Why artists should focus more on Bandcamp than Spotify

In this article, I share my favourite reasons why artists like you should channel their efforts into your Bandcamp presence more than on Spotify and other streaming platforms.

Shared audience

When someone follows you on Bandcamp, they get emails about your updates.

Not only that, Bandcamp gives you access to the names and emails addresses of those who do.

Direct marketing

As with the above reason, because Bandcamp shares emails with you, you can then import them into your email marketing software and continue to nurture and monetise that audience.

Better deal

When someone buys your music on Bandcamp, you get nearly all of that.

Whereas on Spotify you make penny fractions per stream.

Where Spotify pays royalties according to a little-understood pro-rata formula that can only be analysed by reverse calculation, Bandcamp lets artists and labels choose their own prices

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/19/903547253/a-tale-of-two-ecosystems-on-bandcamp-spotify-and-the-wide-open-future?t=1626010374678

Real music fans

The people who go on Bandcamp are active music fans as opposed to just passive music consumers.

They are worth way more.

They spend money on music, buy tickets, and brag to their friends about their collections.

Storefront

On Bandcamp, you can set up a storefront, list inventory, vinyl, merch, CDs, and anything else you might want to sell to your audience.

Founded in 2007, the company has helped artists earn $518 million through sales of digital albums, vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and assorted merch.

Pitchfork

Branding

On Bandcamp, you have a good handful of customisation options to make your Bandcamp your own.

Where to start

By no means do I mean you should ignore streaming altogether.

It’s just where you spend your marketing efforts.

I often advise artists to launch a Bandcamp pre-order ahead of streaming release.

This way, you can use your Bandcamp profile as a landing page to collect emails and offer more value.

Get started with Bandcamp’s Official Artist Guide.