tracklog.

Platforms

Bandcamp for music producers

Bandcamp is a store where you sell music and merch straight to fans and set your own prices. Here is how it works for producers who also license music elsewhere, as of October 2026.

By , a composer with 300+ tracks on audio stock and 12 years in production. Checked on Bandcamp's own pages on 26 October 2026.

Type
Music store
How to join
Open to everyoneFree to sign up; Bandcamp takes a share of sales
Exclusive
NoBandcamp asks for no exclusive rights
AI-made music
Not acceptedNot if made wholly or in substantial part by AI

In short. Bandcamp sells your music directly to fans. It is not a distributor: it does not send your music to Spotify or other services. It asks for no exclusive rights, so the same tracks can be on stock sites and streaming services. It keeps 15% of digital sales and 10% of physical ones, plus payment fees. It does not give ISRCs or UPCs. Music generated "wholly or in substantial part by AI" is not allowed.

How to join

Anyone can set up an artist page and upload. You set the prices. Bandcamp "doesn't handle distribution services". Music you release through a distributor still has to be uploaded to Bandcamp yourself.

Exclusive or not

No. "Bandcamp doesn't ask for exclusive rights, so you can share and sell your music wherever you want." The only rights it takes are the ones it needs to run the service: a non-exclusive right to host your music, sell it for you and show your artwork and lyrics. Bandcamp's one warning: make sure you are "not breaking any exclusive deals" you signed elsewhere.

What a buyer gets. "Buying music on Bandcamp does not grant commercial or broadcasting rights." A fan who wants your track in a video, a podcast or an ad has to contact you for a license. So a Bandcamp sale is not a stock license.

AI-generated music

Not allowed. Bandcamp's policy from 13 January 2026: "Music and audio that is generated wholly or in substantial part by AI is not permitted on Bandcamp." Using AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is "strictly prohibited". Bandcamp says it may "remove any music on suspicion of being AI-generated". The same rule is in its Acceptable Use and Moderation Policy. More in Can you sell AI music?

Files and metadata

Bandcamp's metadata includes the ISRC and ISWC of each track and the UPC or EAN of each release. Bandcamp uses songwriter and publisher details to pay collection societies. It asks you to fill them in before you publish: "Once a sale is made, the royalty calculation is based on the information provided at that time."

Codes, Content ID and royalties

ISRC and UPC. "Bandcamp does not supply UPCs or ISRCs." Bandcamp points you to distributors, which supply them with a release, or to your local ISRC agency. Use the same ISRC your distributor gave the recording. See ISRC, ISWC and UPC.

Publishing royalties. If you or a co-writer belong to a collection society, Bandcamp sends a "collection society share" of each affected sale to it. For sales to fans in the US, Bandcamp does not pay mechanical royalties for you. The seller stays responsible for them.

How you are paid

When checked on 26 October 2026:

  • 15% of digital sales. It drops to 10% once you reach $5,000 in sales, and stays there while you make at least $5,000 in 12 months.
  • 10% of physical items, not counting shipping and tax.
  • Payment processor fees on top, "typically" 4 to 6%.
  • The share applies only to the first $100 of an item. Bandcamp names beat licenses among the expensive items it sells.

What to keep in your catalog

  • The Bandcamp page link of each release.
  • The ISRC of each track as entered on Bandcamp. It should match the code from your distributor.
  • Any license you sell directly to someone who found you on Bandcamp. The Bandcamp purchase itself gives no sync rights.
  • Which tracks you list on Bandcamp that are also under an exclusive deal somewhere. Bandcamp leaves that check to you.

Sources