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Post by Digol on Mar 3, 2022 6:32:07 GMT -5
blog.bandcamp.com/2022/03/02/bandcamp-is-joining-epic/Bandcamp has been acquired by Epic Games. As probably the primary modern distribution platform for Dungeon Synth, and other underground and experimental music, what do people think? Personally, I think it's obviously far too soon to tell what it means and what impact the acquisition will have, but I'm a bit sad and suspicious of the continuing attempted monopolisation and homogenisation of culture, where a few companies attempt to own everything. It's a shame Bandcamp couldn't stay independent on principle, but of course, life is much easier with gigantic wads of money - so I can't blame anyone really for taking the cash.
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Post by mahrgdidj on Mar 3, 2022 8:41:22 GMT -5
I’m reserving judgement for now, the statement made by the CEO implies they’re not gonna change anything big, but we’ll see. Epic seems interested in trying new things, although innovation isn’t always a net positive. As long as they keep letting me put shitty music out for free, I don’t really have any basis to criticize. I hope they got a big fat payday.
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Post by freknur on Mar 3, 2022 8:45:58 GMT -5
In the current platform capitalism, this is actually a logical step. Both for Epic and for Bandcamp. I have long since said goodbye to the idea that Bandcamp is the nice little website that supports me as an independent artist, even if Bandcamp does a lot of things right.
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Post by Daytol on Mar 3, 2022 10:58:27 GMT -5
Scary thought there. I hope Epic keeps their word that they won't change it and it won't go downhill from here.
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Post by crystallogic13 on Mar 6, 2022 7:19:37 GMT -5
Nice Digol for posting it here, I saw the news the other day but didn't get time to post it, very interesting news even though I'd like to see more yours (artists') views.. Personally when I saw the news my jaw kinda dropped in a puzzled way.. On the one hand Bandcamp has been drm free, no bullshit user friendly experience, I love it all the way along, and I even think some of its (now previous?) ownership has had something to do with crypto but never it got support as a payment unfortunately.. On the other hand it's Epic, which when its then fresh-another-game-client was out, everyone was skeptical for various reasons (conspiracy theorist adding it was China influenced or something).. But some years after and while I love Good Old Games and its DRM-free experience first, after great old Steam, Epic is number 2. And I'm totally glad that I made an account relatively fast back then since without I think paying besides a single game, Epic has given for free to all as I see in my account 251+ games.. And that's a LOT, and good ones like AAA games... So, I'm looking forward, I'm hoping Epic just leave it for the time and especially never mess with the DRM-free thing.. |
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Post by andrewwerdna on Mar 13, 2022 2:52:16 GMT -5
While I would prefer it stay independent, I suppose it could be worse. At least it wasn't bought out by Spotify or Apple or any sort of obvious competitor company that might just be trying to take it out.
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Post by chaucerianmyth on Jul 12, 2022 3:49:16 GMT -5
Before the epic buyout, I had been practically unable to use bandcamp for the past few years. Everything was so slow and dysfunctional that I'd be lucky to get a song to play the whole way through, and when it did, it would often buffer literally every 2 seconds or so. Since the buyout, it has been working absolutely perfectly. No problems at all. Extremely smooth and fast and usable. Frankly all I can say is...this is epic.
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Post by Daytol on Oct 7, 2023 21:09:36 GMT -5
Does anyone know what's going on THIS time around?
Got an odd e-mail from Earache the other day and they said that Bandcamp was sold again. Upon looking it up on Wikipedia it said that it was sold to Songtradr.
As we've dodged one bullet with barely any changes at all with Epic, I just wonder what's going on here. I AM getting tired of seeing things like with the last Bandcamp Friday it could've been, as stated in the e-mail, possibly their last one ever. I don't know why people keep saying that, like Mortiis did a while back, but that might've been due to the first sale to Epic. But then, he's been toiling around in the underground for over 30 years now so it could be he's bitter or something.
