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

thanks, yeah I really dig it

I'll throw this onto the pile, because I'm actually really proud of how it turned out. My first-ever "real" CD, a 2CD set in fact, compiling the three albums and one EP I released digital-only in 2022:

https://ianmanire.bandcamp.com/album/improvisations

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/0031873599_10.jpg

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/0031873605_71.jpg

really bizarre thing is I bought the new Grave Desecrator off of what appears to be a REALLY tiny label selling it, but it's legit their album to sell as this was linked from articles written about the band. I decided to buy a cd copy and just listen to the digital until it arrived, since it's coming overseas, but after the purchase, I notice only one of the 10 songs is downloadable. but it's not a situation where it's a new release that the artist hadn't 'released' yet, it shows as released and available.

so I message the label to ask where the other digital tracks are, and I get a response from them almost immediately from the guy saying he isn't 'allowed' to post digital at this time (???) and he points me to a Youtube link where the full album is.

is there ever a scenario where a label on Bandcamp legal wouldn't be allowed to share digital files if they had the rights to distribute the album? I have no idea how this works. Bandcamp told them though that they needed to provide digital copies of the files since it's what they are advertising.

meanwhile I ain't looking to take any money from the band, I just want what i paid for! and a youtube ain't it.

I bought a Spacemen 3 disc from Bandcamp where there was no digital copy offered for rights reasons. But I’m not sure of the details. It was when they were trying to bypass their shitty former manager I think.

is there ever a scenario where a label on Bandcamp legal wouldn't be allowed to share digital files if they had the rights to distribute the album? I have no idea how this works.

Yes. I've bought some reissues of Japanese jazz albums where the reissuing label only negotiated the rights for physical product, so I didn't get a download with my purchase. Or sometimes they won't have the rights to everything, so for example you'll buy a 2CD set with 15 tracks and only get a download of, like, nine.

my guess is maybe that happened, but the label mistakenly listed their album as CD + full digital rather than CD only (which I have seen on a few bandcamp albums).

The last Stereolab "Switched On" comp had the tracks from Lo-Fi on the CDs but not the digital purchase.

A few years ago this French label Transversales released a Philip Glass album on vinyl via Bandcamp that included a download code. It was sold out on their Bandcamp site by the time I heard about it, but I was able to find a copy through a distributor. However, copies sold via distributors didn't include a download code. So I emailed Transversales asking for a code but they told me they didn't have digital rights, only physical rights. I didn't, and still don't, understand why, if they didn't have digital rights, they were able to include a download code with copies purchased from their Bandcamp. (It's still available from them on digital.)

Whenever I get a vinyl release with no download code, I email the label with a photo of me holding the vinyl.

over 50% of the time they send me a BC code, which is great as I use BC as a streaming service for purchases and wishlist.

but sometimes there are strange rights issues, where they send a google drive download, instead of BC, as they dont have digital rights, some just ignore me.

Transversales, might have the right to include a code with every purchase but not be allowed to sell, however you say they are selling digital copies as well.

rights management is pretty opaque, you might just have to poney up to buy the digital, keeping an eye on sales/discounts. I've done that a few times when it was buy again or nothing.

couple of years ago, trevor jackson was selling off 2 * 2cd promo compilations of his Underdog remixes via bandcamp.
no digital at all for any of that stuff, yet, the releases are still listed in my Bandcamp listings in Sonos.

sometimes i have seen some labels put £999.99 for a digital file of a limited 7" single (for example).
no idea if the 7" came with an actual digital code.

Bandcamp confirmed, while trying to resolve the issue for me, that they no longer support selling of cds without free digital download attached. that I didn't know, but the wording made it seem like a recent change.

That’s weird, bcuz as was pointed out upthread, often labels (especially reissue labels) have the physical but not the digital rights — these would be small labels, mostly, why not let them sell physical product through BC?

It does seem weird not to offer this anymore

i’m assuming not for eg this

https://outlet-label.bandcamp.com/album/the-outletters-drive-by-dub-the-path-version

I have a question. How does changing the preorder download to the actual release on the release date work? Apparently it's not an automatic process? Because this has happened before (even in the previous Month too) that a release day comes and goes but nothing happens, all I (the fan who paid months ago) can see is the preorder. And then I see it everywhere on illegal download sites. It feels like I'm being encouraged to not support bands there anymore if I'm being honest. Maybe it's just the label (or some guy in the band, who does their social media stuff after he gets home from work, who should have remembered it was yesterday) being sloppy, but this makes the whole BC experience feel bad indirectly.

Today, it's the new Saturnus album, for instance. "Releases June 16 2023" - my ass it does. And no, it's not "it's still June 16 somewhere on the planet lol" anymore, I waited.

