5 ms·

I am one of these people. I buy to support the artist (usually $40-$50 for an album), but listen to the digital versions via Jellyfin and Plex (to avoid Spotify

I am one of these people. I buy to support the artist (usually $40-$50 for an album), but listen to the digital versions via Jellyfin and Plex (to avoid Spotify). I’ll also donate directly to artists, or buy tickets to their shows even if I cannot attend. Great analysis.

frankzander 11mo ago
Tbh I would like to have a donation button on a artist website so I can donate and than download the album I like where I like.
- toomuchtodo 11mo ago
  Same. Let me just pay you to be an artist, and keep putting art into the world (while avoiding middlemen and platforms whenever possible).
- nemomarx 11mo ago
  Bandcamp is pretty close to this experience if they set it as "pay what you want" (which a lot of artists do)
  - Semaphor 11mo ago
    > (which a lot of artists do) And those who don’t almost always only set a minimum price, so you can still pay more if you want. And if you buy on BC Friday [0] (next is February 6th), Bandcamp doesn’t even take a cut of the revenue. [0]: https://isitbandcampfriday.com/ https://isitbandcampfriday.com/
    - embedding-shape 11mo ago
      > And if you buy on BC Friday [0] (next is February 6th), Bandcamp doesn’t even take a cut of the revenue. Bandcamp Friday is such a fun day, I always have +5 purchases lined up from the previous month, and usually keep track of the social media of the artists I buy from that day, and many of them post something really wholesome about how much they made on that day :) Such a fun time all around.
- al_borland 11mo ago
  Wouldn’t the artist offering you to buy the album from them, DRM free, accomplish the same thing while clarifying the transaction that’s happening?
  - deleted 11mo ago
    [deleted]
- Aboutplants 11mo ago
  I’ve wanted something like this ever since the early Napster days. Patreon is the closest thing but that puts an onus on the artists to produce content all of the time. If some of my favorite less popular artists had their Venmo in their Instagram profile I would probably use that.
  - toomuchtodo 11mo ago
    Ask them to! I’ve had good luck with this. “I want to give you money, pls put Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, Patreon, etc handles in your linktree thx”
- 3rodents 11mo ago
  Spotify has this as an option for artists. https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/fan-support/ https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/fan-support/ https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/getting-a-fan-support-link/ https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/getting-a-fan...
- dylan604 11mo ago
  I bought the vinyl release which also came with the digital download of an album last year. When the vinyl arrived, there was a handwritten personalized thank you note from the artist. Best of all worlds
- maccard 11mo ago
  In my band, we sell digital lossless albums on bandcamp for just that reason.
jwagenet 11mo ago
IMO, please continue buying records, but don’t buy tickets to shows you can’t attend. I can’t speak for live music, but in SF there is/was an issue of club nights selling out, but having low attendance due to people buying tickets as an “option”. This is a problem because it screws up venues planning for bar sales as a revenue source and deterring last minute buyers/door sales (who may either be heads or punters) who see a sold out show online.
- toomuchtodo 11mo ago
  I gift the tickets to those seeking them. Someone is still attending, it’s just not me. Good call out regardless to not mess with venue ops.
- embedding-shape 11mo ago
  > but in SF there is/was an issue of club nights selling out, but having low attendance due to people buying tickets as an “option”. As a bar/restaurant owner who sometimes host electronic parties, that sucks and does mess up a lot. But as a dance party attender, that sounds like a good thing, the parties tend to have way too high attendance, and if there is no space for people to actually move around and dance, I don't really know what the point of it even is anymore.
  - skeeter2020 11mo ago
    Affording tickets is already a first-world problem; I have no idea what level this is when not attending has some knock-on impact or attendance hurts another person's experience. Maybe y'all should plan to stay home and make a donation to the food bank...
  - jwagenet 11mo ago
    I don’t disagree. Parties are often oversold and I may be overstating the under attendance problem.
- Epa095 11mo ago
  I have some friends on the east coast of Canada playing in a indie band. They have experienced this many times, that the venue is sold out but then only 15-20 people show up. Supposedly a lot of these places have people buying annual access packages to support the venue, but don't end up going. They have now started touring in Europe instead. Many cities with short distances, and people actually show up for the show. Much more rewarding to play with actuall audience.
rendaw 11mo ago
I've also done it once... it was a track that was vinyl only. I sent it to a guy who digitizes vinyl as a service.
- Forgeties79 11mo ago
  I should offer this to people as well ha. I love doing it and love having all my records on my server.
jprokay13 11mo ago
I’m in a similar boat. Many artists I listen to on Bandcamp offer cassettes(!) at a fair price and will charge a comparable price for the digital. However, I’ve seen some artists charge thousands for digital only but $10 for a tape that includes the digital version. I don’t know why they do this, but I do know I have an ever growing stack of tapes I can’t listen to…
- Aurornis 11mo ago
  > However, I’ve seen some artists charge thousands for digital What? Do you have an example?
nine_k 11mo ago
I sometimes see how artists who I follow on Bandcamp write about their struggle with ordering the production of vinyls, shipping delays and troubles, etc. I'd rather them spend this time on doing their art, or going on with their lives. If you want to give an artist a token of appreciation, send them money. I always increase the suggested price of an album or track on Bandcamp to some interesting-looking number. To produce, ship, and store an otherwise unused complex artifact just as a token of appreciation which is not otherwise enjoyed by the parties looks wasteful for me.
- izacus 11mo ago
  I struggle to figure out how you came to the conclusion that a soulless money transaction is somehow comparable to buying a custom made vinyl album someone spent time on.
  - Alconicon 11mo ago
    The cover might gotten the relevant input from the band but the vinyl itself has only a handful of options and plenty of them are just black. But come on do you listen to music of a band becase they are great in taking pictures? Or because they are really really good in standing next to a vinyl press? No You appreiciate their music and you don't need a commercial token to do so.