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Post by Texas Dungeon Synth on Oct 11, 2023 0:11:17 GMT -5
It doesn't look good, tbh
There were comments made when the sale was first announced that really concerned me, something to the effect that Songtradr was interested in using Bandcamp as a platform to "make it easier for content creators to license your music" (you being you, of course, the artist who makes the music)
So that's super ominous, and not at all what Bandcamp has ever been about
The most recent news is that they appear to be very hostile to the recently formed union for Bandcamp staff/workers, because of course they are. They've implied that they may not ask many current employees to stay after they assume control of day-to-day operations. This is what the union put out:
“Bandcamp isn’t Bandcamp without the people who build and maintain the website—we are the people who made this website the platform it is for artists,” Ed Blair, a Bandcamp support specialist, said in the union’s statement. “Songtradr not immediately recognizing Bandcamp United is a worrying indicator that they have misunderstood the value of Bandcamp. It’s not a platform or a portal, it is a painstakingly hand-crafted community. The workers who make up Bandcamp United are essential for the future of Bandcamp.”
FWIW, Songtradr said they have no intention of taking away any of Bandcamp's popular features, allegedly including Bandcamp Fridays, but their actions and other statements so far suggest that's quite possibly bullshit.
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Post by antipodeangoblin on Oct 16, 2023 15:08:29 GMT -5
...and Songtradr has apparently just fired half of bandcamp's employees. shit.
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Post by Texas Dungeon Synth on Oct 16, 2023 15:10:12 GMT -5
Yeah I was going to come in here to follow up with that news ...
DUNNNNNNNNNNN goes the death knell
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Post by Daytol on Oct 16, 2023 18:44:24 GMT -5
Damn, that's some horrible news with the last two posts  Because with my ignorance over never hearing of Songtradr until now didn't mean anything, as, according to Wikipedia, they're the "largest music licensing platform in the world". And with all of their acquisitions in the last few years it seems like they're just doing tyrannical takeovers, they don't care about anything else, hence firing half of the Bandcamp employees. HUGE load of sh*t there. I hope this isn't something like the mentally ill Elon Musk of Twitter/now known as X and all the crap he's done so far with getting rid of a ton of their workforce (glad I never had a Twitter account, at least).
I just wonder why Epic let go of Bandcamp so quickly though? Maybe they bit off more than they could chew there. A site that huge, I assume, requires constant upkeep. I saw where several times a year under My Collection where info on purchases would disappear in regards to now many other peoples' Collections albums would appear on and stuff like that. It'd come back in a few days, of course, and wasn't anything really huge (just annoying). A few things were improved under Epic, one of which where I'd seen occasionally where artists would say if you ordered two or more items from us at once we'll combine the orders and give you a partial refund on shipping. Being able to order more than one item at a time should've been fixed within the site's first few years. And when I just ordered two items from Pulchra Morte the other week they were one of the artists that said that several months before. I was surprised that I was able to continue shopping and was able to order the two items I wanted in one swing and that was it. What I got--a cd and a pin--comes up as two separate items on my Purchase page, but was I charged shipping from both, then got a partial refund on the shipping through P. Morte? Nope.
(sigh) Scary times. Much worse for the ex-Bandcamp employees that got laid off though, of course.
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Post by Texas Dungeon Synth on Oct 16, 2023 19:38:16 GMT -5
The disappearing 'appears in XXX other collections' seemed to happen during bandcamp fridays, presumably because the influx of purchases strained whatever system that kept up with those counters. I noticed that start to happen after the first few bandcamp fridays.
Yeah it's really a tragedy for the employees who were cast off, makes the quote from the union I posted before so ominous in retrospect
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Post by Daytol on Oct 16, 2023 19:59:28 GMT -5
The disappearing 'appears in XXX other collections' seemed to happen during bandcamp fridays, presumably because the influx of purchases strained whatever system that kept up with those counters. I noticed that start to happen after the first few bandcamp fridays. I never really caught when it was that it happened. You could be right. Hope things don't really go down the toilet with them. If so, Songtradr can go to hell for all I care. |
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Post by talvisynth on Oct 17, 2023 5:32:06 GMT -5
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Because with my ignorance over never hearing of Songtradr until now didn't mean anything, as, according to Wikipedia, they're the "largest music licensing platform in the world". And with all of their acquisitions in the last few years it seems like they're just doing tyrannical takeovers, they don't care about anything else, hence firing half of the Bandcamp employees. HUGE load of sh*t there. I hope this isn't something like the mentally ill Elon Musk of Twitter/now known as X and all the crap he's done so far with getting rid of a ton of their workforce (glad I never had a Twitter account, at least).
