Bandcamp: Buy Music Directly from Independent Artists

Bandcamp is a music platform designed around one idea: artists keep more of the money. When you buy an album or song on Bandcamp, the artist usually receives 80 to 85 percent of the sale price. This is dramatically more than what artists earn from streaming services, where a million plays might pay less than a few thousand dollars. Buying on Bandcamp is one of the most direct ways to financially support a musician you love.

The platform hosts music from hundreds of thousands of independent artists across virtually every genre imaginable — indie rock, jazz, electronic, folk, classical, hip-hop, world music, and everything in between. You can browse by genre, search for specific artists, or follow recommendations from Bandcamp's editorial team, who write about new releases in the Bandcamp Daily blog.

Before buying anything, you can listen to most albums in full using the built-in player — no account required. If you like what you hear, you purchase a digital download in high-quality formats like MP3, FLAC, or WAV. You then own those files and can download them as many times as you need, without any copy protection or restrictions. Many artists also sell physical merchandise through Bandcamp, including vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes, and T-shirts.

Creating a free Bandcamp account lets you follow artists, receive email updates when they release new music, and access a library of everything you have purchased. When you follow a fan on Bandcamp, you can also see what they are buying and listening to, which is a good way to discover new artists.

Bandcamp Fridays are a popular recurring event where Bandcamp temporarily waives its fee, meaning 100 percent of your purchase price goes to the artist. These happen on the first Friday of select months and are announced on the Bandcamp website and social media accounts.

If you value supporting musicians directly and owning your music rather than renting it through a subscription, Bandcamp is one of the best places to spend your music budget.