Bandcamp recently unveiled Listening Parties for artists to connect with fans. This development exists as a part of a larger trend- technological evolution for live music. Since the first COVID lockdowns in 2020, music technology has changed at a rapid pace. Live shows took a massive; musicians lost around two-thirds of their income. For such a performance-based industry, innovation became the only way to survive. In order to maintain connections with fans, artists turned to live streaming services like Twitch to put on shows from the safety of their homes. Electronic artists even performed live shows in video games like Minecraft in an attempt to immerse their audiences.
Now that some aspects of the industry have returned to in-person interaction, it may appear that things have returned to normalcy. However, for independent electronic and indie artists, the adapted music scene has informed how they find success. Musicians still use live streaming platforms as a way to connect. EDM artists like Bishu and Eliminate host live contests and beatmaking sessions as a method of engagement. Bandcamp’s Listening Parties may prove to fill a similar niche.
Home Studio from Unsplash
Usefulness of Bandcamp
For many artists, websites like Bandcamp seemed to work best for creating connections with fans. Bandcamp allows artists to receive direct purchases of their music, receiving around 82% of the money. Beyond that, artists can directly sell physical merchandise from the same page that fans stream their content. In short, for many small indie and punk artists, Bandcamp provides more revenue than all other streaming services combined. This provides hope that Listening Parties will help continue to foster artistic growth and control.
Pie chart of Bandcamp revenue
In the past few years, this dichotomy between live performance and recorded music has shifted. Artists can now premiere music videos on YouTube to live audiences. Of course, for smaller artists, YouTube may retain some of the same financial downfalls other platforms have: low revenue and less control. However, Bandcamp just announced Listening Parties, a new feature that may prove to provide both revenue and live interaction.
What is a Listening Party?
This month, Bandcamp launched a new service called a Listening Party. These events exist with the goal of catching “fans’ reactions in real time” while experiencing a pre-recorded album. Features like this may prove to improve economic accessibility for artists who want to build a live audience. Rather than needing expensive streaming equipment for a live show, artists can choose to use the music they’ve already created to curate an interactive experience.
Example of a Listening Party from Bandcamp’s website
Low Barrier to Entry
From a time commitment perspective, Bandcamp’s team made listening parties relatively simple. Artists can schedule listening parties in just a few minutes. The user interface remains clean, and Bandcamp automatically covers emailing your fans and doing the backend work. In many ways, artists may find this easier than a Twitch stream or YouTube premiere.
Music producer from Unsplash
Not only is there little to no barrier to entry, but Bandcamp asserts that the opportunity for artists to gain revenue seems high. Listening Parties include links to purchase/pre-order the selected album. Musicians can even choose to limit the live chat to fans who have financially supported their work. The inclusion of chat moderators brings some hope that the platform may feel safer than places like Twitch and SoundCloud for marginalized artists, however only time will tell.
Overall, Bandcamp’s Listening Parties reflect a continuous decision to put artists in the driver’s seat. Sort of like the Patreon of music streaming, Bandcamp provides an alternate route for independent musicians to make a living. As technology continues to shape what live music means, artists will continuously adapt to find new ways to connect with their audiences. Even when the industry seems unforgiving, musicians do their best to make it work for them.
