If you’ve bought music online during the pandemic, you’ve almost certainly done at least some of your shopping through Bandcamp–and if somehow you haven’t, consider this post a way to address that oversight.
After COVID-19 wiped out live music in mid-March, on the third Friday of that month Bandcamp refrained from taking its usual 10 to 15 percent cut of music and merch sales. The first “Bandcamp day” was a roaring success–in 24 hours, fans spent a total of $4.3 million on the site, 15 times the normal amount for a Friday. In April, Bandcamp announced it would pass along its cut again on the first Fridays in May, June, and July–and it’s continued every month since.
The platform has said it will continue “Bandcamp days” at least through the end of the year, and the next one arrives this Friday, October 2. I imagine Bandcamp will keep this up well into 2021, since the pandemic shows no signs of subsiding in the U.S. and venues are a long way from being able to reopen at capacity.
As I have for the previous six Bandcamp days, I’ve rounded up links to the past month’s Reader coverage of albums, EPs, and singles available through the platform. As the length of my list demonstrates, the Reader‘s music section covers a lot of ground–and our Bandcamp recommendations for March, May, June, July, August, and September are just as deep and varied. I hope these guides help you discover your next favorite artist or album, whether we’ve reviewed it or not–just clicking around Bandcamp with no agenda at all can take you to some fascinating places.
Annihilus, Ghanima
Big Branch, Cliff
Black A.G., Long Live Black A.G.
Geof Bradfield / Ben Goldberg / Dana Hall Trio, General Semantics
Bill Callahan, Gold Record
Matt Christensen, A Swollen Sun
Corolla, “Forget This Song” b/w “Fading”
Deafkids & Petbrick, Deafbrick
Eartheater, Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin
Ester, Weak
Exhalants, Atonement
Femdot, Delacreme 2
Fraxiom, Feeling Cool and Normal
Gold Standard Collective, Deli Slice
Li Jianhong, Father, and a Wild Trail Zigzagging Down
Zora Jones, Ten Billion Angels
Judy, Ard Bet
JuJu Exchange, The Eternal Boombox
Le Couleur, Concorde
Frank Leone, Don’t
Necrot, Mortal
Neph, More to Come
Ossemaan, Dream
Kelly Lee Owens, Inner Song
Phew, Vertigo KO
Rezn, Chaotic Divine
Semiratruth & Tre Johnson, Yes!
Serengeti, The Gentle Fall
Sirr TMo Sama, On Dat
Slow Pulp, Moveys
Spektral Quartet, Experiments in Living
Vic Spencer, Spencer for Higher 3
Staring Problem, Eclipse
Straitjacket Fits, Melt
Steve Summers, Counter-Factuals
Thank You, I’m Sorry, I’m Glad We’re Friends
Bethany Thomas, BT/She/Her
Dallas Thomas, Vortex
Throwing Muses, Sun Racket
Sidi Toure, Afrik Toun Me
Ulver, Flowers of Evil
Uniform, Shame
Various artists, Attack of the Chicago Boogie
Various artists, Community Garden
Various artists, Shut It Down: Benefit for the Movement for Black Lives
Vuelveteloca, Contra
Jay Wood, Trackstar v
