![]() The biggest is that Bandcamp is the exact product Epic has been trying to build since launching the Epic Games Store in 2018-a widely adopted, creator-friendly retail platform with a fervent user base and vast reserves of goodwill. Which brings us to another question: Why would Epic want to absorb a platform whose entire identity is built around independence? For a few reasons. The all-you-can-eat model of the major DSPs is antithetical to Bandcamp’s entire ethos, and if Epic goes that route and eliminates the option for consumers to purchase digital music directly from the artist, the marketplace Bandcamp has built up across the last 14 years will look completely different. Generating revenue through ongoing payments has been incredibly lucrative for platforms and publishers, but it can also devalue the art, reducing it to easily interchangeable content.īandcamp itself has allowed artists to set up their own subscriptions via the site for years, but that kind of patronage is more akin to a fan club than Spotify. These fears are not entirely unfounded, even if Bandcamp co-founder and CEO Ethan Diamond tried to quell concern in his statement, saying, “The products and services you depend on aren’t going anywhere, we’ll continue to build Bandcamp around our artists-first revenue model.” The giant red flag is Tencent’s involvement, and its predication upon Epic’s adoption of a GaaS subscription model. So, much of the shock coming from musicians and fans over the acquisition is rooted in the fear that everything people love about Bandcamp might change. On Bandcamp, fanbases can theoretically be built from the ground up, without having to pay for playlist placements to compete for fractions of pennies. Since making a livable wage in the streaming economy is really only viable for the most popular artists and labels, the Bandcamp model offers a necessary alternative: Every vinyl LP or screen-printed hoodie sold via the platform represents thousands of streams worth of revenue, every purchase minting a new relationship with a fan that the artists themselves control. Sweeney still maintains a controlling interest, but Epic has hordes of investors and, as of last year, a valuation north of $28 billion-40 percent of which has been held by the Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent since 2012. Most recently, it’s become a Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) company-where games are treated more like ongoing subscriptions than one-time purchases-with its eyes on establishing the building blocks of the metaverse. Since then, it’s gone from a cheeky startup founded by programmer Tim Sweeney out of his dad’s garage to a pioneer in PC 3D graphics to a console-centric development studio. To begin to consider how Epic will steer Bandcamp moving forward, it’s important to give the players involved a close look.Įpic began as an indie outsider in the early ’90s, giving itself an outsized name to match its ambition. ![]() Back in the traditional Battle Royale, Fortnite has recently kicked off Chapter 5 Season 1.Yesterday’s news that Epic Games bought Bandcamp for an undisclosed sum sent shockwaves through both the gaming and music industries, with the companies’ official statements raising more questions than answers. ![]() Meanwhile, Epic is kicking off Lego Fortnite from today, with a Rocket League inspired Rocket Racing also set to leave the starting grid tomorrow. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too much longer to find out how this all works.įortnite Festival will launch within Fortnite on December 9. More tracks will of course be added over the coming months – but as Epic say these songs will be ‘on rotation’ that means some may leave after a while too. Obviously there’s a heavy leaning towards pop in there, with quite a few tracks that have previously appeared in Fortnite as emotes like Psy’s Gangnam Style. It’s certainly an eclectic mixture of artists both recent – such as Olivia Rodrigo – and older, like Weezer, and many favourites that long time music game fans will recognise. Queens of the Stone Age – Go With the Flow.LMFAO ft Lauren Bennett & Goonrock – Party Rock Anthem.Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over. ![]()
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