Since 2015, artists and labels have used Bandcamp’s Android app to sell music and merchandise directly to their fans, and we’ve used our own billing system to process payments, in line with Google’s policy, which specifically exempted digital music from incurring a revenue share. But Google is now changing its rules to require Bandcamp (and other apps like it) to use Google Play Billing exclusively for payments for digital goods and services and pay a revenue share to Google. If Google’s policy changes take effect on June 1, we’ll either have to transfer Google’s fees to consumers (making Android a less attractive platform for music fans), transfer fees to artists (which we would never do), permanently run our Android company at a loss, or turn off digital sales in the Android app. Moreover, the policy changes will affect our ability to pay artists quickly – instead of receiving payment after 24 to 48 hours, artists can not be paid until 15 to 45 days after a sale.
Bandcamp’s mission is to help spread the healing power of music by building a community where artists thrive through direct support from their fans, and where fans gather to explore the amazing musical universe that their direct support helps create. That community now consists of over 500,000 independent artists and 11,000 independent labels, who rely on the support of the millions of music fans at Bandcamp to finance their next record, buy groceriesor pay their rent, mortgageor consumption bill. We believe that it is imperative for fans to be able to express the critical support on Android, and to prevent Google from implementing these new policies for Bandcamp and other developers, Epic submits a proposal to seek a restraining order allowing Bandcamp to continue the operation while we have (you can read our filing here and my statement here).
We know that many people use Bandcamp’s Android app to listen to their music purchases, and we’re committed to making sure that option remains available. With today’s application, we hope to ensure that fans can also continue to purchase music and merchandise through the Android app, and that as much of their support as possible reaches the artist as quickly as possible.
Ethan Diamond
Bandcamp co-founder and CEO