In response to the Covid-19 crisis which is, amongst other things, destroying the livelihoods of musicians worldwide, Bandcamp, the music crowdfunding, marketing and direct sales platform, is waiving its usual share of sales revenue for 24 hours, on 20 March.
How you can help support musicians in the wake of Coronavirus
Ethan Diamond, Founder and CEO, has announced the 'fundraiser' in a blog post.
"Artists have been hit especially hard as tours and shows are being canceled for the foreseeable future," he writes. "With such a major revenue stream drying up almost entirely, finding ways to continue supporting artists in the coming months is now an urgent priority for anyone who cares about music and the artists who create it.
"To raise even more awareness around the pandemic’s impact on musicians everywhere, we’re waiving our revenue share on sales this Friday, March 20 (from midnight to midnight Pacific Time), and rallying the Bandcamp community to put much needed money directly into artists’ pockets.
The statement goes on to say that this can only be "a starting point".
"It may sound simple, but the best way to help artists is with your direct financial support, and we hope you’ll join us on Friday and through the coming months as we work to support artists in this challenging time."
We'll be highlighting some of our favourite Bandcamp acts over the next few days, and if you can afford to, we urge you to support them, or your own favourite artists.
