December 15, 2024

Google wants 10% of your Bandcamp earnings

0
Google wants 10% of your Bandcamp earnings

Photo by Kai Wenzel on Unsplash

🇺🇦 Side-Line stands with Ukraine - Show your Support
Photo by Kai Wenzel on Unsplash

This story has gone under the radar for many music fans, but Google is after a cut of your Bandcamp earnings (if you release music via the platform that is). Luckily, Bandcamp has now temporarily won the right to use its own payments system on Google Play until Epic’s case with Google is resolved, per a new court agreement so Bandcamp announces. As you might remember, Bandcamp was acquired by Epic in March.

This means Bandcamp’s fans will be able to continue to support their favorite artists on Android devices by buying music and merchandise, as they have since 2015, and artists will receive the same percentage of sales, as usual. Google will not be able to de-list the Bandcamp app from the Google Play Store, nor delay or refuse to distribute its app updates as part of the new agreement.

Bandcamp will however place 10% of the revenue generated by the digital sales on Android devices in escrow until Epic’s lawsuit with Google is decided. If Google gets its way per a new court agreement Bandcamp will have to either pass Google’s fees on to consumers (making Android a less attractive platform for music fans), pass fees on to artists (which they will never do), permanently run their Android business at a loss, or turn off digital sales in the Android app.

In the latter case the app would become similar to its iOS version, which currently lacks in-app purchases for digital songs to avoid giving Apple a cut.

author avatar
Bernard - Side-Line Staff Chief editor
Bernard Van Isacker is the Chief Editor of Side-Line Magazine. With a career spanning more than two decades, Van Isacker has established himself as a respected figure in the darkwave scene.

Since you’re here …

… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.

If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The donations are safely powered by Paypal.

Select a Donation Option (USD)

Enter Donation Amount (USD)

Verified by MonsterInsights