Bandcamp has announced that on June 19 they’ll be donating 100% of their share of sales on the platform to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
After months of standing behind artists during the coronavirus pandemic by featuring fee-free days, Bandcamp is now helping drive the music industry forward with their new Juneteenth initiative. On June 19, and every one thereafter, they’ll be donating 100% of their share of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
The significance of this taking place on Juneteenth is because that’s the day in 1865 in which the Emancipation Proclamation was read to enslaved African-Americans in Texas, two years after it had been signed into law. Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, it has become recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in most of the United States and was also important to the Civil Rights movement in the ’60s.
Announced via a post by Bandcamp’s Co-Founder Ethan Diamond on their blog, all sales from midnight to midnight PDT on June 19 will be counted towards the donation. Additionally, the company will be allocating $30,000 each year to partner with different organizations that create opportunities for black artists and fight against racial injustice.
“The current moment is part of a long-standing, widespread, and entrenched system of structural oppression of people of color, and real progress requires a sustained and sincere commitment to political, social, and economic racial justice and change.”
Diamond committed the company to help the black community even further, stating “We’ll continue to promote diversity and opportunity through our mission to support artists, the products we build to empower them, who we promote through the Bandcamp Daily, our relationships with local artists and organizations through our Oakland space, how we operate as a team, and who and how we hire.”
Beyond their own call to action, many artists and labels have also joined in to donate all sales of their music to various funds and charities on Friday, June 5, the next day in which the platform drops all fees. Check-in with your favorites to see if they’re planning to participate in this, or take a look at Bandcamp’s Twitter or Blog as they’ve been spotlighting those who have already announced as well. Notable labels that have joined in already include Ghostly International, Ninja Tune, and Slime Recordings.
