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

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

I think it's super useful (could be made even more so) as a database, let alone a platform to buy and sell music

It's definitely surpassed Allmusic and wikipedia as the place to look for album credits, that's for sure.

we've been chronicling the Discogs death spiral here fwiw:

discogs marketplace?

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.

― Soundslike,

100%
i buy most of my new music via bandcamp and this is probably not going to be a good thing ..

Wonder how many people who will lament this admittedly terrible latest development are regular Spotify users

I pay for Spotify. I pay for records. I pay for concert tickets. Eat shit

Can we not do this again?

Wonder how many people who will lament this admittedly terrible latest development are regular Spotify users

I spend at least $100 a month on Bandcamp purchases and $12 a month for Tidal.

If we're doing a moral accounting, these days I spend $0-20 dollars per month on club music on Bandcamp for imaginary DJ gigs and I'm currently gorging myself on the Blue Note and Tzadik catalog's on my wife's Spotify account. But I think there are better threads for us all to list our music consumption habits.

Back to bleep.com then

Sorry, just sort of hugging my security blanket there

Not fun.

Bandcamp employees say they've been locked out of critical systems and unable to do their jobs since Epic announced it was selling.

This will hurt Bandcamp Fridays where 100% of the profits go to artists.

They're bargaining over layoffs and severance.

It's an epic mess. https://t.co/lvA3Nwvvef pic.twitter.com/yJmwvU14Nd

— AmericanTruckSongs9 (@ethangach) October 4, 2023

JJ Skolnik confirmed/shared the union statement and asks people to follow the Twitter/IG Bandcamp United accounts for more as it comes.

Ah shit

here we go.
glad i have downloaded all my purchases.