KVR Audio

mtelesha · Post by **mtelesha** » Mon Mar 14, 2022 2:50 am

Bandcamp is going to be fine. I think this is 100% about Streaming. You stream a game from one of their publishers you can stream the music for free, while we pay the artist. The buy was serious about having some media for adding to that and also for doing virtual live concerts as they have done in Fortnight.

chromefile · Post by **chromefile** » Mon Mar 14, 2022 1:56 pm

There are worse companies to be bought by. Luckily not InMusic.

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Mon Mar 14, 2022 1:59 pm

mtelesha wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 2:50 am Bandcamp is going to be fine. I think this is 100% about Streaming. You stream a game from one of their publishers you can stream the music for free, while we pay the artist. The buy was serious about having some media for adding to that and also for doing virtual live concerts as they have done in Fortnight.

not sure i fancy playing a gig in fortnight, ive played some rough venues years back, but none with heavy weaponry

mtelesha · Post by **mtelesha** » Mon Mar 14, 2022 7:39 pm

Millions of viewers loved it.

"From 'Fortnite' to 'Roblox': The best in-game concerts ever, ranked" https://www.nme.com/features/gaming-fea ... 21-3021418

Constructed Identity · Sun Mar 20, 2022 2:48 am

All part of the evil plot by the Illuminati to take away the last little bit of freedom we have left...
But that doesn't matter since a giant space rock is hurtling towards the Earth AT HORRENDOUS SPEEDS...
Still won't hit us before war in Ukraine LEADS TO WORLD WAR III and we all die in nuclear Armageddon

so relax

The Noodlist · Post by **The Noodlist** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 1:07 pm

Bandcamp is flawed anyway. They need to start using blobs. Media, including audio tracks, can be accessed through a browser's show "page info", where tracks links can be played outside of Bandcamp, even save as functions are available.

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Sat Apr 02, 2022 1:09 pm

Constructed Identity wrote: Sun Mar 20, 2022 2:48 am All part of the evil plot by the Illuminati

nope, not us this time

farlukar · Post by **farlukar** » Tue Oct 17, 2023 12:24 pm

Half of staff fired.

"As of October 16 2023, Songtradr has officially acquired Bandcamp. Over the past few years the operating costs of Bandcamp have significantly increased. It required some adjustments to ensure a sustainable and healthy company that can serve its community of artists and fans"

foosnark · Post by **foosnark** » Tue Oct 17, 2023 1:52 pm

Yeah, this doesn't bode well. Cutting down the editorial department (which was great for music discovery!) means they're making radical changes to how the site is run, exactly what nobody wanted them to do.

I saw elsewhere that most of the rest of the cuts were from support staff, which isn't unusual when ownership changes but it's not wise either. They aren't interchangeable cogs, they're the people who know how stuff works.

I wound up pulling Bandcamp gift cards off my holiday wishlist in case the worst happens...

SuitcaseOfLizards · Post by **SuitcaseOfLizards** » Tue Oct 17, 2023 3:33 pm

After reading all this, I decided this parody fits:

Been dazed and confused for so long it's not true
Wanted to sell music, never bargained for you
Lots of members squawking, none of them know
Which way this whole damn affair's gonna go!

<cue geetars>

Frantz · Post by **Frantz** » Tue Oct 17, 2023 3:55 pm

When I first used Bandcamp in 2015, I thought it was brilliant. Now 8 years later, it hasn't changed in any significant way.

There are obvious ways to expand Bandcamp's functionality and revenue:

* Offer hosting for complete band websites. Instead you have to pay for something else like Bandzoogle or Squarespace.
* Offer streaming distribution. Instead you have to pay for (and go through the same release process) on something like Distrokid.
* Offer centralized management of all social media accounts so you post once to Bandcamp and it pushes posts to IG/Facebook/Twitter, etc.

Bandcamp is so stagnant that I'm not surprised they ran into financial difficulty.

farlukar · Post by **farlukar** » Wed Oct 18, 2023 6:39 pm

Frantz wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2023 3:55 pm When I first used Bandcamp in 2015, I thought it was brilliant. Now 8 years later, it hasn't changed in any significant way.

There are obvious ways to expand Bandcamp's functionality and revenue:

[ insert neoliberal “growth or bust” bollocks here ]

foosnark · Post by **foosnark** » Wed Oct 18, 2023 7:37 pm

Frantz wrote: Tue Oct 17, 2023 3:55 pm Bandcamp is so stagnant that I'm not surprised they ran into financial difficulty.

Frankly, the fact that they stuck to their core mission was what made it so good. Could they have provided more services? Maybe... but that could also have screwed things up.

They "ran into financial difficulty" because Epic did. Bandcamp has been profitable since 2012 and a lot of that is due to merch and physical media sales.

Of course, Songtradr went and laid off 70% of the vinyl team.

The layoffs were almost assuredly a combination of union-busting and an unwise "let's cut costs to make it more profitable" maneuver of the sort frequently done by new management who doesn't understand (or care about) the business they just bought.

Frantz · Post by **Frantz** » Wed Oct 18, 2023 7:44 pm

foosnark wrote: Wed Oct 18, 2023 7:37 pm They "ran into financial difficulty" because Epic did. Bandcamp has been profitable since 2012 and a lot of that is due to merch and physical media sales.

If they were so profitable, why would they agree to be acquired by Epic? Couldn't they stay independent and just keep printing money?

foosnark · Post by **foosnark** » Wed Oct 18, 2023 7:56 pm

Beats me.

https://www.themarysue.com/bandcamps-fu ... ent-music/

What makes Bandcamp’s story so infuriating is that before and during its acquisition by Epic, Bandcamp was wildly profitable. A Fast Company article ran on October 5, 2023 with the headline “How Bandcamp Makes More Money Than Spotify.” A Medium article in 2021 came to the same conclusion. Bandcamp was not endangered before it was bought by Epic. In an alternate timeline where it stayed independent, Bandcamp would be raking in upwards of $20 million in profits.

Nor was Bandcamp in any sense the reason for Epic’s financial failure this year. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the sale and Epic’s layoffs were simply the result of a year in which Epic was “spending way more money than we earn.” In other words, pure hubris. Sweeney’s eyes were bigger than his company’s stomach.

Songtradr has yet to provide an excuse for the layoffs. The company issued the following statement to Variety: “Over the past few years the operating costs of Bandcamp have significantly increased. It required some adjustments to ensure a sustainable and healthy company that can serve its community of artists and fans. After a comprehensive evaluation, including the importance of roles for smooth business operations and pre existing functions at Songtradr, 50% of Bandcamp employees have accepted offers to join Songtradr.”

The mention of “pre-existing functions” suggests that Songtradr’s own expenses are at least partially to blame for the acquisition, hinting at the same hubris exhibited by Sweeney. Furthermore, the statement is worded as if the workers at Bandcamp had a say as to whether or not they were to continue their work. They were not.

RIP Bandcamp