Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Bandcamp has set aside days where they waive their company's share of purchase fees to the artist. Even just one day of sales for 100% profit can be a big deal to musicians right now, especially since many have been out of work these last few months. And they're doing it again.
The platform has also announced it will be doing another day of donating their share of sales, this time as a fundraiser for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The next day of their program that supports artists on Bandcamp is Friday, June 5, from midnight until midnight the next day. Artists will receive a 100% share of their music sales and some artists and labels are even preparing special offers or donating to other causes:
Arrowhawk Records is donating 100% of Portland artist Jeffrey Silverstein’s "You Become The Mountain" sales to the Portland Freedom Fund & National Bail Out. Centripetal Force is donating all profits to Reclaim the Block. Damnably is donating 100% of their share of sales to Stand Against Racism & Inequality and Black Thrive. It's also offering new merch from Otoboke Beaver, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, and Say Sue Me. Those are just a few examples; you can find the full list here.
Then on June 19, also known as Juneteenth, Bandcamp will be donating its share of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and will do so every Juneteenth from here on out. The company will also be allocating $30,000 a year to partner with organizations that fight for racial justice and create opportunities for people of color.
"The current moment is part of a long-standing, widespread, and entrenched system of structural oppression of people of color, and real progress requires a sustained and sincere commitment to political, social, and economic racial justice and change," wrote Bandcamp CEO Ethan Diamond. "We’ll continue to promote diversity and opportunity through our mission to support artists, the products we build to empower them, who we promote through the Bandcamp Daily, our relationships with local artists and organizations through our Oakland space, how we operate as a team, and who and how we hire."
You can read more about the fundraiser here.
