Musicians have earned over $5 million through Bandzoogle since the pandemic began

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, musicians have earned over $5 million in commission-free sales of digital music, merch, livestream tickets, fan subscriptions, digital multimedia, and tip donations through their websites powered by Bandzoogle.

Nearly half a million of that revenue came from digital music sales alone, from over 33,000 albums and over over 37,000 singles. Through the recently rolled-out Tip Jar feature, fans have donated almost $200,000 to their favorite artists, leaving an average tip of over $42. The platform’s fan subscription feature has seen high user growth, and some clients have recently joined Bandzoogle for that benefit alone.

Recently-added live streaming and video integration features that merge seamlessly with both the Tip Jar and fan subscription features have been keeping musicians connected to their fans. Live stream ticket sales alone have earned Bandzoogle members nearly another $200,000 since mid-April from over virtual 1,300 events.

One Bandzoogle member, Celtic rock band Enter the Haggis, was on the verge of releasing an album and embarking on tour when the pandemic hit. “We knew we had to pivot, so we got the idea of setting up live stream listening parties for all of our albums, culminating in the official release of our new album online,” says band member Brian Buchanan. “With Bandzoogle's tools, I was able to quickly create a Tip Jar page, and I added other limited-edition merch items and back catalog albums to the page as well. I launched our Throwback Thursday listening party series within a week, and we've worked our way through 10 listening parties, sold tons of back-catalog merch, and generated over $15,000 in tips from our unbelievably generous fans around the world.”

Bandzoogle’s centralized features also lead fans to buy artists’ music and merchandise directly, the latter of which has netted nearly $4 million for artists since the onset of the pandemic. “While much of the industry continues to focus on streaming revenues, in the DIY and direct-to-fan world, it's about engaging with your biggest fans and giving them every opportunity to support your career,” says Bandzoogle’s VP of Business Development Dave Cool. “And we're seeing that with our members. By allowing fans to support their careers directly, whether it's buying music or merch, tickets to a livestream, or simply making a donation, the data shows how generous fans can be if given the option to do more than simply stream your music.” concludes Cool.

For artists in the age of a pandemic, being able to make and maintain these connections is nothing short of crucial, and a moratorium on touring doesn’t need to halt their livelihoods. With this in mind, Bandzoogle is proactively working to build more and better tools to help musicians monetize their careers online.