Philadelphia Fundraisers On Bandcamp: Your Fee-Free Friday guide to shopping local and giving back

When the Coronavirus pandemic forced us all inside and forced touring musicians home and unable to earn a living, independent streaming service Bandcamp offered a show of support through its series of Fee-Free sale days on the first Friday of each month. This month, in the midst of a national and international uprising surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, those Fridays are taking on an added charitable dimension.

Many artists and record labels are donating their June profits — which will not face Bandcamp’s usual revenue share fee of 15% on digital sales and 20% on merch sales — to organizations directly associated with the protests, such as bail funds and racial justice advocacy groups. Others are donating to nonprofits in general, some helping out healthcare workers who remain on the fight against COVID-19, others providing youth education in Philly and beyond. Several artists have released new or previously unreleased songs and projects this week to raise money for the charities of their choice, and two compilations have brought together a large number of artists to help causes.

Below, we’ve compiled a rundown of fundraising releases from the Philadelphia scene available now on Bandcamp. And remember, even if you buy from an artist who isn’t donating to a charity, you’re still helping that artist out in a time when they still can’t earn money touring or performing — so go ahead, browse that Philadelphia tag on Bandcamp.

Better yet, support black artists by buying from them directly; Moor Mother shared a very helpful list of over 1,000 black musicians and producers that you can support today; we’ve started our list out with a round of recent releases from black artists from the Philadelphia community that you can support.

The site’s next two fundraisers will be on June 19th, when it will donate money to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in honor of the Juneteenth holiday, and on Friday, July 3rd.

Black Artists from Philadelphia to Support

Electropop / modern rock duo Camp Candle has an extensive Bandcamp discography, including their most recent project If We Had A Pool.

Indie singer-songwriter A Day Without Love also has a vast Bandcamp catalog; their most recent release is this year’s Comfort In The Bedroom.

Producers and vocalists Jacqueline Constance and Joie Kathos have teamed up under the name Gentle Jawns and made their debut with a mostly-instrumental beat tape.

Indie pop outfit Highnoon debuted last summer with the enchanting Semi-Sweet LP last summer and it remains a fave of ours here at The Key.

Psychedelic blues power trio Ill Fated Natives captured their captivating concert experience in Live At The Bitter End.

Rapper Kahlil Ali‘s debut record Song100 is an immersive and excellent listen.

Though rapper Khemist‘s debut Khemtrails doesn’t come out till Juneteenth, the stellar single “I Been On A Budget” is available now.

Kilamanzego just released a new song called “Black Weirdo,” in addition to two sets of body-rocking soundscapes available for downloading; the EP These Roots Are On Fire and a compilation of early singles.

King Britt’s heady psychedelic project Fhloston Paradigm is always a good listen, particularly its Live On Star’s End set recorded live on WXPN.

Moor Mother just released Offering, a live improvisation recorded with flautist Nicole Mitchell at Le Guess Who music festival.

DJ / producer (and Key contributing writer) John Morrison released a 29-minute continuous mix called Songs I Might Sample.

Expansive experimental outfit Ooloi‘s From The Dust, A New World Emerged, Barren and Awaiting Our Sorrows is music to lose yourself in.

Orion Sun took part in the Black Lives Matter protest in Philadelphia on Saturday where she experienced police brutality first hand; video on her instagram shows her getting violently shoved around and pushed to the sidewalk by officers, as she attempted to retrieve her bike from the crowd. “i saw then that what the police did wasn’t right even when i made it out alive,” she writes on Bandcamp. “its wrong to think of a violent encounter with the police and just be grateful i didnt die.” Reflecting on the experience after arriving safely back home, and thinking of her mother 830 miles away, Orion Sun wrote and recorded the new song “mama’s baby,” and is donating money to the family of Breonna Taylor, who was murdered in Louisville, Kentucky on March 13th; today would have been her 27th birthday, and though the police officers involved in her death have not been charged and are still working, the FBI opened an investigation into the case last month, and Orion Sun remains optimistic. “Black women and our stories matter!” she writes. “There is hope for justice to be served.”

Key contributing writer Alex Smith plays in two excellent bands whose Bandcamps are worth your attention — the trippy synth-driven outfit Rainbow Crimes and the propulsive post-hardcore brilliance of Solarized.

Between podcasts, videos, and his extensive discography, Philly rapper Reef the Lost Cauze has a lot for you to see and hear on Bandcamp. His latest is a re-release of songs from 2010’s Fight Music.

Heady rapper / producer Savan DePaul has a sea of otherworldly projects on Bandcamp, most recently including the Post Descent Inanna EP from his Ishtar Sr. project.

One of the best punk bands in Philadelphia — or, honestly, anywhere — Soul Glo‘s entire discography is available through their Bandcamp page, most recently featuring a live set recorded on WKDU.

Philadelphia’s Wrecking Crew — the gritty hip-hop collective of Curly Castro, PremRock, Small Professo, and Zilla Rocca — returned with their latest full-length release, Raheem’s Lament.

