Bandcamp, Downloads, Streaming, and the Inescapably Bright Future

Bandcamp, Downloads, Streaming, and the Inescapably Bright Future

In light of a recent report that Apple will soon abandon music downloads (later denied, but undoubtedly containing a certain amount of inevitability), we thought we’d take a moment to update you on the state of Bandcamp’s business and our plans for the future.

Bandcamp grew by 35% last year. Fans pay artists $4.3 million dollars every month using the site, and they buy about 25,000 records a day, which works out to about one every 4 seconds (you can see a real-time feed of those purchases on our desktop home page). Nearly 6 million fans have bought music through Bandcamp (half of whom are younger than 30), and hundreds of thousands of artists have sold music on Bandcamp. Digital album sales on Bandcamp grew 14% in 2015 while dropping 3% industry-wide, track sales grew 11% while dropping 13% industry-wide, vinyl was up 40%, cassettes 49%… even CD sales grew 10% (down 11% industry-wide). Most importantly of all, Bandcamp has been profitable (in the now-quaint revenues-exceed-expenses sense) since 2012.

Subscription-based music streaming,* on the other hand, has yet to prove itself to be a viable model, even after hundreds of millions of investment dollars raised and spent. For our part, we are committed to offering an alternative that we know works. As long as there are fans who care about the welfare of their favorite artists and want to help them keep making music, we will continue to provide that direct connection. And as long as there are fans who want to own, not rent, their music, that is a service we will continue to provide, and that is a model whose benefits we will continue to champion. We have been here since 2008 and we mean to be here in 2028. Thank you!

*Bandcamp is not a download store, and we very much embrace the convenience of streaming. When you buy music on Bandcamp, whether that’s in digital or physical form (30% of sales on Bandcamp are for vinyl and other merchandise), you not only get the pleasure of knowing you’re supporting the artist in a direct and transparent way, you also get instant, unlimited streaming of that music via our free apps for Android and iOS, as well as an optional, high-quality download. Your purchase is about direct support, ownership and access, whether that access takes the form of a stream, download, or both. So please consider joining us in never using “streaming” as shorthand for “subscription-based music.” The former is an inevitable technological shift, the latter is an unproven business model.

 

Believe me, it warmed my heart to see this yesterday.

 

I'm a rabid Bandcamp fan. I buy music there is lossless quality that is available no where else as a download.

Second, I can stream anything I have purchased or downloaded anytime, any where.

A god send.

 

Nothing bright about it here sadly: An Interesting Number From Bandcamp »

 

I saw that. Disappointing. And pathetic.

And we have these people talking about MQA..what a hoot.

Before that it was DSD.

Bubble popped.

But the bottom line is this is what people have chosen. Lossy.

I say there is NO REASON for lossy music to commercially exist. NONE. There should not be a single AAC or mp3 for sale. Streaming is another story.

 

When you look at other formats it says they are for, and this a quote, "audiophiles and nerds." I think the average person buying something on Bandcamp sees that and says: I'm not that, and I don't need those.

 

I play vinyl almost exclusively at home, but in the car or on the bus or subway or walking around the city, I want my phone chock full of my music, and I can fit a hell of a lot more lossy files on there than I can lossless, and in those environments I can't hear any difference. I don't like streaming as it eats up my bandwidth and costs extra for the streaming service and isn't available if my connection is poor. And almost all new vinyl comes with download cards, many from bandcamp. So there's one reason.

 

I also use lossy in the car and on the go..but i make my OWN with any number of free apps.

It takes seconds to convert a lossless album.

 

I'm a huge fan of Bandcamp and am glad to see they're doing well. I love the fact that they don't charge extra for lossless downloads, as well as knowing that most of the money from my purchases will actually make it into the artists' pockets. A successful business model that actually supports artists? Long may they run.

 

I would hate to think higher quality is linked to any thing negstive.

 

I have one issue with them...they do not publish the resolution of the lossless files. It is potluck. About 25% of thr time
It is 24 bit but you don't know until you download.

 

That is crazy.

 

Can we just go back to buying CDs and vinyl records at the store?

 

That's my only pet peeve with Bandcamp. I love and use them and have mastered quite a few albums that are only available there for the moment, so they are even good for the engineers.

 

I am glad to hear your perspective. To me, they are a Godsend. I will take the quirks along with other 95% .

 

That's where you can easily find the most amazing music nowadays.

 

Yes sir.

 

Yes but then I have to store the lossless files somewhere, when I will never listen to them. My 750GB internal drive is already almost full of 320K MP3s and AACs. And if I'm not going to store them, then why not just download the lossy ones?

I'm not saying that lossy should be the way to go for everyone, far from it, just saying there is a legitimate use for lossy downloads for me.

 

Why can't we do both?

 

Wouldn't lossless be 16/44.1 all the time? Or are you referring to their hi rez offerings?

 

LOVE Bandcamp! Can thank the site for introducing me to the likes of District 97 and Bent Knee not to mention the Hi-Res and flac options. Also stoked that the debut album from Rival Sons 'Before the Fire' and 2011 EP are currently available on there, and having a flac option too which is what I've been looking for seeing as the CD's are currently deleted. Long may the site continue.

 

+1.

Apple desperately tries to sell more thin air. And sheep fall for it, unfortunately.
Glad to be a nerd, if that's how they call it. Their loss(y).

Let em do whatever, as long as the artists get substantial benefits.

 

I'm curious about this also... I've downloaded many albums from Bandcamp, so I'll have to check out the bit rates on them. I always just figured that they were 16/44.

I love Bandcamp by the way... A great website. Nothing like buying an LP and having an instant FLAC download! It's a beautiful thing.

 

They don't distinguish what their non lossy files are..they could be 16/44/1. or 24/44.1 or 24/48 or 24/96..I purchased all these resolutions but I don't know until I actually play the files. I have even gotten 16/48.