Bandcamp vs. Spotify: Who’s Really Helping Artists?

In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I respond to one of the most passionate (and brutal) emails I’ve ever received.

An artist called me out hard for my opinions on Bandcamp. He says I’m a “Spotify shill” and that if I truly cared about helping independent artists, I’d be telling them to stop giving their music away for free on streaming platforms and focus on Bandcamp, CDs, and direct fan support instead.

He lays out some strong points, including:
Bandcamp pays artists about 82% of each sale.
He’s made over $8,000 from just 1,200 followers.
Bandcamp gives artists access to their fans’ emails and real audience ownership.
Spotify pays around $0.003 per stream (about $1,000 for every 333,000 plays).

He says I’m teaching artists how to survive inside a broken system instead of showing them how to own their careers.

In this video, I break it all down the good, the bad, and the real truth about Bandcamp vs. Spotify.

We’ll talk about:
What Bandcamp actually does right
Why streaming still matters strategically
How artists can use both without losing control
The mindset difference between building attention and building ownership

This one gets real.

Got a question or a strong opinion about the music industry?
Just go to MatthewRix.com.

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