Bandcamp Friday soldiers on

The nation may be diseased and broken, but you can still use your music dollars to do a small kindness for artists and labels.

I’m not going to pretend I’m thinking about much besides yesterday’s election. Even if Biden squeaks this one out, the country still has to contend with the fact that nearly half its electorate supports a president openly calling for a fascist coup. And I’ll never understand why millions of Illinois voters rejected the Fair Tax amendment, which would’ve benefited workers who’ve already suffered and lost so much during the pandemic—now the state will close its budget gaps without troubling the rich, so get ready for more service cuts and new burdens for those least able to pay. In between flashes of panic about our fragile democracy, I like to think about how I can improve the lives of those around me.

It’s a small thing, but so-called Bandcamp Fridays can make a real difference for independent musicians and labels—and the next one is coming up on November 6. For these 24-hour periods, the beloved digital music retailer passes along its usual 10 to 15 percent share of sales revenue. Bandcamp began this practice shortly after COVID-19 brought live music to a halt in March, and listeners spent $4.3 million on the site that first day. Since May, the first Friday of each month has been “Bandcamp Friday,” and they’ll continue at least through December.

In my own Bandcamp Friday tradition, I’ve rounded up links to the past month’s Reader coverage of music you can buy through the platform. We cover a ton of ground in the music section, so I suspect you’ll be able to discover at least one new release to love. I also recommend revisiting my Bandcamp roundups from March, May, June, July, August, September, and October—they total hundreds of releases, which ought to be enough music to drown out the ceaseless updates about ballot counts for as long as you need. These guides not only provide helpful windows into the rich trove of music on Bandcamp but also double as cross sections of the Reader‘s archives of great music writing.

Angry Blackmen, Headshots!

Jim Baker, Keefe Jackson, and Julian Kirshner, So Glossy and So Thin

Nate Barksdale, Summer Was Over Before It Started

BBsitters Club, BBsitters Club & Party

Bless the Mad, Bless the Mad

Brandy, The Gift of Repetition

Chris Connelly and Jessica Gallo, “Prayer” (tribute to Bill Rieflin)

Contorno, Won’t Be Gone

Cordoba, Specter

Crippled Black Phoenix, Ellengæst

Food House, Food House

Fraxiom, Music and Feeling Cool and Normal