2022-03-22 20:59:07
A lot of people have asked me whether or not I'm going to keep using Bandcamp for my music, and have been rather shocked when I tell them no.
I think I should clarify a few things about my personal situation and how this approach works for me, yet I fully understand there is no one-size-fits-all solution to distribution, and it's going to be slightly different for everyone.
As you can see from this screenshot of my bandcamp stats that was taken today, my music has had a single sale of $7 in the past 30 days. Thank you to whoever that was by the way! I am by no means belittling the fans who have supported me on that platform over the years, and although I'm about to dismantle its usefulness for me, the fans have been amazing and are very much appreciated.
I'm also sharing my total revenue over the past 12 years, just for total transparency and honesty's sake.
$33,947.68 might seem like a large number. But when you start slicing it up and realizing that's for an entire catalogue of music (around 15 albums) over the course of 12 years, that's $2,828.97 per year. Not even one month's rent in Los Angeles. And when you divide that by the number of albums and take into account the roughly $120,000 I've invested into making them over the past 18 years, the numbers start to get even more ridiculous.
So when it comes to sending my fans to a central location to consume my art, I have to ask myself why on earth I would send them somewhere that charges 10-15% plus transaction fees? when I can do it all from my own website for a fraction of the overhead, and provide a far more consistent experience, and load things like pre-sales with far greater value than ever before.
Bandcamp aren't doing anything to promote my music, and they aren't taking the role a record company might have done in the past and giving me any kind of recording budget or tour support. So in the end it has been a fairly easy decision to go it alone and cut out all streaming and distribution services.
And before you tell me how much better than Spotify and Apple they are, I'm well aware. They do pay far more than any other service, and like I said before, they are going to be a great fit for some people. Just not for me. And you, the fans, the coffee drinkers, the bass players out there have helped prove that in just a few days since the pre-sale for the new album started. The support and interest in what I'm doing with this project, and what I'm doing moving beyond that, has been incredible.
I have no commercial aspirations for the music I record as an artist. And I may one day upgrade my aspirations to sustainability and continuity if the army of coffee drinkers that have supported me so far continue to do so and join me on the journey. But knowing that I'm not going to lose money as I head to the studio to record this new project next week, has given me the biggest boost in confidence, and incredible faith in my audience.
I understand you are extraordinary people and are far from average. And knowing that is what makes me strive to make something exceptional for you and stay as far away from the middle as possible. I want to be out on the fringe with you all along for the ride. Both fans of the music, and peers and colleagues who might be asking themselves what their next move as a recording artist is.
It's a scary space to jump into in that there's no one else to blame if it doesn't work. If I stay on the ship that is streaming via spotify, if it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, it's still Spotify's fault. If I get off and swim for a small island that looks like it has something cool going on, I only have myself to blame if I drown in the process. But if I make it to that island, and I take enough of you along with me, the possibilities are endless.
Here's to you. Here's to endless possibilities. And here's to not being average in any way.
Janek
1.1K views17:59
J
