D.I.Y.

Bandcamp workers launch bid to form union

Bandcamp workers across multiple departments want to unionize and are calling on the company and owner Epic Games to allow a “timely and fair election.”

The effort has affiliated with Tech Workers Union Local 1010 of The Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU).

“We are project managers, and we are engineers, we are designers, we are vinyl campaign managers, we are support staff, we are editors and writers,” wrote the Bandcamp staffers pushing for a union. “Forming our union is critical to our ability to do our best work and make good on the promise and mission of Bandcamp to provide fair economic conditions, direct support, and transparency for ourselves and all of our users,”

Epic Games, which acquired Bandcamp last year, had previously worked to counter unionization efforts within the main company.

Another independent music powerhouse is already unionized.

The Secretly Group successfully unionized last year after management endorsed the efforts by their employees to seek representation.

“Just as we work to empower our artist and label partners, we want to empower our employees: collaboratively, openly, in full recognition of our competing priorities and our shared goals,” Secretly said in a statement at the time. “More to the point, our employees have taken this progressive step to empower themselves in partnership with us. We applaud this effort and welcome this renewed opportunity for that partnership.”

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.

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6 Comments

  1. Great to see Bandcamp workers taking a step towards unionization and standing up for their rights. As the employees themselves have highlighted, forming a union is critical to ensuring fair economic conditions, direct support, and transparency for both themselves and users of the platform. It’s unfortunate that Epic Games has a history of opposing unionization, but hopefully, they will listen to the Bandcamp workers’ demands and allow a timely and fair election. Unionization can lead to better working conditions, job security, and a stronger voice for workers in decisions that impact them. Wishing the Bandcamp workers all the best in their efforts to form a union.

  2. The move by Bandcamp workers to unionize and demand a timely and fair election is a commendable step towards ensuring their rights are protected. It’s encouraging to see employees across multiple departments come together to form a union and make their voices heard. The workers have made it clear that forming a union is essential to help them do their best work and uphold the promise and mission of Bandcamp to provide transparency, fair economic conditions, and direct support for themselves and all users. Despite previous opposition to unionization efforts by Epic Games, the owner of Bandcamp, the workers are hopeful that their demands will be met. Unionization has the potential to improve working conditions, job security, and enable employees to have a stronger say in decisions that impact them. I wish the Bandcamp workers all the best as they strive towards forming their union. https://namecombinertool.com/couple-name-combiner/

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