For the second summer in a row, Bandcamp has pledged to donate 100 percent of its share of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in honour of Juneteenth. This year, the event will again coincide with the music platform's Bandcamp Fridays program, which will be held next week on June 18 for a 24-hour period.
In response to "the long-standing structural oppression, state-sanctioned violence, and daily racism faced by Black people and people of colour," Bandcamp will continue to support initiatives that promote racial justice and equity for this year's event and beyond.
Read an excerpt from Bandcamp CEO Ethan Diamond's statement on the fundraiser below:
We held our first Juneteenth fundraiser last year in response to the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the long-standing structural oppression, state-sanctioned violence, and daily racism faced by Black people and people of colour, including many of our fellow employees and artists in the Bandcamp community. We've been inspired by and joined in the growing call for racial justice and equity, and have celebrated the many new reforms, practices, and policies that bring us closer to a world where Black people and people of colour can thrive without fear of violence and oppression. At the same time, we are nowhere near where we need to be, and there is still much work to be done.
Over the last year, Bandcamp helped out artists and labels affected by coronavirus lockdowns by waiving its revenue share on purchases for 24 hours, resulting in the platform's biggest-ever sales day. The site revealed it would continue the program on a monthly basis, the most recent period of which being last month. The platform has not yet announced plans for July 2021, but shared its intention to resume monthly Bandcamp Fridays in August.
We spoke with Bandcamp COO Josh Kim about the company's decision to put more money into artists' pockets, and the massive impact the industry has seen as a result.
"Seeing artists and labels share that they had their biggest sales day ever, and sharing that they were, therefore, able to pay for their mortgage, groceries and medications," he told Exclaim! "It was seriously inspiring."
See the company's full announcement below.
In response to "the long-standing structural oppression, state-sanctioned violence, and daily racism faced by Black people and people of colour," Bandcamp will continue to support initiatives that promote racial justice and equity for this year's event and beyond.
Read an excerpt from Bandcamp CEO Ethan Diamond's statement on the fundraiser below:
We held our first Juneteenth fundraiser last year in response to the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the long-standing structural oppression, state-sanctioned violence, and daily racism faced by Black people and people of colour, including many of our fellow employees and artists in the Bandcamp community. We've been inspired by and joined in the growing call for racial justice and equity, and have celebrated the many new reforms, practices, and policies that bring us closer to a world where Black people and people of colour can thrive without fear of violence and oppression. At the same time, we are nowhere near where we need to be, and there is still much work to be done.
Over the last year, Bandcamp helped out artists and labels affected by coronavirus lockdowns by waiving its revenue share on purchases for 24 hours, resulting in the platform's biggest-ever sales day. The site revealed it would continue the program on a monthly basis, the most recent period of which being last month. The platform has not yet announced plans for July 2021, but shared its intention to resume monthly Bandcamp Fridays in August.
We spoke with Bandcamp COO Josh Kim about the company's decision to put more money into artists' pockets, and the massive impact the industry has seen as a result.
"Seeing artists and labels share that they had their biggest sales day ever, and sharing that they were, therefore, able to pay for their mortgage, groceries and medications," he told Exclaim! "It was seriously inspiring."
See the company's full announcement below.