The Magic of BandCamp

by ​Ben White from The Syncopation Foundation

Hello dancers! 

It’s come to my attention that some of you don’t know about one of the coolest websites, and I’m here to help!

You may have heard that Spotify isn’t the best to it’s artists. Taylor Swift famously withheld her music from it for a long time, and there’s an ongoing joke among musicians to show off their checks at the end of the year for amounts like $1.76.

When I’m streaming music from artists who aren’t around anymore to make music I absolutely love the social aspect of streaming platforms. They can be a great way to share inspiration, to discover new tracks, and to educate a wide audience! The problem happens between the platform and the artist.

So here’s the recommendation: Absolutely use your favorite social streaming platform. Jam out, listen all the time! 

-AND HERE’S THE GOOD PART-

Jump on over to a site like bandcamp.com and buy the music from some artists who are still around and making music! Even if you’re listening primarily through streaming, it’s a great support for the artists if you can pop $15 bucks or whatever their way. 

I mention bandcamp in particular because they give 85% of the money straight to the artists which is basically unheard of in the music industry! On some first Fridays they even give 100%!!!

Another bonus is that you can find a TON of music, especially in the swing genre, that you just can’t get on streaming platforms! For example, local and international saxophone star Jonathan Doyle just released a series of live albums, including this one that was recorded right here at Eastside Stomp!! 

https://jonathandoyle.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-eastside-stomp

On bandcamp you can also subscribe to know when an artist is coming out with new work, see reviews from other dancers, and get recommendations for similar music.

If you’re looking for some bands to start searching for in addition to Jonathan Doyle, we can help there too! Eastside Stomp sound tech and all-around good guy, Kaleb, has put together this list of modern musicians and where to support them! 

SPREADSHEET OF MODERN JAZZ ARTISTS

Did we miss anyone in the list? What are your favorite current swing musicians that we should check out?

---