Latest Bandcamp Friday raised $3.2m for independent artists
Bandcamp Friday on May 2nd earned artists $3.2m, following a change to the platform’s album and trackpricing.
Bandcamp reported back in September 2024 that Bandcamp Fridays have earned artists $120m for independent artists since its launch in 2020. The last event on May 2nd racked up $3.2m for artists, shortly after the pricing for albums and tracks was increased to reflect industry standard’s and what fans were already willing to pay.
Originally, these online events were designed to help support artists during the Covid-19 pandemic who had lost touring as a crucial revenue stream. While artists can of course sell their music on Bandcamp every day of the week, certain Fridays see Bandcamp waive their revenue share of sales on the platform. This means all earnings from sales go directly to artists and labels, giving them a much-needed boost.
Usually, 82% of earnings go to artists and labels, and the rest is kept by the platform. As reported by Hypebot, since its launch in 2008, Bandcamp has generated a total of $1.5 billion from fans. There are another four Bandcamp Fridays lined up for 2025, so plenty of opportunity for that total number to go up.
The next Bandcamp Friday will be on August 1st, with dates in September, October and December to follow. If you’re ever unsure of when the next event is, you can check on isitbandcampfriday.com.
If you were planning on supporting an artist on the next Bandcamp Friday event, here are some more details about the pricing update.
- Tracks increased from $1 to $1.50
- Albums increased from $7 to $9
However, artists still have full control over how they price their releases, but the update reflects a shift to the default pricing settings. Bandcamp explained that the prices were being adjusted to bring “Bandcamp’s defaults in line with updated industry standards for chart reporting eligibility.” Additionally, the platform revealed that fans are already willing to pay more than the previous default pricing anyway.