Thread for awesome stuff on Bandcamp that costs money but is still awesome

Related

https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/bandcamp-bargaining-union-layoffs-songtradr-18432047.php

Or rather I should say direct link to the story.

End of that piece says it all:

Songtradr’s editorial blog has marketing-focused articles with titles like “Rock Music is the Perfect Condiment For This Fast Food Brand,” which goes on to methodically and statistically analyze the music in Taco Bell ads. Bandcamp’s most recently published feature, on the other hand, is titled, “Imperial Crystalline Entombment, Black Metal Mysterians, Break the Ice.”

natural bedfellows, clearly

at this point I just want to know how to support writers and musicians and the latter seems like still buying releases in some shape or form

Throw money on the stage while they’re performing.

Very happy on the rare occasions I see a tip jar on a merch table, because I don’t really want a t-shirt I’ll never wear.

End of that piece says it all:

Songtradr’s editorial blog has marketing-focused articles with titles like “Rock Music is the Perfect Condiment For This Fast Food Brand,” which goes on to methodically and statistically analyze the music in Taco Bell ads. Bandcamp’s most recently published feature, on the other hand, is titled, “Imperial Crystalline Entombment, Black Metal Mysterians, Break the Ice.”

just as i thought it wasn't possible for things to get any more depressing....

Having now gone fully digital, this feels as awful as when I'd start to notice the deterioration of a favourite record store and begin to dread its death spiral that'd likely happen within the year

Those of you who are downloading all their stuff.. What are you doing to do this? I just use the app... But would be nice to have the mp3s.

i don't even have a bandcamp account, i just buy things using paypal and get a download link on the completion page and sent to my paypal email address.

am hoping this doesn't go away.

also, i've just noticed, if i go back to a release i've previously bought it knows and says "<3 you own this" and links to a page which has all my purchases and links to redownload.

(i'm guessing i must have a bandcamp account given it knows all this about me, and on the work laptop too)

Even without an account it remembers all your past purchases via the associated email.

Downloaded everything as I bought it, thank fuck; can’t imagine the tedium of now trying to download 6000 albums in one go.

I've seen people recommending this for downloading:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/batchcamp/jfcffbaekgnenlohblfgpohgdhalgjeb

(though I don't think Bandcamp is actually going away anytime soon)

Downloaded everything as I bought it, thank fuck; can’t imagine the tedium of now trying to download 6000 albums in one go.

They could probably reconstruct the entire website just from your downloads, Ned.

Those of you who are downloading all their stuff.. What are you doing to do this? I just use the app... But would be nice to have the mp3s.

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, October 18, 2023 3:55 AM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

You log into the website and click the little heart in the upper right hand corner and it shows you your collection? Unless you're talking about leeching the whole thing at once, in which case Jordan's suggestion is good

would highly recommend grabbing everything in the lossless format of your choice if you have the space

I just looked and I've made over 500 bandcamp purchases. I guess that's the leak in my budget

(to be fair, I did do the "buy entire back catalog" option on several artists when they had deep discounts)

I just looked and I've made over 500 bandcamp purchases. I guess that's the leak in my budget

Oh believe me, imagine how I feel. But turn it around, how happy am I that all that cash went mostly to the artists and labels? Incredibly so. They needed/need it more than I.

yep I have zero regrets about sending Edward Ka-Spel probably hundreds of dollars over the last decade or so

665 purchases. Only counting digital music. Yikes

It’s going to be hard to figure out what to keep. I’m probably not gonna download EVERYTHING.

"yep I have zero regrets about sending Edward Ka-Spel probably hundreds of dollars over the last decade or so"

you know he just blew that money on fancy capes and elixirs.

Neanderthal, you have to make one more purchase.

fwiw storage is at the cheapest it's been in a long time and there are rumors that prices might go up in the near future. so if you've been eyeing a purchase of more storage space for your computer, now's a decent time

Last month on Bandcamp I bought a homemade 8-CD-R set of out of print/unreleased albums directly from an artist I love. This was cool.

mh - coincidentally I just got another 5TB drive for offsite backup

xpost Well now I'm curious brimstead, who was it!

fwiw storage is at the cheapest it's been in a long time and there are rumors that prices might go up in the near future.

Hmm, noted. I may get a spare drive in a couple of months just to have it to hand.

915 purchases for me

They could probably reconstruct the entire website just from your downloads, Ned.

nedcamp.com, make it so

I'll probably download everything except for the entire label catalogs that were "gifted" to me by eager and well-meaning artists I've supported

Also, word to the wise for any artists in this thread: an artist I follow on Twitter/X recommended to everyone with music on there to download their mailing list of followers and customers immediately, I guess with the aim of importing them to an old school mailing list if worse comes to worse, as it probably will. Good advice, I think.

xp to ned, it was New Mexican Stargazers, who I HIGHLY recommend if you’re into lofi hypnogogic ambient a la late-00s James Ferraro/Sam Mehran , blissed out latenite NNF vibes

https://newmexicanstargazers.bandcamp.com/album/nms-season-pass-2-2

Oh believe me, imagine how I feel. But turn it around, how happy am I that all that cash went mostly to the artists and labels? Incredibly so. They needed/need it more than I.

I'm sure there are many, many artists and labels who with to bestow eternal love on Ned.

Honestly I feel bad I haven't been able to pick up a number of more recent Optimo releases! Shfl had to parcel out work more carefully this year (understandable, it is a one-person-deal really) so there ya go.

And thanks to Brimstead, noted!

You should absolutely not feel bad about it. x post

i have downloaded everything as i purchase.
like spotify i have always been concerned re when the day comes and ££/$$ becomes an overriding factor, and services/record label catalogues start to get dropped and adverts become the norm even for subscribers.
i will of course continue to use BC for as long as the various labels/artists advise its their best option re revenue.

and yeah, i saw that advise re grabbing the email list.
i then saw one small set up explain how amazing the email function is in BC and replacing it via Mailchimp would cost over $30 a month just to send out emails.
i.e. knowing this you just know that the new BC crew are clearly going to screw over this aspect of the service.

There's also the ability to send an email to everyone who follows you on BC (from their dashboard), which could be way more than the number of people who have bought something. Like, I just exported the email list which is ~200 people, but can message ~750 followers (of which at least 650 probably filter them due to how many Bandcamp emails they get, lol).

Re: that Anil Prasad facebook post upthread, I soooo disagree with his proposal that artists focus on building their own websites and drive people to them using social media. It's the latter part that's the problem, everyone who's used social media should know how futile that is for most people, and even more reliant on the vicissitudes of corporate platforms.

i did not know this! also, how does one export the email list, jordan?

x post

I found it by going to "Tools" under the dropdown menu, and it was right at the top under 'mailing list'.

Also the dashboard messaging thing might be a Bandcamp Pro thing (a label that I was on has that, and was able to extend it out to the artists, so luckily I don't have to pay for it).

Lol DJP

Thanks Jordan. i somehow hadn't noticed that before.

and i can see i have 2.5 times the followers than i have people on the mailing list. interesting. i message from the dashboard all the time (proably too often!). it's a very useful feature.

it would be interesting to know if there is literally anyone on the planet who has bought/downloaded more stuff from BC than Ned. serious question.

henry rollins probably. ned and rollins.

That'll be our spoken word duo.