Bandcamp will continue its special “Bandcamp Friday” series for the rest of the year, waiving its revenue share on all sales on the first Friday of every month to give musicians more money from each purchase.
The series started as a one-off at the end of March to help get extra money to artists after the COVID-19 pandemic brought touring to a halt and forced independent record stores to close. After fans spent $4.3 million on music and merch, the platform decided to waive its revenue share on the first Friday of the next three months.
In a statement on its website, Bandcamp said, “Because the pandemic is far from over, we’ll continue to hold Bandcamp Fridays on the first Friday of every month until the end of the year.” The next five will take place August 7th, September 4th, October 2nd, November 6th and December 4th. The time frame for each event will be midnight Pacific time to midnight Pacific time, and Bandcamp has even set up a website to ensure fans that they’re purchasing at the right time: the aptly dubbed, IsItBandcampFriday.com.
So far, sales during the last four Bandcamp Fridays have amounted to over $20 million. In total, fans have spent over $75 million on music and merch on the platform since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“It’s a good reminder that Bandcamp Fridays are really an extension of what Bandcamp is about every day,” the platform said. “Thank you to all the artists and labels who shared their music with us, and the fans who spent their hard-earned coins to support the artists they love.”
