Time to jump on the Bandcamp stuff you’ve been waiting to buyLeor Galilon September 30, 2020 at 11:00 pm

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

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