Bandcamp Paying Artists 100% of Their Sales Today Due to Coronavirus

Bandcamp CEO Ethan Diamond says this is just a starting point.

On Tuesday, the publishing platform Bandcamp announced it'd be waiving its revenue share for sales made on Friday. For a platform that extensively deals with independent artists, the coronavirus pandemic has debilitated many indie artists' work schedules. The company's CEO, Ethan Diamond, is urging consumers to continue supporting their favorite bands.

"For many artists, a single day of boosted sales can mean the difference between being able to pay rent or not," he said. "Still, we consider this just a starting point."

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Usually, Bandcamp takes a 15% share of the revenue from digital music sales. For physical goods like band-related merchandise, the site takes 10% of sales.

"Musicians will continue to feel the effects of lost touring income for many months to come," said Diamond. "So we're also sharing some ideas below on how fans can support the artists they love and how artists can give fans new, creative ways to provide support."

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The site redirects users to "Bandcamp Daily" and "Bandcamp Discover," two sources to discover new music. The site also includes the option to tip artists more than the asking price.

Notable artists like Thundercat and Knxwledge have added vinyl and merch to the site. In conclusion, Diamond warns users to not limit their contributions to artists. "We encourage you to find ways to reach out to those affected in your local communities."