospective, Volume I: Dance Party (2013, $1) – I had a number of tracks stored up for a never-completed Electrock III, so I thought I would begin dribbling them out as part of repackaged “retrospectives.” This first one, Dance Party, features “Robobop,” which is also a perk for $5 subscribers to my SubscribeStar page.
- Electrock Retrospective, Volume II: Technological Romance (2013, $1) – Technological Romance features “Pwrblld (Ballad II)“—with apologies to Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration.”
- Contest Winner EP (2015, $5) – This album is my tour de force. I recorded it in a real-life studio, overdubbing my vocals with my piano part. It was an amazing experience, and these tunes are staples of my live shows (especially fan favorites “Hipster Girl Next Door” and “Greek Fair“).
- The Lo-Fi Hymnal (2020, $4) – I started playing piano at my little Free Will Baptist Church about a year ago, and I began taking little recordings of offertory, invitational, etc. I compiled the four very lo-fi recordings into a short compilation. I’m hoping to record a second volume soon.
So, again, today Bandcamp is waiving the commission it takes on sales of musicians’ work. That means every purchase made on the site from midnight to midnight Pacific Standard Time TODAY goes completely to the musicians (other than PayPal processing fees)—another 15% in our pockets.
The Age of the Virus has really taken its toll on musicians. As I wrote last Thursday, a substantial portion of my income in 2019 came from music lessons and gigs—nearly 17% of my gross income for the year. And as I wrote yesterday, we can’t really gig anymore, at least not in the traditional sense, due to shutdowns.
With The Virus holding full sway over us, shutting everything down, there are far fewer opportunities for musicians to earn a living—except by way of online album sales.
As such, Bandcamp sacrificing that 15% commission is a huge act of charity for its users. It also means that it’s the best time to support musicians you love—like me!
Bandcamp gives musicians the opportunity to sell their music in high-quality digital formats directly to fans. One nifty feature is that artists can offer their entire discography in one go, often at a discount.
To that end, my discography—seven albums, EPs, and retrospectives, spanning fourteen years of artistic development—is on sale for $15.75. All of it.
Another fun feature is that Bandcamp allows fans to pay more if they so choose. Indeed, when I announced on my Facebook artist page that the full discography was up for grabs, two fans paid $20 for it. Some artists have reported fans paying as much as $100 for a single album. I don’t expect that kind of generosity, but, hey—dig deep.
Regardless, there’s never been a better—or more necessary–time to support indie musicians. We can’t play gigs. We can barely teach lessons (some folks are doing so online, but it’s just not the same).
So, any support you can offer is always welcome. To purchase the full discography, you can view any of my albums (like The Lo-Fi Hymanl) and find a button/link that reads “Buy Digital Discography” (unfortunately, there’s no way to supply that link directly).
Of course, you don’t have to buy all seven albums—it’s just a good deal. You can also buy individual releases, like 2006’s Electrock Music (ludicrously cheap at $1 for twelve tracks!) or 2007’s Electrock II: Space Rock (just $5!).
To recap, here is my full discography, which is only $15.75 if you buy it together:
And, remember, you can always tip me directly, or via my SubscribeStar page.
Thank you for your support!
—TPP
The Portly Politico 