"Is Bandcamp the Holy Grail of Online Record Stores?"

[Andy]

Not my kind of music, but interesting business model.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/arts/music/bandcamp-shopping-for-music.html?_r=0

[Bill Hart]

I've wound up there several times as a result of searching for more info about a current band. In terms of business models, who knows? I think the industry is so fragmented, and the shift away from physical media so pronounced, that the only sure thing is that big data is going to get bigger. (unless it doesn't). The other "sure thing" is that anyone with a market edge or following is likely to be bought out, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, particularly if you are one of the founders. The issue for me is that no one site, vendor or aggregator can possibly fulfill my needs and interests, so I could be buying from Amazon, from some small dealer in Manchester, UK, or from Discogs. It really depends on what I'm chasing at the moment.

[Andy]

The issue for me is that no one site, vendor or aggregator can possibly fulfill my needs and interests, so I could be buying from Amazon, from some small dealer in Manchester, UK, or from Discogs. It really depends on what I'm chasing at the moment.

+1 , to which I would add HDTracks; NativeDSD; Blue Coast, etc.

[Alex Siufy]

Bandcamp is great, it hosts such a variety of artists and music that's really mind boggling. Such a simple concept, and very nicely executed too. The artist has good control on how he wants to expose his music, as you can have just digital downloads (including lossless), but also sell CDs, vinyl, and other merch.

I'm an early user, and I usually end up purchasing 10-12 albums a month, after going through several others!

[rbbert]

It's also nice to be able to sample music free, often even in hi-res quality, and/or decide yourself how much you want to pay for it.