Table of Contents
Art By Joey Yu
Bandcamp has launched Bandcamp Clubs, a new subscription-based discovery feature designed to put curation back at the center of music culture. Instead of algorithm-driven recommendations, the platform is leaning on trusted tastemakers to guide fans through monthly record picks, artist interviews, and interactive listening parties. The goal is to create deeper connections between artists, curators, and communities, while ensuring permanent ownership of every release featured in a club.
The program debuts with four themed clubs: Dance Around the World curated by BBC1 Radio host and Future Bounce label founder Jamz Supernova, Jazz-Ish Jazz Club led by journalist and broadcaster Tina Edwards, Kosmos Klub curated by producer Ajay Saggar, and The Hard Stuff with J. Bennett, known for his work with NTS and Gimme Radio. Each curator brings their own perspective, highlighting fresh voices, rediscovered gems, and forward-thinking records across different scenes.
Learn more at www.bandcamp.com and follow on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
How Bandcamp Clubs Work
Membership in a Bandcamp Club costs $13 per month. Subscribers receive one handpicked album per month, exclusive artist interviews, and access to mid-month listening parties hosted by the curators. The “subscribe-to-own” model ensures every album featured becomes a permanent part of a member’s Bandcamp library, even if they cancel later.
The listening parties are real-time events, designed to replicate the energy of a communal music experience. Curators lead discussions, share insights, and occasionally feature appearances from the artists themselves. Unlike livestreams or archived content, these sessions are one-time gatherings, emphasizing the value of shared discovery in the moment.
The first four clubs cover a wide range of sounds. Dance Around the World explores boundary-pushing club music across continents, while Kosmos Klub spans psych, dub, krautrock, gospel, and electronic experiments. Jazz-Ish Jazz Club highlights the global jazz continuum, pulling in UK jazz, Latin grooves, psychedelic soul, and left-field electronics. The Hard Stuff dives into metal and heavy music, with a scope that includes death, black, punk hybrids, and grind. Each is built to showcase overlooked voices and present music that algorithms might never surface.
Building on Bandcamp’s Artist-First Ethos
Bandcamp Clubs expands on the company’s broader mission to support independent music. Since 2020, Bandcamp Fridays have raised over $140 million directly for artists, and this new initiative extends that momentum into a year-round discovery model. By paying curators to highlight records and hosting interactive events, Bandcamp creates a pipeline that benefits both artists and fans.
Dan Melnick, General Manager at Bandcamp, explained that Clubs reflect the communities that sustain music culture—DJs, journalists, fans, and artists. By moving away from algorithmic recommendations, Bandcamp is doubling down on human judgment and lived expertise, aligning with the platform’s reputation for fairness and transparency in artist payouts.
Bandcamp Clubs is available globally starting today at bandcamp.com/about_clubs. Fans can choose from the four launch clubs or wait for new curators and themes to be announced in the coming months. With permanent ownership built into the subscription and a direct link to independent artists, Clubs offer a model that is both collector-friendly and community-driven.
The post Bandcamp Launches Curated Clubs for Human-Led Discovery appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.