https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/bandcamp-for-artists-guide https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/bandcamp-for-artists-guide What Bandcamp actually takes from a sale, what changes on a Bandcamp Friday, how artist subscriptions are billed and paid, and what the January 2026 AI policy does and does not say, all checked against Bandcamp's own help centre and blog. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers bandcampdirect-to-fanroyaltiesai-policy https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/fan-subscriptions-and-crowdfunding https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/fan-subscriptions-and-crowdfunding What Patreon, Bandcamp artist subscriptions and Kickstarter actually take from fan money, how each one bills and pays, and how to pick between a monthly membership and a one-off campaign, all checked against the platforms' own help pages on 24 Oct 2026. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers fan-fundingpatreonbandcampcrowdfundingbusiness https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/bandcamp-fridays-2026-plan-release-around-them https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/bandcamp-fridays-2026-plan-release-around-them Bandcamp waives its 10 to 15% revenue share on 6 November and 4 December, but payment processor fees still apply and the window runs on Pacific Time. A step-by-step plan for timing, merch and bundles, with the sums worked out and a note on where the Stripe payout switch stands. Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowsbandcamprelease-planningmerchpayments https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/bandcamp-stripe-direct-bank-payouts https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/bandcamp-stripe-direct-bank-payouts Bandcamp is moving sellers to Stripe, with free daily, weekly or monthly bank payouts and a new fee table. Our maths says small sellers roughly break even, bigger sellers pay a little more on every mid-priced sale, and the clock on PayPal runs out at the end of 2026. Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers bandcamppaymentsartist-incomestripe https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/bandcamp-ai-ban-nine-months-boy-george https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/bandcamp-ai-ban-nine-months-boy-george Bandcamp banned music made "wholly or in substantial part" by AI in January. Since then, a project whose bio credited Suno stayed up until a newsroom asked about it, and Boy George's AI-assisted song was pulled with his profile. A human-only store is worth having, but artists need a published standard, notice and an appeal route. Wed, 07 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsbandcampai-musicmoderation https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/soundcloud-follower-exclusives-zero-commission-sales https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/soundcloud-follower-exclusives-zero-commission-sales SoundCloud has added two tools for an artist's core fans in 2026, follower-only releases and a US beta of direct track sales on which it takes no commission. Against Bandcamp's published 15% digital fee, the sales offer looks strong, but SoundCloud hasn't yet said what the "fees" it deducts add up to, and the tools sit behind a paid Artist Pro plan. Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrysoundcloudbandcampsuperfansdirect-to-fan https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/tidal-direct-to-fan-sales-square-bandcamp-alternative https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/tidal-direct-to-fan-sales-square-bandcamp-alternative TIDAL now lets independent artists in the US sell tracks and albums through TIDAL Upload, with payments run by Square and 90% of each sale going to the artist before processing fees and taxes. Uploads earn no streaming royalties, so for a DIY artist on TIDAL a sale is the main way to get paid. On fees alone it undercuts Bandcamp for newer sellers, but it is US-only, digital-only and has no fan community yet. Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrytidaldirect-to-fanbandcampindependent-artists