How I Bandcamp
I’ve been using Bandcamp for the last four years. Before that, I bounced between Beatport, iTunes, Traxsource, and Juno Download. Bandcamp was — and still is — a breath of fresh air. The connection between the listener and the artists and labels feels incredibly close, and for me that makes for a much deeper digging experience. Here’s how I use Bandcamp;
Fans
When I find a new track, if there's only a few fans of the track (meaning those that have purchased it), I explore their Collections to see what else they've purchased - especially if there's an overlap and we have many other tracks in common - which Bandcamp will show you. If I like a lot of what I find, I'll follow them too.
Wishlist
I keep this topped up with anything that piques my interest as I browse artists and label's back catalogs and releases. I don't check out and pay straight away, instead I leave tracks in my wishlist and listen to them back a few days later, if my initial impulse was right, I'll buy the track.
Bandcamp Friday
I usually make purchases, after making sure my wishlist has been tightly curated, a couple of times a month, with the first buy often at the start of the month catching a Bandcamp Friday. This is where Bandcamp waive their fees and instead, pass them on to the artists and labels. Bonus!
Gift Cards
If like me you want to set some limits so you don't blow your monthly budget in the first few days of the month, buy a gift card for yourself at the beginning of the month and only buy what you can with that card amount.
Chrome Extensions
I use two of these; Bandcamp Enhancement Suite and Bandcamp Tempo Adjust. The first adds a load of extra features that make previewing catalogs and tracks a lot nicer. The second adds DJ features such as BPM detection, and a tempo adjust –with/without Master Tempo – so you can see what a track sounds like at -3% or +15%!
iOS App
I use the iOS app a lot, it helps me to get to know the music I buy, I usually make a playlist each month – or twice a month if I've brought quite a few tracks – and listen to everything while working or in the car.
This is how I use Bandcamp. If you’re curious, you can follow me and check out my collection here. And if you’ve got any Bandcamp tips of your own, I’d love to hear them, email me.