4 ms·

Strengths: Bandcamp is a great model for mid-tier bands that believe recorded material is a viable source of revenue outside of selling hard-copies at a merch

Strengths: Bandcamp is a great model for mid-tier bands that believe recorded material is a viable source of revenue outside of selling hard-copies at a merch table at shows. Bandcamp is great for 1-2% of the music purchasing public. Bandcamp is a fair, equitable platform for artists. Weaknesses: Other than 1-2% of the music purchasing public, Bandcamp is not a go-to source for music. Bandcamp's espoused value is that recorded music has value, which, other than integrity of Copyright, is a highly subjective perspective, because very rarely do album sales - long term - provide a living wage revenue stream. To my knowledge, releasing through Bandcamp does not provide free access to other distribution platforms like Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Amazon, or YouTube, which means, if I'm right, it is a walled garden. Editorializing: A long time ago I made the decision to go with DistroKid instead of spend my time on Bandcamp. I don't regret that maneuver. I appreciate Copyright protections as an artist, and understand the compromise I've signed up for. Bandcamp is a much more above-the-board platform than signing a deal with a record label, and that isn't to be ignored. I just have sincere gut-based reservations that they have significant market penetration to put it in a high enough time investment tier. I only claim to speak from my own experience. It offers value to others. I simply chose a different on-ramp to the information superhighway.

masklinn 10y ago
> To my knowledge, releasing through Bandcamp does not provide free access to other distribution platforms like Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Amazon, or YouTube, which means, if I'm right, it is a walled garden. That makes no sense. Bandcamp is a storefront site/minisites, you can put your music on bandcamp and put it on everything else as well. In fact, the Bandcamp faq specifically redirects people looking for distributors to DistroKid and notes that you can put your music on any other store you wish. Either you don't understand what bandcamp is, or you completely misunderstand the concept of walled garden.
csbubbles 10y ago
There is no "copyright protection" really. It's just the illusion that major players in the music biz and their affiliates are trying to deliver to the crowd. Digital music was, is and will always be pirated, and you have no protection from that. It's just the technology, the internet. As long as you release audio and people can buy it and play at their homes, they can make it digital and transfer online. The second you upload a song to any music platform, and make it downloadable, people can find it, download, and transfer, as you may say, "illegally" and do it any way they want. And there is no magic behind that. If I listen online to a song, its data is being transferred to my computer to be played eventually on my speakers. And that means that one can easily sniff it and store separately. The only way to fix this is to change the way people perceive music online. And Bandcamp has done a lot in that direction. Essentially, they fight "piracy" trying to change the mindset of the listener.
- 6stringmerc 10y ago
  Strange as it might sound, I'm really in agreement with you. Coming into music as a second generation guitarist, I was pretty much told not to look at sound recordings as anything other than a business card. Making money from them is a pipe dream. What the best thing about the internet and sharing is that listeners who actually want to listen to things can, and setting music free into the world is supposed to be about that in my opinion - sharing and expecting nothing but appreciation in return. I remember taping songs off the radio so I could listen to them later because I really enjoyed the sounds. The internet is kinda like that on steroids, and that's not a bad thing in my opinion. I like how Gabe Newell asserted (paraphrased) that piracy is more of a "distribution & price point" problem than something inherent in business. The major players in the fight against Copyright Infringement are multi-national corporations that would sell cow shit at a 150% markup if they could get people to buy it. There's a lot of altruism that goes into becoming a fan, to sharing something with somebody else, and then wanting to buy a ticket to a concert. My newest reference point of how this can work - and work well for everybody - is Run The Jewels. Both RTJ1 and RTJ2 were released free, and I burned them on disc and banged them so hard I'm sure my car speakers hate me. From there though, I saw them at a ~500 person venue in support of RTJ1, and then at a 2,000 person venue - sold out - in support of RTJ2. There are ways to make money from fans, but I am very jaded on the model of trying to make people pay first and then pay more later. I love busking. I take my guitar and a little amp out on the street and play for nothing because I love what I do and I want to share it. I think it kind of refers to the motivation of why somebody wants to get into music. Is it a path to be a star, or is it something to reflect just who you are? Thanks for taking the time to share your perspective and cheers.
  - csbubbles 10y ago
    Well, I hope over next years more artists will think the way we do. You know, people apparently can ignore the reality, but not forever. The music industry has changed a lot over last couple of decades because of the technology, and it will change much more and for the better, I am pretty sure. I am 100% with you. Especially regarding the direct support from fans. Bandcamp, Kickstarter, Patreon, and other similar online projects proved the validity of their models pretty well. I mean it's not necessary to force people to pay. If you are good at what you do, if you are open to directly communicate with your audience, if you can developer your "brand"/"name" online well, you have great chances to succeed, and to get supported by people who love what you do. I believe in goodness of people in general. :)

