BigChampagne's Ultimate Chart (a/o February 10th):
1. “What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger),” Kelly Clarkson
2. “Set Fire to the Rain,” Adele
3. “Turn Me On,” David Guetta
4. “Rack City,” TYGA
5. “Good Feeling,” Flo Rida
6. “Smooth Criminal (Glee Cast Version),” Glee Cast
7. “Young, Wild & Free,” Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa
8. “Domino ,” Jessie J
9. “Sexy and I Know It,” LMFAO
10. “Ass Back Home ,” Gym Class Heroes
Hey, the free ride is over at Bandcamp, but most seem fine with the change. According to details disclosed Wednesday, the well-regarded direct-to-fan platform is moving towards a revenue-sharing model, good news for those worried about the longer-term sustainability of the company. And, good news for anyone fearing a straight-ahead subscription or advertising approach.
Details please? Starting in August, the company will start charging 15 percent of gross revenues, dropping to 10 percent for those crossing $5,000 in all-time sales. "We've based the percentages on what works for the business and what many of you have already told us feels fair, but there's still plenty of time for more feedback," announced Bandcamp's Ethan Diamond. The rest of this month remains gratis, just like old times.
Reactions? Slapping a price tag on anything is difficult, especially if the audience is accustomed to free. But if the first twenty-or-so comments on the announcement page offer any indication, these changes are being embraced. Most deemed the shift as fair, but others were thankful that Bandcamp is implementing a plan for longer-term sustainability. "I'm happy to share revenue if it keeps Bandcamp going, because the service is the best I’ve ever used," user Jeremiah Pena noted.
Comments Closed
mark Wednesday, July 14, 2010
2 weeks notice???
After I have spent $4000 on a 2x12" vinyl release and have advertised the bandcamp link all over the internet??
thanks bandcamp. real nice.
alden Wednesday, July 14, 2010
@mark
so, how does this company survive? just on higher-end premiums? I mean, yeah the window was narrow, but outside of that I'm trying to figure out why you're pissed?
NathanJE Thursday, July 15, 2010
Unfortunately, BC was going to go out of business if they didn't do this. Bands needed this to happen, and most are not making enough money for it to really matter. That's rev-share.
DontJump Thursday, July 15, 2010
Isn't that the problem!?
ANY partner can die on you, like THAT!
Oh don't get me started on Ning, but please. Pull the lid off almost any business model and it usually stinks. Which means, you will probably need to get a new partner(s)! Think BANDCAMP solved their business model problems overnight! That's because your prob. better at music than business!
cramerbob Thursday, July 15, 2010
"Free" is really hard to do as a business (and free is never really free: it's advertising, or taking investor money until they force you to charge, or using free as an entry point to then upgrade users to a higher-value solution.)
Great companies need a source of income to continue to invest in building great products.
Bandcamp's rev share is still much less than iTunes, and is in line with Nimbit's and other leading direct-to-fan storefront solutions.
It's simple, if they don't help you sell anything, it costs nothing. If they do, then isn't it worth it?
Bob Cramer
Chairman & CEO, Nimbit
Ignacio Thursday, July 15, 2010
Bob, you are a top CEO who is actually making this market. But I wonder how many artists really make more than $5 thousand? Topspin would not even look at that band. So I ask you, can Bandcamp really survive on those numbers?
tonio Thursday, July 15, 2010
I wish Bandcamp would allow users the *option* of 30 second sound snippets, or even 1-2 minute snippets. Instead, they force their philosophy on their users: http://bandcamp.com/faq#snippets
Paul Thursday, July 15, 2010
Forcing their philosophy on their users? Why would you be a user of their site if you didn't like their philosophy?
tonio Thursday, July 15, 2010
Some of my clients are not willing to let their tracks stream for free like Bandcamp insists (and requires). It's unfortunate that Bandcamp is not willing to give their users the freedom to choose...they would surely benefit.
keithmohr Friday, July 16, 2010
most indies sell NOTHING, some sell a small amount 15% of nothing is still NOTHING. I wish them the best, but they wont see much income from this.
Ignacio Friday, July 16, 2010
Keith. Yes, I'm trying to "do that maths" on this one. Because I am not seeing a big number of artists that are making larger than $5 thousand. So I wonder if this solves Bandcamp's problems?
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