Bandcamp have announced that they'll continue to waive their commission on every first Friday of the month until Christmas, which means that 100% of the revenue generated on those days goes direct to the artist.

The relative merits of Bandcamp and Spotify have featured prominently in the debate about Luka Bloom's decision not to service his new album, Bittersweet Crimson, to streaming services in an attempt to maximise physical and download sales.

Talking to Hot Press, Patrick M. Barrett says: "I've received more income from releasing new Arrivalists work on Bandcamp in the last 12 weeks than I'd see for five years of Spotify streams. To an independent artist like me that means upgrading a PC, a new microphone and a continuance of work. Spotify is like a chocolate teapot."

Read both sides of the argument at https://bit.ly/2CCkvQS

"We started Bandcamp Fridays back in March to support artists impacted by the pandemic, and in the past few months the music community has come together in a huge way: in just four days, fans put more than $20 million directly into the pockets of artists and labels," Bandcamp reflect. "That’s incredible, but just as amazing is that since the pandemic hit in March, fans have bought more than $75 million worth of music and merch directly from artists and labels, and to date, fans have paid artists over half a billion dollars on Bandcamp.

"It’s a good reminder that Bandcamp Fridays are really an extension of what Bandcamp is about every day. Thank you to all the artists and labels who shared their music with us, and the fans who spent their hard-earned coins to support the artists they love.

"Because the pandemic is far from over, we’ll continue to hold Bandcamp Fridays on the first Friday of every month until the end of the year."

These are the dates to stick in your diary - August 7; September 4; October 2; November 6; and December 4.

On the last four Bandcamp Fridays, fans put more than $20 million directly into the pockets of artists and labels. We’re going to keep doing them for the rest of 2020, more details here: https://t.co/UJU3FMLNTc pic.twitter.com/fizXtRfZH7

— bandcamp (@Bandcamp) July 23, 2020