masklinn 10y ago

> To my knowledge, releasing through Bandcamp does not provide free access to other distribution platforms like Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Amazon, or YouTube, which means, if I'm right, it is a walled garden. That makes no sense. Bandcamp is a storefront site/minisites, you can put your music on bandcamp and put it on everything else as well. In fact, the Bandcamp faq specifically redirects people looking for distributors to DistroKid and notes that you can put your music on any other store you wish. Either you don't understand what bandcamp is, or you completely misunderstand the concept of walled garden.

csbubbles 10y ago

There is no "copyright protection" really. It's just the illusion that major players in the music biz and their affiliates are trying to deliver to the crowd. Digital music was, is and will always be pirated, and you have no protection from that. It's just the technology, the internet. As long as you release audio and people can buy it and play at their homes, they can make it digital and transfer online. The second you upload a song to any music platform, and make it downloadable, people can find it, download, and transfer, as you may say, "illegally" and do it any way they want. And there is no magic behind that. If I listen online to a song, its data is being transferred to my computer to be played eventually on my speakers. And that means that one can easily sniff it and store separately. The only way to fix this is to change the way people perceive music online. And Bandcamp has done a lot in that direction. Essentially, they fight "piracy" trying to change the mindset of the listener.

6stringmerc 10y ago
Strange as it might sound, I'm really in agreement with you. Coming into music as a second generation guitarist, I was pretty much told not to look at sound recordings as anything other than a business card. Making money from them is a pipe dream. What the best thing about the internet and sharing is that listeners who actually want to listen to things can, and setting music free into the world is supposed to be about that in my opinion - sharing and expecting nothing but appreciation in return. I remember taping songs off the radio so I could listen to them later because I really enjoyed the sounds. The internet is kinda like that on steroids, and that's not a bad thing in my opinion. I like how Gabe Newell asserted (paraphrased) that piracy is more of a "distribution & price point" problem than something inherent in business. The major players in the fight against Copyright Infringement are multi-national corporations that would sell cow shit at a 150% markup if they could get people to buy it. There's a lot of altruism that goes into becoming a fan, to sharing something with somebody else, and then wanting to buy a ticket to a concert. My newest reference point of how this can work - and work well for everybody - is Run The Jewels. Both RTJ1 and RTJ2 were released free, and I burned them on disc and banged them so hard I'm sure my car speakers hate me. From there though, I saw them at a ~500 person venue in support of RTJ1, and then at a 2,000 person venue - sold out - in support of RTJ2. There are ways to make money from fans, but I am very jaded on the model of trying to make people pay first and then pay more later. I love busking. I take my guitar and a little amp out on the street and play for nothing because I love what I do and I want to share it. I think it kind of refers to the motivation of why somebody wants to get into music. Is it a path to be a star, or is it something to reflect just who you are? Thanks for taking the time to share your perspective and cheers.
- csbubbles 10y ago
  Well, I hope over next years more artists will think the way we do. You know, people apparently can ignore the reality, but not forever. The music industry has changed a lot over last couple of decades because of the technology, and it will change much more and for the better, I am pretty sure. I am 100% with you. Especially regarding the direct support from fans. Bandcamp, Kickstarter, Patreon, and other similar online projects proved the validity of their models pretty well. I mean it's not necessary to force people to pay. If you are good at what you do, if you are open to directly communicate with your audience, if you can developer your "brand"/"name" online well, you have great chances to succeed, and to get supported by people who love what you do. I believe in goodness of people in general. :)