Bandcamp is the independent music store for music lovers.
There are countless digital music stores online, the most notable being iTunes, but there are few that offer something other than the crap peddled to us by the major labels.
Bandcamp does, however, as it is a direct distribution channel for independent (or dependent, they don’t judge) artists. Artists (or small labels) simply upload their music in a lossless format, choose a price for it (most are ’name your price’ above a minimum price, usually just a few dollars, many are free with an email address), and Bandcamp makes it available at that price, in pretty much any format you can imagine – without an extra charge for CD-quality.
The direct-to-artists business model appeals to me greatly. Most artists don’t really need record labels anymore, and being able to step away from the majors – who have a long and documented history of destroying creative freedom, screwing artists of their entitled royalties, and generally (and I’m being snobby here) releasing utterly unoriginal, dull, and generic crud – is a win for both the artist and the consumer, especially as the artist gets to charge what they believe their product is worth.
There are also many smaller record labels – and many that I just love, including Sonic Router [Ed: now defunct], Blackest Ever Black [Ed: now defunct AND their catalogue purged], Beats Home, Atomnation, Activia Benz, Opal Tapes, Gang Of Ducks, LucidFlow and so, so many more – that use the service to distribute their music.
But, there is still yet another feature that I just adore about Bandcamp, and that’s the ability to follow artists, labels, and fans. Following an artist or label means that you’ll be alerted when they put out a new release, and following a fan means that you’ll be alerted when they purchase something new – both are fantastic ways to discover new music, and with fans like BBC Radio6’s Gilles Peterson, you’re sure to find something exceptional.
You needn’t have to follow a fan to find new music, however, as the talented crew at Bandcamp put together the ‘Bandcamp Weekly’ podcast, showcasing new artists and releases on the service, across all the genres, and with interviews, too. There is even a little card showing the track you’re listening to at that moment, with a link to wishlist or buy the album.
That’s also another differentiation of the service – you can’t buy single tracks from albums. I quite like this, as I like to hear albums as a complete journey – a single piece of art not to be divvied up into its constituent parts [Ed: This is no longer the case].
If podcasts aren’t your thing (they do take a little while to listen to, after all), you can always just cruise the ‘browse’ section of the website, selecting from your preferred genre, and if you want the latest releases, the most popular, or those recommended by staff. Oh, and if you still want physical media, you can also select to browse by digital, vinyl, CD, or even cassette (yup – they’re in vogue now). If you do go physical, the purchase also includes the digital version, giving you the best of both options.
Even with this multitude of very cheap music, you may just not be the type to lay down dollars for tunes – I disagree with you, but that’s cool – you can still benefit from Bandcamp, as every single album on the service can be streamed online, for free, in its entirety. The only caveat is that it’s at 128 kbps, which still sounds fine (just not fantastic when compared to full-fidelity).
Clearly, I’m a big fan of the site. I think their payment model is fairer than iTunes’, their product (that is, delivering it in your choice of format) more desirable, and their discovery services actually relevant. For the final cherry on the icing on the cake, there is word on the street that they’re even working on a mobile app, so you can stream albums no matter where you are [Ed:the Bandamp mobile app is now well established, and supports purchases, offline downloads, playlists, and more. Neat!].
