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I commented on this ever so briefly on Twitter but Bandcamp recently announced that they are being acquired by Epic Games. In the words of Andy Baio, I didn't see this one coming.
I've been championing the Bandcamp since 2008 and they've pretty much never disappointed with the services they offer and their "artist first" mentality. In a world of streaming services that treat music as a meaningless commodity, it always seemed like Bandcamp did the opposite and managed to be socially active with Bandcamp Fridays, Juneteenth fundraising, Transgender Law Center fundraising, and more. To be perfectly succinct about it, they've always acted like they kind of company you want companies to act like.
The Epic Games acquisition doesn't necessarily signal the death knell for the service. It's entirely possible that they will be infused with a lot of capital which will allow them to grow into more artist-first services and expand upon what they already have. Historically that's not really how it goes but it is possible.
As I've been a fan of the service for over a decade, I am cautiously optimistic that this decision was not made lightly and that they have a sensible plan for how to proceed. I'm mostly just baffled because everything I've read about Bandcamp is that they are a profitable company. Isn't that the end goal of any business? Be profitable and continue to be profitable. The idea that growth is the primary goal for all things just feels overly capitalistic; a mindset that I never saw exhibited by the service previously.
Here's to cautious optimism and hoping that history does not repeat itself. All we can do now is wait and see. :fingerscrossed:
I've been championing the Bandcamp since 2008 and they've pretty much never disappointed with the services they offer and their "artist first" mentality. In a world of streaming services that treat music as a meaningless commodity, it always seemed like Bandcamp did the opposite and managed to be socially active with Bandcamp Fridays, Juneteenth fundraising, Transgender Law Center fundraising, and more. To be perfectly succinct about it, they've always acted like they kind of company you want companies to act like.
The Epic Games acquisition doesn't necessarily signal the death knell for the service. It's entirely possible that they will be infused with a lot of capital which will allow them to grow into more artist-first services and expand upon what they already have. Historically that's not really how it goes but it is possible.
As I've been a fan of the service for over a decade, I am cautiously optimistic that this decision was not made lightly and that they have a sensible plan for how to proceed. I'm mostly just baffled because everything I've read about Bandcamp is that they are a profitable company. Isn't that the end goal of any business? Be profitable and continue to be profitable. The idea that growth is the primary goal for all things just feels overly capitalistic; a mindset that I never saw exhibited by the service previously.
Here's to cautious optimism and hoping that history does not repeat itself. All we can do now is wait and see. :fingerscrossed:
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