Tomorrow—Friday, 1 May 2020—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 tomorrow 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.
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. That includes my tour de force, Contest Winner EP and its hit single, “Hipster Girl Next Door.”
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 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).
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!).
But enough soliciting for now—there will be more of that tomorrow. Let’s get to the ostensible purpose of today’s post—TBT.
Read More »