The next Bandcamp Friday is the 7th May 2021. If you are ever unsure of the dates you can visit this handy little webpage set up by Bandcamp: https://isitbandcampfriday.com/

What is Bandcamp Friday? Since March 2020 Bandcamp have waived their fees on the first Friday of every month to help artists affected by the pandemic get a boost to their income.

Many artists simply wait until Bandcamp Friday arrives and then share links across their socials. This is perfectly fine to do, but there are a few tips I recommend to help increase any potential sales.

Prior to Bandcamp Friday:

• Check that all of the information on your Bandcamp page is up to date. There is plenty of space to include a biography, press quotations, social media links, and images. Make sure you add as much detail as possible – you never know who may visit your page and visitors who are unfamiliar with you will be looking out for information. Also, ensure that any music and merch items are correctly priced and listed.
• Spread the message that Bandcamp Friday is coming soon. Use the community section on Bandcamp to post updates, and compile a mailing list of any email addresses provided through Bandcamp sales [important – always comply with data protection laws]. Use this to send out an email announcing the upcoming Bandcamp Friday a few days before, as well as an email on the day. Make sure you include ALL your links to social media platforms, streaming services, and of course, your Bandcamp page. Further to this, don’t spam your mailing list – think about the sort of emails you would be happy to receive from bands.
• Prepare and share social media posts leading up to the day. Social media algorithms work in such a way that not all followers will even be shown your posts. Therefore, do not be afraid to share multiple posts about the upcoming Bandcamp Friday. Entice people to stop scrolling and read your posts by using good quality images or photos. Bandphotos, album artwork and merch photos are good options and will show your audience what they can purchase from you. Customise your posts using Bandcamp’s logos and buttons: https://bandcamp.com/buttons. And of course – include links to your Bandcamp!

Bandcamp Friday:

• Share, share and share! Make sure all of your socials have clear links to your Bandcamp and use the hashtags #BandcampFriday and #Bandcamp on everything as many people will use these search terms to find new music and artists.
• Search for threads and posts across social media platforms. This will be time consuming but could potentially be very rewarding. Search on social platforms, Twitter is a good one for this, using the hashtags #BandcampFriday and #Bandcamp. This will help to discover threads from people searching for new music. Like, share and comment on these links – but do so politely. Introduce your band, mention your genre and feel free to include a FFO (for fans of) along with a link to your Bandcamp page. This will help to put your music directly in front of potential new fans and could lead to further sales.
• Support other artists. I will always recommend supporting other bands and artists anyway – check out new bands you discover, follow them, leave comments if you enjoy what they do, this can go far in terms of making connections and building a supporting community. Collaboration will always be more beneficial than just trying to compete with others.
• Show your appreciation. Thanking people for supporting you goes a very long way – this doesn’t just apply to fans but also journalists and other sectors of the music industry.

So, don’t forget the next Bandcamp Friday in the 7th May 2021. Try implementing as many of these steps as you can, it is time consuming but marketing music requires time and effort in order to reap the benefits. If you have any questions about anything discussed in this article do get in touch!