But what I never did? Read their blog or used any of their social features. So as long as Songtrader keeps paying artists, and keeps offering downloads while letting me stream the music for free until I can decide if I want to buy it or not, I'll be fine with them.
They might think that their work is necessary and invaluable, but it doesn't mean that the company or their users will. Like you're saying, I have a hard time caring about Bandcamp losing full-time writers when they weren't the main attraction at all.
Even if we didn't read their blog posts or listen to their radio podcasts, there is something beautiful in that effort. And I agree that written critique doesn't do much for music or art, for that matter.
Even though you can't quantify it, I wouldn't dismiss Bandcamp branding effort around music. You can't strip music of everything aside from sounds. Bandcamp's rich illustrations managed to set a musical mood, for example.
Image is important. Controversies, interviews, politics, and even ridiculousness are part of the culture regardless of whether one decides to engage.
But I never cared about or wanted anything other than 1) my music I bought and 2) their not great but good enough search. That's it!
I've worked for publishers most of my career, so I know what half those employees are going through is painful. It has happened to me before, too. But as a customer of the site, I was completely and blissfully oblivious to any editorial staff.
My process: Load bandcamp.com Immediately click on the Heart icon, where all my purchases live. Listen.
This was true on the app, too. I found their homepage utterly useless. None of the artists I'm into ever appeared there. Not cool enough, I'm sure.
Long live bandcamp.
Fair enough, but I wouldn't hold my breath!
Isn't it part of the market mechanisms that customers punish bad behavior?
Ironically, it's almost as if you (the person complaining about the market mechanism) don't want to boycot those people that don't give a damn. It's inconvenient isn't it? Imagine having to shun your friend, kick out your tenant or fire your employee because they wore a slave-labour Nike shoe. It's much easier to blame a market mechanism.
Blaming a system that we can regulate and allows companies to get away with shady practices sounds way more reasonable to me.
And yeah, the most boycotted company (assuming it is true) means there is barely any effect. People don't boycott, many people don't even care enough to talk, far fewer want to walk.
If we don't care about the employees, who does?
If we care only under certain circumstances, where is the limit?
Union busting, unpaid overtime, forced labor?
The customer either has responsibility or he hasn't.
And if somebody feels ashamed because they realize they can't ignore how a product or service they use is made, proves my point.
If they say they deny responsibility, then I can give severe examples to ask: Are you sure?
I don't care so much about Bandcamp that I'll make a personal judgement in their case, and personally investigate the details of their situation.
And "everybody" does include their employees. If a company doesn't treat their employees decently, they aren't a good company and I will avoid doing business with them.
Besides, wireheading will soon be possible. Best to re-evaluate your pleasure from time-to-time, while you can.
It's a semi-smug affirmation that you don't care which, great. There's others that do, especially when the trajectory for changes like these is for a platform to get worse, not better.
I agree that it's a pattern that happens a lot on unrelated threads, and it sucks, but this one in particular is an exception since the entire OP is about trying to make us care.
The point of the article isn't to make you care about Bandcamp in particular, though it's clear the author does. It's to point out the fact that if there is something you DO care about, how acquisitions and corporate plays can and will destroy it. You could replace Bandcamp with Steam, or HN or any other entity. That's the point. Not the particulars of Bandcamp itself.
People here get so lost in the weeds and don't actually read what the message of the article is.
Bandcamp has lasted because they haven't let the place go to shit like their competition and they've been reliable enough to stay online consistently.
I don't need social tie ins, and I don't want to message my listener base about anything. The spam emails I get from labels trying to be social go directly into the trash and usually make me unfollow them (or disable notifications)
To put it another way, there are plenty of ways to find music, what underground musicians need is a an easy to use tool to put their music online, as we are not big enough for Spotify.