5 causes to purchase music from Bandcamp

When you’ve ever heard in regards to the ethical issues with music streaming and need to do one thing about it, one nice method to get away from it’s by shopping for music straight from artists. One platform that is nice for doing that’s Bandcamp, the place artists can straight promote their music and merchandise. As an alternative of getting paid a fraction of a cent per stream, you may really assist your favourite artists extra straight.

So in case you’re undecided about Bandcamp and all the advantages from utilizing it, listed here are among the essential the explanation why you would possibly need to purchase music from artists on Bandcamp and forego your common streaming habits.

1 You personal the music you purchase and it might’t be taken away from you

No DRM software program to be discovered right here

While you purchase music on Bandcamp, be it a digital copy, a CD, vinyl, or a cassette, you get to maintain that music in whichever format you buy it in. On the flip aspect, once you take heed to music on a streaming service, since you might be paying a subscription price and do not really personal the music, it may be taken away each time on the will of the distributor.

As such, all downloads from Bandcamp are freed from DRM (digital rights administration) software program. So you may’t be restricted from utilizing the music at a later date on the will of any copyright holders. As soon as you have downloaded that music, you may’t have it taken away from you.

Moreover, once you purchase digital downloads on Bandcamp, you may re-download the music you bought indefinitely. That is in distinction to different platforms that will solely allow you to take heed to bought media on their platform, like how Apple solely helps you to obtain music you beforehand bought on iTunes to 10 gadgets.

2 You’ll be able to assist artists extra straight

Whereas streaming companies pay a fraction of a cent per stream, shopping for music will get cash into artists’ palms

Whereas streaming companies pay artists cents, and even fractions of a cent, per stream, once you purchase music on Bandcamp, you are supporting the artist extra straight by giving them cash instantly for getting their tracks or albums. Bandcamp itself takes 10% of the earnings from bodily media buy and 15% from digital purchases, with the remaining going to artists.

On occasion Bandcamp could have a “Bandcamp friday” occasion the place artists get 100% of the earnings from gross sales. That is a fair higher alternative to assist your favourite artists, since you may make certain that each cent you spend goes straight to them.

3 You will get prime quality lossless tracks

Spotify will not allow you to obtain FLACs, however Bandcamp will

Numerous the time once you purchase digital tracks from an artist on Bandcamp, they will be CD-quality, which is 16-bit/44.1kHz lossless high quality. That is normal lossless high quality, and is considerably higher high quality than the very best high quality you may at present get on Spotify.

Lossless mainly implies that the unique sound of the recording is retained, and although lossless music remains to be compressed to a level, it isn’t compressed to the diploma of the typical MP3 file, and the compression is completed in a method that also retains the unique high quality of the music. So by shopping for lossless music from artists by way of Bandcamp, you will be positive you are listening to all the pieces you need to be listening to, as long as you are listening with wired headphones or audio system, no less than.

4 You should purchase music from smaller artists that are not on streaming companies

Anybody can promote their music on Bandcamp, making it nice for native acts

To get music on a streaming service, there are a variety of steps to be taken, and it is actually troublesome for small unbiased artists to get on streaming companies. However Bandcamp permits bands to easily add their music to the location with out leaping by way of all of the hoops one must on a streaming service like Spotify.

So in case you’re extra desirous about exploring native or small bands that may’t handle to get on a streaming service, Bandcamp is a good way to try this. When you go to an area present and see a cool band you actually like, there’s an important likelihood they’re already on Bandcamp, so you may assist them straight there.

5 Some artists use a pay-what-you-can mannequin

You’ll be able to pay much less if you do not have a lot to spend, or pay extra if you wish to

Mick Haupt / Unsplash

Bandcamp has the choice for artists to promote their music beneath a pay-what-you-can mannequin, which is nice for individuals who need to assist artists however do not essentially have a lot cash to take action. Most individuals who do that are smaller artists, you are unlikely to discover a greater artist beneath a label that does this, however it’s a pleasant method to present assist to your favourite native artists even when you may’t absolutely afford to beneath regular circumstances.