By Nathalie Voit
Fortnite and Unreal Engine developer Epic Games is set to acquire music streaming service Bandcamp, according to an announcement released March 2. According to the companies, the acquisition is part of Epic’s vision of building “the most artist-friendly” community on earth.
Epic said that Bandcamp will play an integral role in fulfilling this creator-centered marketplace based on fair and open platforms.
“Bandcamp’s mission is to help spread the healing power of music by building a community where artists thrive through the direct support of their fans,” CEO and co-founder of Bandcamp Ethan Diamond said in a company blog. “In Epic, we’ve found a partner who believes as deeply as we do that the future of music, and art itself, depends on the creation of equitable and inclusive communities like the one our fans and artists have helped to build. We’re excited to work alongside the Epic team to accelerate the realization of our mission and pursue our shared goal of empowering more creators in a fair and open way.”
Bandcamp will continue operating as an independent entity and music community with Diamond at the head of operations. The company will also retain its “artists-first” revenue model, where musicians net an average of 82% of every sale, the CEO said in the announcement.
“The products and services you depend on aren’t going anywhere,” Diamond reassured his fans.
According to Diamond, Epic will help Bandcamp expand internationally and launch new, innovative features like their “vinyl pressing and live streaming services.” Epic will also help Bandcamp with “the basics,” like developing the music retail website’s “album pages, mobile apps, merch tools, payment system, and search and discovery features.”
The agreement arrived amid Epic’s slew of animation-centered acquisitions, including Cubic Motion in 2020 and Sketchfab and ArtStation in 2021. The takeover is unique because it represents an entry into the music distribution services world for the game developer.
However, Epic is not entering entirely unfamiliar territory. The company has hosted virtual concerts by Travis Scott, J Balvin, and Ariana Grande on Fortnite. Epic also published Radiohead’s Kid A Mnesia online exhibition last year. The “upside-down digital/analog universe” was co-created by Epic, NameTheMachine, and Arbitrarily Good productions, according to Epic’s website.
The companies have yet to announce the deal’s value or when they will finalize the purchase.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the Bandcamp team to Epic Games,” Vice President and General Manager, Store at Epic Games Steve Allison said in the post.
