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# Bandcamp Rings Up $1 Million In December Sales. New Stats Prove Direct-To Fan’s Potential
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/bandcamp-rings-up-1-million-in-december-sales-new-stats-show-direct-to-fans-potential/
- Published: 2012-01-04T11:51:00.000Z
- Updated: 2012-01-04T11:51:00.000Z
- Description: New numbers from Bandcamp show that in December alone artists using the site grossed more than $1 million in music and merch sales, bringing the total to-date to $12.6 million.. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/01/bandcamp-rings-up-1-million-in-december-sales-new-stats-show-dir
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:55

[![image from www.google.com](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20162ff0205a5970d-250wi "image from www.google.com")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20162ff0205a5970d-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

New numbers from [**Bandcamp**](http://www.bandcamp.com/?ref=hypebot.com) show that in December alone artists using the site grossed more than **$1 million** in music and merch sales, bringing the total to-date to **$12.6 million**. But the most promising insight from Bandcamp is proof that more and more **fans are paying for music that they probably set out to get for fre**e.

  
A few months ago, Bandcamp began tracking the starting point of every sale that happens on the site and shre share these examples of free-to-paid conversions:

- "this morning someone paid $10 for an album after Googling “lelia broussard torrent.”
- "a $15 sale came in from the search “maimouna youssef the blooming hulkshare.”
- "a fan made a $12 purchase after clicking a link on music torrent tracker What.CD.
- "someone spent $10 after following a link on The Pirate Bay, next to the plea: They sell their album as a download on their website. You can even choose your format (mp3, ogg, flac, etc). Cmon, support this awesome band!”

Some more impressive Bandcamp stats:

- 22% of those sales happened because of Bandcamp, driven by things like tags, the home page, recommendations, and search.
- 40% of the time, fans pay more than the asking price for name-your-price albums.
- 53% of all purchases are made by fans located outside the U.S.

Mainstream music sales will never return to their formal levels, but growing direct-to-fan sales offer real hope for the emerging musical middle class. As Bandcamp's Ethan Diamond concludes, "Fortunately, it appears there’s still a thriving community of fans who understand that the best way to support the artists they love is by handing them money."