It apparently isn't automated. I've had this happen to me before.

One time it was that Bandcamp was listing a release date one week prior to the actual release date and the band didn't fix it, but I've also seen bands release the album late on release day

I recommend emailing the band through Bandcamp.

Thanks!

I can confirm it's not automated, intentionally so. It's dumb though, you have to remember to get up and release it before going to work or whatever. I really wish you could just set it to release at midnight, and usually often just release it the evening before.

I actually think there's a good chance Saturnus doesn't know this is the case, as they are all over FB talking about how the new album is out and available.

:( - I sent them a message via BC while I boneheadedly refuse to illegaly listen :-)

(illegaLLy) anyway

maybe there should be "remember to click the Release button on release day (tomorrow!)" mails from Bandcamp for those kinds of bands? :D

When you upload an album it tells you that you're going to have to manually make it available on street date, but there are no reminder emails ("Hey dummy, you said your album was coming out tomorrow — don't forget to pull that trigger!"), which would definitely be a good thing.

ha, yeah Numero did this with that new Laraaji box, it took like 2 extra days

I'm really liking the music feed feature on the bandcamp mobile app. The stuff I buy on bandcamp is very specific genre-wise, so that may help, but the recommendations that come up are uniformly good and far more interesting than what I might get on a similar list on something like spotify. A big differentiating factor is that it feels like it is recommending stuff that is clearly related to what I've been listening to and purchasing without simply spitting back the same stuff that I was already listening to.

Epic Games is selling Bandcamp to Songtradr. Now would be a good time to download all your purchases.

Uh, I was nervous when Epic bought Bandcamp, but somehow this makes me even more nervous. Download/backup all your purchases folks. Reports are that it will be sold to Songtradr.

Bloomberg reports that Fortnite developer Epic Games is expected to lay off 16 percent of its workforce, or around 900 people.

In a statement from Tim Sweeney, Epic has confirmed the layoffs. He wrote that the company intends to divest from Bandcamp — an independent music storefront company Epic acquired just last year — and spin off SuperAwesome, a “kid-tech” company that specializes in creating safe online experiences for kids. He also explains that the layoffs are a result of the company “spending way more money than we earn.” Notably, Sweeney does not apologize to his employees for making the business decisions that have resulted in the disruption of roughly 900 lives, saying only that his “optimism” that such spending would not result in layoffs was “unrealistic.”

source: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/28/23894266/epic-games-layoffs-fortnite-unreal-engine

caught in the xpost

wtf is songtradr and why isn’t bandcamp buying THEM

Ah shit. Apparently they're a huge music licensing company. You'd think they'd only want Bandcamp if they could add all that music to the catalog available to their customers, wonder what that will look like for artists?

Like, best case scenario there are more opportunities for syncs/licensing that generate money for artists...worst case you have to agree to an overall shitty deal via Terms of Service?

sounds about right

if it’s just an opt-in box for artists that lets them allow licensing that might be good. if it’s automatic via a terms of service change then a bunch of people are definitely yanking all their music from the site

I guess I'll try to remain optimistic, but goddamn it feels like we just can't have nice things that work well for both artists and fans.

if it’s just an opt-in box for artists that lets them allow licensing that might be good. if it’s automatic via a terms of service change then a bunch of people are definitely yanking all their music from the site

There's no way. There are a bunch of heavy-duty labels on Bandcamp at this point — there will be squads of lawyers looking over any new licensing language as a result of this acquisition.

That's a good point, and lots of artists already have licensing deals etc

oh for fuck's sake

Does anyone have a source for Bandcamp being sold to Songtradr?

here’s the press release: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/songtradr-acquires-bandcamp-epic-games-162200297.html

Never mind. I found one.
https://www.songtradr.com/blog/posts/songtradr-bandcamp-acquisition

Fucking technothing companies.

Looking at their Twitter (I mean "X") feed, the most vapid corporatespeak Stepford Wives creepiness.

No way this is good.

It's terrible that Bandcamp has become almost the only lifeline for artists to actually get paid. And more terrible that that lifeline will be snipped capriciously by some techfuck for a few dollars.

having had no experience with song licensing or songtradr, is there something specifically bad about them?

Insane

Songtradr is Paul Wiltshire‘s company. Yes, _that_ Paul Wiltshire. They’ve essentially transformed into a holding company.

ah. ugh.

I’m obviously biased since I spent months railing Epic for acquiring Bandcamp and Bandcamp for being acquired (when they were growing and had access to capital). Bandcamp had the opportunity to become a real one. Now I can’t help but think they’ll slowly decline and get punted around every few years.

*grumble*

someone should combine Discogs with Bandcamp

nah Discogs is in its own death spiral