frankzander 11mo ago

Tbh I would like to have a donation button on a artist website so I can donate and than download the album I like where I like.

toomuchtodo 11mo ago
Same. Let me just pay you to be an artist, and keep putting art into the world (while avoiding middlemen and platforms whenever possible).
nemomarx 11mo ago
Bandcamp is pretty close to this experience if they set it as "pay what you want" (which a lot of artists do)
- Semaphor 11mo ago
  > (which a lot of artists do) And those who don’t almost always only set a minimum price, so you can still pay more if you want. And if you buy on BC Friday [0] (next is February 6th), Bandcamp doesn’t even take a cut of the revenue. [0]: https://isitbandcampfriday.com/ https://isitbandcampfriday.com/
  - embedding-shape 11mo ago
    > And if you buy on BC Friday [0] (next is February 6th), Bandcamp doesn’t even take a cut of the revenue. Bandcamp Friday is such a fun day, I always have +5 purchases lined up from the previous month, and usually keep track of the social media of the artists I buy from that day, and many of them post something really wholesome about how much they made on that day :) Such a fun time all around.
al_borland 11mo ago
Wouldn’t the artist offering you to buy the album from them, DRM free, accomplish the same thing while clarifying the transaction that’s happening?
- deleted 11mo ago
  [deleted]
Aboutplants 11mo ago
I’ve wanted something like this ever since the early Napster days. Patreon is the closest thing but that puts an onus on the artists to produce content all of the time. If some of my favorite less popular artists had their Venmo in their Instagram profile I would probably use that.
- toomuchtodo 11mo ago
  Ask them to! I’ve had good luck with this. “I want to give you money, pls put Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, Patreon, etc handles in your linktree thx”
3rodents 11mo ago
Spotify has this as an option for artists. https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/fan-support/ https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/fan-support/ https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/getting-a-fan-support-link/ https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/getting-a-fan...
dylan604 11mo ago
I bought the vinyl release which also came with the digital download of an album last year. When the vinyl arrived, there was a handwritten personalized thank you note from the artist. Best of all worlds
maccard 11mo ago
In my band, we sell digital lossless albums on bandcamp for just that reason.

jwagenet 11mo ago

IMO, please continue buying records, but don’t buy tickets to shows you can’t attend. I can’t speak for live music, but in SF there is/was an issue of club nights selling out, but having low attendance due to people buying tickets as an “option”. This is a problem because it screws up venues planning for bar sales as a revenue source and deterring last minute buyers/door sales (who may either be heads or punters) who see a sold out show online.

toomuchtodo 11mo ago
I gift the tickets to those seeking them. Someone is still attending, it’s just not me. Good call out regardless to not mess with venue ops.
embedding-shape 11mo ago
> but in SF there is/was an issue of club nights selling out, but having low attendance due to people buying tickets as an “option”. As a bar/restaurant owner who sometimes host electronic parties, that sucks and does mess up a lot. But as a dance party attender, that sounds like a good thing, the parties tend to have way too high attendance, and if there is no space for people to actually move around and dance, I don't really know what the point of it even is anymore.
- skeeter2020 11mo ago
  Affording tickets is already a first-world problem; I have no idea what level this is when not attending has some knock-on impact or attendance hurts another person's experience. Maybe y'all should plan to stay home and make a donation to the food bank...
- jwagenet 11mo ago
  I don’t disagree. Parties are often oversold and I may be overstating the under attendance problem.
Epa095 11mo ago
I have some friends on the east coast of Canada playing in a indie band. They have experienced this many times, that the venue is sold out but then only 15-20 people show up. Supposedly a lot of these places have people buying annual access packages to support the venue, but don't end up going. They have now started touring in Europe instead. Many cities with short distances, and people actually show up for the show. Much more rewarding to play with actuall audience.

rendaw 11mo ago

I've also done it once... it was a track that was vinyl only. I sent it to a guy who digitizes vinyl as a service.

Forgeties79 11mo ago
I should offer this to people as well ha. I love doing it and love having all my records on my server.

jprokay13 11mo ago

I’m in a similar boat. Many artists I listen to on Bandcamp offer cassettes(!) at a fair price and will charge a comparable price for the digital. However, I’ve seen some artists charge thousands for digital only but $10 for a tape that includes the digital version. I don’t know why they do this, but I do know I have an ever growing stack of tapes I can’t listen to…

Aurornis 11mo ago
> However, I’ve seen some artists charge thousands for digital What? Do you have an example?

nine_k 11mo ago

I sometimes see how artists who I follow on Bandcamp write about their struggle with ordering the production of vinyls, shipping delays and troubles, etc. I'd rather them spend this time on doing their art, or going on with their lives. If you want to give an artist a token of appreciation, send them money. I always increase the suggested price of an album or track on Bandcamp to some interesting-looking number. To produce, ship, and store an otherwise unused complex artifact just as a token of appreciation which is not otherwise enjoyed by the parties looks wasteful for me.

izacus 11mo ago
I struggle to figure out how you came to the conclusion that a soulless money transaction is somehow comparable to buying a custom made vinyl album someone spent time on.
- Alconicon 11mo ago
  The cover might gotten the relevant input from the band but the vinyl itself has only a handful of options and plenty of them are just black. But come on do you listen to music of a band becase they are great in taking pictures? Or because they are really really good in standing next to a vinyl press? No You appreiciate their music and you don't need a commercial token to do so.