New Releases Raising Money

The second volume of Folkadelphia’s Co-Mission project features new and unreleased songs by Sadie Dupuis, Sinkane, Squirrel Flower (covering Strand of Oaks), and other artists whose names do not begin with S. The organization is donating 50% of day one sales to the Philadelphia bail fund.

The Fuel The Fightbenefit compilation returns with another assortment of songs from Philly artists, including Goat Mumbles (the solo persona of The Districts’ Rob Grote), Pine Barons, Sheena & Thee Nosebleeds, Andrew Lipke, Laser Background and many more. 50% of proceeds will go to the Fuel the Fight nonprofit helping essential workers fighting COVID-19, and 50% will go to the Philadelphia Bail Fund.

Archpalatine is donating 100% of sales of his new single to Code2040 and Opportunity Hub.

Best Bear is donating 100% of Friday sales of its new song “Through the Static” to the Philly Community Bail Fund

Power pop punk five-piece Cassettes is donating 100% of Friday sales from it’s new single “Sara II” to Black Lives Matter Philly.

Jackson Pines is donating 100% of Friday sales of its new song “Half Light” split evenly between the ACLU and Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

KooF is releasing Live Raw 1, a four-track demo sculpted from 60 hours of trumpet and looper improvisations. KooF writes “all proceeds go to supporting the arts in Philadelphia, with a highlight on Black and Brown artists and organizations.”

Heavy dream poppers Nothing released a four-song live EP called GEORGE (A Live Time Punks Session, Los Angeles, 12.07.2019), featuring two songs from Dance on the Blacktop, one from Tired of Tomorrow, and a cover of Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy.” 100% of proceeds go to Actblue Community Bailout, a split donation between 38 community bail funds.

Nah released a new two-song single called They Hate Us, We Hate Them, with half of the proceeds going to Black Lives Matter and the other half going to the Philadelphia Bail Fund.

Slaughter Beach, Dog released a new single today called “Fair Shot,” with 100% of the proceeds going to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Greg Sover is donating 100% of Friday sales of his new cover of Cream’s “Politician” to the Youth Art & Self Empowerment Program.

Labels Donating Money

Get Better Records is donating 100% of their share and 100% of artist’s share of sales split evenly between the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund and Black & Pink National, which helps to bail out black LGBTQIA+ folks.

Lame-O Records is selling a tote to benefit the Philadelphia bail Fund, 100% of our royalties on physical sales to the Philly Bail Fund, as well as giving our cut of digital directly to the artists.

Paradise of Bachelors Records is matching all digital sales with donations to local bail funds as well as Black Lives Matter.

SRA Records is donating its share of sales to the Philadelphia Bail Fund.

Artists Donating Money

Afloat is donating 100% of sales to Black Visions Collective.

Domenic Angelella is donating Friday sales of his new album Poison River to Philadelphia and Baltimore bail funds.

Ross Bellenoit is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

The Bigness is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund; this also applies to a new solo cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” by the band’s John Bueno.

Brackish is donating 100% of Friday sales split evenly between Black Lives Matter Philly and the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund. Additionally, fans can message the band with a donation receipt to get a playlist of Philly artists they love.

Buddie is donating 100% of sales through the band’s page to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund; sales via their label, Pittsburgh’s Crafted Sounds, will go to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

Cabana Wear is donating 100% of Friday sales to Black Lives Matter Philly.

Catbite is donating 100% of Friday sales from its Bandcamp page to Philadelphia Community Bail Fund. Sales of their new split 7″ with Omnigone will go to Actblue Community Bailout, a split donation between 38 community bail funds

Cave People says “we’re going to donate all bandcamp sales on friday but please please please there are so many amazing Black artists out there, if you have money to spend, spend it on them.”

Commonwealth Choir is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Sophie Coran is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Dumhi is splitting sales of its new Fermented Spirits EP between local food banks and the Philadelphia Bail Fund.

Todd Fausnacht is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

Chris Forsyth is donating 100% of Friday sales split evenly between Black Lives Matter Philly, Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, and People’s Paper Co Op,

Great Time is donating 100% of Friday sales split evenly between Philadelphia Community Bail Out and Black Visions Collective.

Julian is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Last Full Measure is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Brian McBrearty‘s new project Ashe Fields is donating 100% of Friday sales to Campaign Zero.

The Naked Sun is donating 100% of Friday sales to Mighty Writers.

Northern Gloom is donating 100% of Friday sales to the National Bail Fund.

Queen of Jeans is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Psychic Teens is donating 100% of Friday sales to Black Lives Matter Philly.

The Retinas is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Rosali is donating 100% of Friday sales split evenly between the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund and Black Visions Collective.

Sad13 is donating all Bandcamp sales to bail funds around the country.

Settled Arrows is donating 100% of Friday sales to Campaign Zero.

Stella Ruze is donating 100% of Friday sales to The Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project

Swim Camp is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Bail Fund.

Teenage Bigfoot is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Tubey Frank is donating 100% of Friday sales to Black Lives Matter.

Video Cult is donating 100% of Friday sales to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Wicca Phase Springs Eternal is matching proceeds from all sales with a donation to National Bail Out.

Denison Witmer is donating 100% of proceeds to the Black Mamas Matter Alliance.