It’s no secret that the shutdown of live music in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic decimated independent venues and the artists who play their stages. The carnage continues this week as those venues and artists mark a month of being out of the spotlight.
And while buying music and merch like T-shirts, koozies and underwear was one of many ways to support your local music maker, platform fees shaved revenue off of what locals were taking in.
On March 20, Bandcamp waived its worldwide revenue share for 24 hours in the hopes of getting more money in bands’ pockets. Fans responded by buying $4.3 million worth of of music and merch.
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To help even further, Bandcamp is doing it again on May 1, meaning that every penny you spend on a Tampa Bay Band goes directly to the artist.
“For many artists, a single day of boosted sales can mean the difference between being able to pay rent or not,” Ethan Diamond, Co-Founder and CEO of Bandcamp, wrote in a blog post. “Still, we consider this just a starting point. Musicians will continue to feel the effects of lost touring income for many months to come, so we’re also sharing some ideas below on how fans can support the artists they love and how artists can give fans new, creative ways to provide support.”
“It may sound simple, but the best way to help artists is with your direct financial support,” he added.
If you need a list of local bands to support, check out Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s Best Local releases of 2019.
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This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2020.
