Mirroring the inequalities of mainstream music platforms: popularity, revenue, and monetization strategies on Bandcamp

In the era of digital music streaming, understanding the monetization and popularity dynamics of online audio distribution platforms is crucial for both researchers and music industry professionals. While much of the existing research has focused on mainstream platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, we study Bandcamp, an alternative marketplace that, among other things, empowers independent artists to upload and sell their music. Leveraging a rich dataset of one million Bandcamp sales, we investigate the distribution of popularity and revenues among artists on the platform. Our analysis reveals a substantial level of inequality, with a small core of musicians concentrating most of the purchases and revenues. Surprisingly, our results also indicate that many artists adopt a monetization strategy that involves devaluing their products, potentially leading to a cherry-picking of songs by consumers. These findings shed light on the challenges faced by alternative music distribution services and emphasize the need for further exploration of a fairer and more sustainable business model for independent artists.