For many of those lucky enough to be in employment, this week sees their monthly salary arrive in their bank account at the end of what has been a traumatic month for a lot of communities around the world. The arts sector has been hit more than many, with quarantine cancellations of events across the globe and the closing of most shops, with little immediate prospect of improvement.
Most bands in the goth/post-punk/darkwave genre use the Bandcamp platform as one of their main online means of presenting their product to potential listeners, offering a free trial stream of all new releases (or selected tracks thereof) along with the sale of digital downloads, physical copies (CD, vinyl and cassette) as well as bands merchandise (primarily t-shirts).
Here’s eight reasons why should we all consider making a purchase this Friday:
Most bands in the goth/post-punk/darkwave genre use the Bandcamp platform as one of their main online means of presenting their product to potential listeners, offering a free trial stream of all new releases (or selected tracks thereof) along with the sale of digital downloads, physical copies (CD, vinyl and cassette) as well as bands merchandise (primarily t-shirts).
Here’s eight reasons why should we all consider making a purchase this Friday:
1)
This Friday (1st May) for one day only, Bandcamp is
waiving fees on all sales
Usually, as with any intermediary service
(record shops/Amazon etc), bands have to give the middleman a cut of all sales,
but for one day only Bandcamp is waiving its right to its fee. The last time it
did so six weeks ago, bands sold 4.3 million dollars worth of product in the 24
hour period. This is your chance to make sure that all of the money from your
purchase goes direct to the band.
2)
Repay your favourite bands for quarantine
gigs
Many bands have put on free livestreams of
gigs or rehearsals, or contributed to online events like the Gothicat Online Festivals.
You’d normally pay decent money to see a band (if you’re lucky enough for them
to come to a town near you), so rather than freeloading at these online treats why not repay their generosity with the purchase
of an album or t-shirt from their Bandcamp store.
3)
Make up for loss of merch table sales
With live gigs around the world grinding to
a halt and scientists suggesting that this will be one of the final activities
to return to normal when the global lockdown eases, many bands have lost their
main opportunity to sell directly to fans. Bands at this level staff their own
merch tables, and most people who have enjoyed a gig will often make a purchase literally directly from the band after the show. Did you enjoy the recent Sonsombre or Kaelan Mikla livestreams for example?
If so, do the decent thing if you can afford to and buy something from their
Bandcamp store.
4)
Music is good for your soul
New music is good for you, it lifts your
spirits and activates your brain. Lots of bands have released new albums in the
past two months, from Then Comes Silence to The Black Capes, from This Eternal
Decay to Byronic Sex and Exile. Why not treat yourself to something new and
cheer yourself up! You deserve it!
5)
Replenish your wardrobe
Most clothing retailers are closed in many
countries during the lockdown, so why not refresh your wardrobe and boost your
street cred with a new band t-shirt to impress your friends for that next
Zoom/Houseparty meet-up.
6)
You might be now able to afford it
If you’re working from home, you may be
saving cash on commuting, lunch, coffees, that quick drink after work, and your usual entertainment budget is going unspent as you self-isolate at home. Why not use
some of the spare cash to support your favourite band and buy that album you’ve
been wanting to get for a while, or an earlier release from a band that you’ve got
into recently?
7)
If you don’t make a purchase, your
favourite band/label might not be around much longer
Bands and labels will both be feeling the
pinch with their normal income streams drying up. Unknown Pleasures Records
have already announced that the current slate of releases will be their last.
Support those bands and labels which you admire in these lean times and it’s
more likely that you will be able to enjoy them in the future when the global situation improves.
8)
Cheer up your favourite artists
This is a really hard time for musicians,
with a lack of audience feedback adding to financial worries about the future,
Why not show them that you care with a Bandcamp purchase this Friday and then post a
pic on social media of your new arrival with some positive feedback to give the
musicians a boost. Encourage your music-loving friends to do the same.
Pressed for time this Friday? Please find below some links to the Bandcamp stores of twenty artists covered by this blog in recent months:
- Sonsombre (Post-Gothic Records)
- Antipole
- 1919
- Der Himmel uber Berlin (Unknown Pleasures)
- Miazma
The more I read your style the more I like it. Your content is outstanding my friend
ReplyDeleteI've just finished purchasing a whole months worth of music from Bandcamp Nikolas, including but not exclusively;
ReplyDeleteShe Past Away
Black Angel
Kentucky Vampires
Then Comes Silence
along with
Actors
Witch Of The Vale
Spectres
The Foreign Resort
Tulips
Louise Patricia Crane
Hopefully the other half won't notice