Music streaming service Bandcamp joins the Epic Games ecosystem

An unexpected acqusition

Bandcamp, a music marketplace founded in 2008, is joining Epic Games according to an announcement released on Wednesday. Bandcamp will “keep operating as a standalone marketplace and music community,” wrote Ethan Diamond, Bandcamp co-founder and CEO. Diamond will continue to lead the team, which will continue to focus on an “artists-first revenue model.”

Epic Games, the developer behind Unreal Engine and Fortnite, is an unlikely buyer for a music distribution service, at first glance. Diamond writes that the partnership will help Bandcamp “expand internationally and push development forward,” citing everything from technical systems to live streaming services.

Bandcamp is a notable marketplace because, unlike competitors like Spotify, the profit margin is in the artist’s favor; a musician keeps “an average of 82% of every sale.” And Epic Games launched with profit margins favoring developers. Following Epic Games’ success with Fortnite, the publisher has worked with influencers and integrated the promotion of artists through in-game cosmetics and digital concerts. Epic has also invested a great deal of money into free giveaways of games to help grow their audience.

In a press release from Epic Games, the developer shared that “Bandcamp will play an important role in Epic’s vision to build out a creator marketplace ecosystem for content, technology, games, art, music and more.”