It’s hard not to love Bandcamp. Since its launch in 2007, the online record store has become an indispensable tool for independent music. It blurs the lines between webshop, digital music service, and editorial publication. With a direct-to-consumer business model, Bandcamp has become a resource for artists and labels of all sizes to push for a fair profit while fostering relationships with listeners. Learn how to maximize this essential, fan-favorite platform.
Creators First
Bandcamp puts creators first. Where many streaming services have posed challenges for artists hoping to earn a sustainable living from their work, Bandcamp encourages paying for records. After taking a small cut upfront, roughly 82% of the money goes to the artist or label via PayPal. Bandcamp Fridays sweeten the deal. During these sporadic monthly events, Bandcamp waives its usual fee, passing the funds directly to artists and labels. Flexible pricing decisions and the option to allow fans to pay what they want further put the musician in control of their earning potential.
All that is just the tip of the iceberg. Other factors that heighten the user experience for artists onBandcamp include the ability to set up pre-orders quickly and easily, the fact that Bandcamp handles chart reporting for your sales, and more. And to gauge the effectiveness of your strategizing, Bandcamp offers data on trends in listenership and sales.
"Bandcamp Fridays sweeten the deal. During these sporadic monthly events, Bandcamp waives its usual fee, passing the funds directly to artists and labels."
A Virtual Hangout
But in addition to acting as a helpful platform for creators, Bandcamp is a community. It has cultivated a virtual hangout space for voracious, devoted fans—often the kind focused on supporting underground sounds that go against the grain. In the past year alone, Bandcamp users have purchased upwards of 13.7 million digital albums, 11 million tracks, and 1.6 million vinyl records. That doesn’t include less conventional items like CDs, pins, tarot cards, candles, and zines. Bandcamp enables artists and labels to communicate directly with followers through mass-messaging emails, enabling the easy sharing of announcements.
And that community pays off in big ways: 30% of monthly sales on Bandcamp come from artist recommendations, Bandcamp’s individualized music feed, the Discover Page, and fans finding new music in other fans’ Bandcamp collections. You can also use Bandcamp’s messaging feature to keep your fanbase engaged, sharing updates on new projects, posting tour dates, or offering exclusive merch.
All these assets are exciting but can also be overwhelming at first. So, how can you make the most of Bandcamp? It might be tempting to simply upload your new tracks and walk away. However, digging into the website’s features can profoundly enhance everything from branding to audience interfacing. Whether you’re hoping to understand genre tags, host a promotional listening party, or simply make your page look great, read on for five tips on how to get the most out of your Bandcamp account.
Look Sharp
There’s an undeniable appeal to a cool album cover or well-shot image of an artist. Like a sonic social media profile, Bandcamp gives artists tools to make themselves appear intriguing online. Intended to mimic the experience of buying a product directly from a musician at their show, the website gives you tools to express your vision. No one wants to purchase vinyl from an empty rectangle, so upload a good photo of yourself and a concise bio in your page’s upper right-hand corner.
If you’re ambitious, a custom background can help things pop. Bandcamp has a set of straightforward tutorials that teach you how to master the ins and outs of page design. If your talents lie in jamming instead of drawing, it might be worth hiring a graphic designer and photographer to capture the vibe of your project visually.
"Like a sonic social media profile, Bandcamp gives artists tools to make themselves appear intriguing online. "
Tag Your Music
Genres don’t have to be limiting on Bandcamp. You can tag your music with numerous styles, giving fans a clear idea of how you want to present your sound. You can also promote it on multiple hubs that encourage a wider audience.
But it’s vital that you tag your album accurately. If you’re uploading a metal-meets-ambient LP, tag it as metal and ambient. Or if you’re in a post-punk band for kids, tag your record both post-punk and kids.
Bandcamp’s discovery module lets users find exactly what they want, encouraging fans to filter by genre, sub-genre, location, and merch type. Properly contextualizing your sound increases your chances of connecting with new avid listeners.
Host a Listening Party
In this day and age, online promotion is a vital aspect of any album release campaign. Bandcamp’s listening party feature can add extra oomph to the pre-release hype cycle. Listening parties let artists schedule a time to play an album for fans before it’s out, and its chat room feature lets artists chat directly with listeners, answering questions or telling jokes. It’s a unique way to cultivate sales and let enthusiastic supporters get a taste of your new material early.
"Listening parties let artists schedule a time to play an album for fans before it’s out, and its chat room feature lets artists chat directly with listeners."
Submit to Bandcamp Daily
Bandcamp Daily is an eclectic editorial outlet specifically designed to highlight unique artists worldwide who use Bandcamp to connect with fans. A team of seasoned editors works with a pool of deeply knowledgeable contributors to publish album reviews, features, and scene reports, highlighting emerging trends and voices from across the globe. It also has a team of columnists—of which, full disclosure, I am a member—who publish monthly genre-specific roundups.
Getting a Bandcamp Daily feature helps promote sales and pushes potential fans to your profile. So, how can you get your tracks written about on Bandcamp Daily? While competition can be stiff, filling out this form with context and the link to a well-presented, unpublished presave on Bandcamp will send your submission to an editor for consideration. For the best chance of results, reach out with as much lead time as possible.
"Bandcamp allows you to include a custom write-up with each upload, encouraging curious listeners to read the story of your latest output."
Include Liner Notes
You never know who might stumble upon your page. Industry professionals with exciting opportunities often search for rising artists on websites like Bandcamp. But without context, how is someone supposed to grasp what sets you apart? Liner notes are one of the best ways to establish a record’s narrative. Bandcamp allows you to include a custom write-up with each upload, encouraging curious listeners to read the story of your latest output.
If you don’t have immediate access to a great writer, you have options. Music journalists are often for hire crafting bios. X, Instagram, and email are great ways to contact your favorite Bandcamp Daily contributors to inquire about their potential services.
