Music-sharing platform Bandcamp announced this week that money earned from music sales on Friday will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Bandcamp’s CEO, former Boulderite Ethan Diamond, said when he heard about President Donald Trump’s executive order to bar immigrants and refugees from seven Middle Eastern countries from entering the United States, he “had to do something.”
“Companies are run by people, so most companies have values,” Diamond said. He now lives in San Francisco with his wife and three boys. “I felt like we have an opportunity to use our position to draw attention to something — and I didn’t hesitate to use (Bandcamp).”
Calling Trump’s ban “immoral” and “un-American,” in a phone interview Thursday, his post on Bandcamp cites that he is a descendant of immigrants — just like Trump and “98 percent” of the nation.
“We are, in fact, a nation of immigrants, bound together by a shared belief in justice, equality, and the freedom to pursue a better life,” he wrote.
Diamond said 100 percent of Friday sales (starting at 1:01 a.m. Mountain time) will go to the ACLU — a company, which Diamond said in his post, is “working tirelessly to combat these discriminatory and unconstitutional actions.”
“This is the right thing to do,” Diamond said to the Camera. “We have a chance to help a good cause here and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
His plan immediately gained traction. As of Thursday night, more than 200 bands and record labels joined the cause, making additional donations from their sales.
“I really didn’t anticipate this,” Diamond said. “We didn’t reach out to anybody. We published our post and they all came out of the woodwork. I wasn’t imagining this would happen. It’s really nice to see.”
Diamond, who said he attended Fairview High School in 1987-1989, created the music site in 2007 as a means to help funnel due money into musicians’ pockets. The website cites that, to date, fans have paid artists $197 million using Bandcamp — $5.3 million in the last 30 days alone.
Regardless of who we are — musicians, immigrants, refugees, citizens — we’re all human and “there’s a line when you have to say something,” Diamond said.
“It becomes more of a statement to do nothing, I think, than to do something,” he said. “By doing nothing we would’ve been taking a political stance as well.”
Bandcamp compiled a list of albums made by artists from targeted countries, with Diamond writing: “We believe that knowledge and empathy are crucial weapons against fear and intolerance. We hope that, as you listen to these albums, you’ll not only discover some great new artists, but will also gain a further appreciation and understanding for the way music transcends all borders.”
Does Diamond think America is doomed with Trump as president?
“I’ll put it this way,” he said, laughing, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to do similar (campaigns like this) again in the future.
“I know we’ll be ready.”
Chicago’s Bloodshot Records is a participating label that will be donating proceeds from Bandcamp. Check out the track “American Man,” by former Boulder band The Yawpers (on Bloodshot Records):
American Man by The Yawpers
Christy Fantz: 303-473-1107, fantz@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/fantzypants
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