At the end of April, Bandcamp announced that it would waive its revenue share on the first Fridays in May, June, and July to help support the independent labels and artists who use the platform to sell their work. Bandcamp had already done this on March 20, just as COVID-19 cancellations began to disrupt the live-music ecosystem upon which so many artists rely; that day, Bandcamp sales totaled $4.3 million. When “Bandcamp day” returned on Friday, May 1, total sales increased to $7.1 million.
Thomas and Agyemang wanted to start a conversation about how an industry built on exploiting Black labor and creativity could be held accountable for supporting and protecting Black people. But those good intentions were quickly obscured as major labels and music-centric technology companies rolled out confusing and largely toothless messages of support in an attempt to rally around Blackout Tuesday. As the campaign spread beyond the music business, it became a hollow branding exercise on social media—even the San Francisco 49ers, who infamously cut quarterback Colin Kaepernick after he began protesting racial injustice in 2016, tweeted a black square.
Buscabulla, Regresa
DJ Taye, Pyrot3k
Joshua Virtue, Jackie’s House
Nation of Language, Introduction, Presence
