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Bandcamp announced this week that it would be extending Bandcamp Fridays for the remainder of 2021.
The initiative which launched in March of last year sees Bandcamp waive their revenue share on the first Friday of every month in an effort to support artists during the Covid-19 lockdown. Since then, the campaign has paid over £36 million to artists and labels who use their services.
The Covid-19 lockdown has proved disastrous for the live music and events industries. While locations such as the US and UK are beginning to reopen these sectors following widespread vaccination campaigns, much of the rest of the world remains in a state of uncertainty. This proves difficult for musicians, artists and promoters who rely on live performance as an essential component of their income.
Bandcamp previously announced in January that it had also chosen to extend its crowdfunded vinyl pressing service to 10,000 new acts. This campaign gave artists the opportunity to crowdsource funding for pressings via pre-orders, thus mitigating a number of financial risks in the process.
Bandcamp Fridays will officially relaunch in August. You can find out more information about how it works via Bandcamp’s website here.