God, thinking about Bandcamp kind of crushes me right now. A sustainable, beloved platform for musicians and listeners. Music discovery powered by daily hand-curated lists. Radio shows.
Sold by Ethan Diamond for a quick buck from Epic Games, who did precisely nothing with it than sold it unceremoniously to Songtradr, who laid off most of its staff including its entire union bargaining team. Now, per Nathan Grayson at Aftermath, Bandcamp is "just trying to 'keep the lights on'". To call this a "tragedy" might absolve those ghouls who executed this sale of responsibility, as though this is something that simply happens to platforms, like a rainstorm or a branch coming off a tree. These losses (hundreds of engineers, curators, programmers etc.) are the consequence of choices made by a very small number of people looking for a fuller wallet.
Ethan Diamond gets the tall Christmas tree by the window in his nice house. He unboxes a rare Gretsch that he bought himself. That man just loves music. Tim Sweeney, who maybe heard about Bandcamp once and has no understanding of money any more is excited to dig in and play Spiderman 2. It's so important to check out all the exciting games coming out. What a great time to be a gamer. Tomorrow he will go for a ride in his new jeep with a new kind of suspension. When he gets home the lady he employs to make him his dinner will make him his dinner. His broker makes a bid for an extremely rare Captain America issue. What a time to be alive.
And so the wheel has to keep turning, despite my rank distaste. Today is Bandcamp Friday, when the platform waives its revenue fee and all the money (despite a small amount Paypal takes) goes directly to the artists. There is a very good chance this will be the last Bandcamp Friday. Here's what I've been listening to.
Blue Raspberry - Katy Kirby - https://katykirbyon.bandcamp.com/album/blue-raspberry
Katy Kirby's upcoming album has been fully announced and has three singles out! I recommended Cubic Zirconia a few months ago and the next two are just as good. I remember seeing a video of her performing live last year and was so struck by how fun a performer she is - and how complex and involved her album arrangements are. Hearing her live with a single guitar, the songs felt like they had room to breathe and stretch out, while also kind of looking for the rest of their arrangements. It was really interesting. She played a few new songs in that set and I can't wait to hear what they sound like with her full arrangements written.
Can Mary Dood The Moon - Peach Fuzz - https://peachfuzzmusic.bandcamp.com/album/can-mary-dood-the-moon
Peach Fuzz is a new-ish supergroup featuring Samia, Raffaella, Sara L’Abriola and Victoria Zaro. I just found out it's on a label founded by Nick and Amelia from Sylvan Esso! I always love finding that a solo musician I really like is part of a group - hearing the similarities and differences. Like viewing a map at a different scale.
Saltsea Chronicles - Eli Rainsberry - https://elirainsberry.bandcamp.com/album/saltsea-chronicles-ost
Eli is one of my absolute favourite composers working in games, and their new soundtrack for Die Gute Fabrik's Saltsea Chronicles is fantastic. I need to sit down and spend time with the game, but this 77 track (!) soundtrack is a wonderful snapshot in itself. Any time Eli releases something new I'm reminded of how good games can sound.
Signalis - Cicada Sirens, 1000 Eyes - https://signalis-ost.bandcamp.com/album/signalis-original-soundtrack
I have definitely recommended this before but, since Hallowstream is now done and the soundtrack is fresh in my mind, I'm going to do it again. What a thing. Deeply melancholy, extremely unpleasant, overwhelmingly raw in moments.
Boys Who Run - Bambina, Baths - https://bambinamusic.bandcamp.com/track/boys-who-run
Will Wiesenfeld's predictably brilliant production paired with Bambina's songwriting and voice. There's a moment in this track when she sings the word "respect" and her cadence and delivery is perfect. You ever hear a single word in a song and think - isn't music something.