Aly Gillani, European Artist & Labels Rep, Bandcamp
Aly Gillani is the European Label Rep for Bandcamp, a thriving, global music community where fans discover new artists, intimately connect with them, and directly compensate them for their work. Aly’s role involves expanding and managing the growing network of labels and artists using Bandcamp to connect with their fans.
He is also the founder / A&R for Worldwide Awards Label of the Year First Word Records, home to Children Of Zeus, Tall Black Guy, Eric Lau, Kaidi Tatham, Tawiah and many more. Originally a club promoter he ran seminal clubnights Funky Mule and New Bohemia in his adopted city of Leeds for many years. Starting First Word in 2004, he is also an acclaimed DJ with regular spots at a host of European venues and London radio stations Balamii and Worldwide FM.
About Bandcamp
Bandcamp’s mission is to create the best possible service for artists and labels to share and earn money from their music, and for fans to discover and enjoy it.
We believe that music is an indispensable part of culture, and for that culture to thrive, artists—no matter the size of their audience—must be compensated fairly and transparently for their work. Without this belief, our mission would be meaningless, and it’s why we’ve built our business around a model that puts the artist first.
When you buy something on Bandcamp, whether it’s digital music, vinyl, or a t-shirt, ticket or cassette, 80-85% of your money goes to the artist, and we pay out daily. The remainder goes to payment processor fees and Bandcamp’s revenue share, which is 10-15% on digital items, and 10% on physical goods.
Since we only make money when artists make a lot more money, our interests remain aligned with those of the community we serve. It’s a straightforward approach, and one we’re happy to say works well. Fans have paid artists $418 million using Bandcamp, and $7.8 million in the past 30 days alone. We were founded in 2007, have been profitable since 2012, and we’re growing rapidly.
Bandcamp is used by millions of fans around the world and is an indispensable tool for hundreds of thousands of artists and more than 3,000 labels. The New York Times called Bandcamp “one of the greatest underground-culture bazaars of our time,” Fast Company named us one of the most innovative companies in music, and the American Association of Independent Music honoured us with their Independent Champion award.
We consider all that a fine start, but only a start. We continue to work tirelessly to build an enduring and valuable service, and whether you’re an artist, fan or label we hope you’ll be a part of it.