<
https://www.wired.com/story/epic-games-sale-bandcamp-music-platform-limbo/>
"After work hours on September 27, employees of
Fortnite maker Epic Games
received a calendar invite informing them of a mandatory meeting the next
morning, according to an employee who received the message. Just before the
surprise all-hands was scheduled to begin, employees of the online record store
Bandcamp, which Epic bought in March 2022, received another email, says the
worker: Epic was laying off 830 people—around 16 percent of the company's
workforce—and selling Bandcamp to audio licensing company Songtradr.
Bandcamp employees were stunned to learn that some of them would not be
receiving job offers from Songtradr. That day, the acquisition was announced
publicly, and multiple Bandcamp employees say they began losing access to many
of the systems needed to do their jobs, leaving the platform operating with
limited oversight.
Bandcamp customer support specialist ed blair and software engineer Blade
Barringer say staff have received little guidance from Epic or Songtradr about
how they’re supposed to do their jobs without access to critical systems. When
new support requests come in, blair can see them but is not able to properly
respond.
A Zoom meeting last week with Songtradr executives who said they wanted
Bandcamp to stay artist-friendly didn’t add much clarity. The platform’s staff
have been told that Bandcamp is in a state of stasis during the transition,
blair says, a situation that has been “really destabilizing” for the workers.
The turmoil at Bandcamp could also be destabilizing for musicians and their
fans. Epic’s acquisition of Bandcamp last year triggered concern among some
artists, music lovers, and industry groups, who worried that a uniquely
artist-centric platform might change for the worse.
Bandcamp, founded in 2007, is beloved by many artists for providing a place
where musicians can foster loyal fan communities and receive a generous share
of music sales. Bandcamp pays artists 82 percent of every transaction, while
Spotify is widely reported to pay a small fraction of a cent per stream. When
Songtradr announced its acquisition last week, the Future of Music Coalition, a
musician advocacy nonprofit, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the company’s
leaders should “do what Bandcamp's fine employees have done for years—seeking
constant artist/label feedback at every iteration. Don't screw it up!”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
