The music and tech industries are at a juncture, and it’s time that we as workers have a seat at the table to weigh in on the challenges and opportunities of this moment. That’s why we have come together to form Bandcamp United, a union comprising US-based workers across all departments at Bandcamp. We are affiliated with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 1010.
Forming our union is critical to our ability to do our best work and make good on the promise and mission of Bandcamp. With our union, we have a voice in our working conditions and the power to hold Bandcamp accountable to the independent artists and labels who use it—most of whom are workers just like us, and for whom Bandcamp provides vital income to help sustain their creative projects.
Bandcamp United is powered by us: designers, journalists, support staff, engineers, and more, all dedicated to the mission of Bandcamp. Many of us are ourselves independent artists, label owners, and promoters, and all of us are fans who are involved in our own music communities. We all chose to join this company as an extension of our own love for independent music, and believe that a site such as Bandcamp that aims to offer an ethical and fair alternative to the streaming economy should reflect its mission internally.
Our union reinforces and will expand on Bandcamp’s own brand values:
Fair Economic Conditions
We are committed to protecting the benefits we have, fixing historical disparities within and across departments, and promoting equitable conditions and economic stability for all of our colleagues. Whether it’s access to paid time off or the security of knowing our salaries will grow to meet economic necessity, we seek consistency and transparency for all. Our work, no matter what department we contribute to, makes Bandcamp possible, and we deserve to be treated and valued fairly.
Direct Support and Transparency
As the workers who build Bandcamp, we believe we should have input into its direction, and we believe in supporting and protecting workers who speak up. When we use our voices, we do so because we care about the future of Bandcamp, and because we wish to see our colleagues, artists, and broader communities succeed. It is important to us that Bandcamp’s artist-first mission continues with clarity and accountability, with all resources afforded to us distributed in the fairest and most transparent way possible. We feel a responsibility to support those who are most marginalized, to use our platform with integrity, and to provide reasonable protections and accommodations for those at-risk.
We are workers from all walks of life—all class and racial backgrounds, all genders and sexualities, a variety of dis/abilities, and more, and we are in solidarity with workers across the world. We care about and are committed to advocating for a better Bandcamp for all, including our international colleagues and the artists, labels, and fans who use the platform as well as ourselves.
Bandcamp has a clear path forward to future success, and it starts with our union having a seat at the table.
