Image Credit: Epic Games
Independent online music store Bandcamp joins Epic Games, the video game and software developers behind Fortnite and Unreal Engine.
Epic Games, the American company, partly owned by Chinese technology and entertainment conglomerate Tencent, is acquiring Bandcamp. The social post below from Bandcamp co-founder and CEO Ethan Diamond says the products and services many musicians have come to love aren’t going anywhere, explaining that the music store will continue to operate as a standalone marketplace. and a musical community.
The acquisition will see Bandcamp work with Epic behind the scenes to expand internationally and advance Bandcamp’s development from their core tools to new initiatives like vinyl pressing and live streaming. Since its launch in 2008, payments to artists and labels have approached US$1 billion.
This isn’t the first music acquisition we’ve seen from Epic Games in recent months. The game company bought developers Rock Band Harmonix last November. One of Epic Games’ most successful video games, Fortnite has immersed itself in music in recent years, especially since the onset of the pandemic with artists like Ariana Grande, Easy Life, BTS, Travis Scott, de many SoundCloud artists and many more hosting virtual live performances.
Scrolling through the above comments from Bandcamp’s audience, the majority of responses so far have been negative, with many fearing that Epic, with its poor reputation, is undermining Bandcamp’s “artists first” model.
Bandcamp’s mission is to help spread the healing power of music by creating a community where artists thrive on the direct support of their fans. At Epic, we’ve found a partner who believes as deeply as we do that the future of music, and art itself, depends on creating fair and inclusive communities like the one our fans and artists have helped build. to construct. We’re excited to work alongside the Epic team to accelerate our mission and pursue our shared goal of empowering more creators in a fair and open way.
Ethan Diamond, CEO and Co-Founder, Bandcamp
We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome the Bandcamp team to Epic Games. Bandcamp has built an incredible community and business where up-and-coming artists can succeed through the direct support of their fans, with one of the best revenue models and terms in music. This aligns closely with Epic’s approach to supporting creators across all media and allowing them to connect directly with their fans.
Steve Allison, Vice President and General Manager, Store, Epic Games
