Songtradr has confirmed that it is reviewing a letter sent by the union that represents workers at Bandcamp, the direct-to-fan platform it recently acquired from Epic Games.
Bandcamp employees started to unionise following the company's acquisition by Fortnite maker Epic in March 2022. According to Billboard, the union - Bandcamp United - was recognised in May and began bargaining for better terms in August. However, no deal had been done before Epic announced it was selling the business onto Songtradr at the end of last month.
Epic confirmed the Bandcamp sale at the same time it announced a round of job cuts within its core business. And earlier this week, the union revealed that Bandcamp employees have been told by Epic that there will be some downsizing within the direct-to-fan company as it changes ownership.
Alongside its letter to Songtradr, the union said in a statement: “Bandcamp United is demanding employment offers for all workers; clear, consistent and equitable voluntary severance offers; and recognition of their union at Songtradr with a speedy continuation to bargaining while maintaining all the progress that has been made at the table".
Responding to the letter, Songtradr said yesterday: “We have received Bandcamp United’s letter and are reviewing it. Supporting the Bandcamp community will be our number one priority once the purchase is completed".
"Songtradr does not own or control Bandcamp yet", it added. "We are in the process of acquiring Bandcamp from Epic Games, and we expect the transaction to close within the next few weeks. Epic has committed to running [the monthly] Bandcamp Friday [promotion] as planned and will ensure Bandcamp can continue to operate and support artists through this transition".
As for workers at the company, the Songtradr statement confirmed: "Not all Bandcamp employees will receive offers from Songtradr. Based on its current financials, Bandcamp requires some adjustments to ensure a sustainable and healthy company that can serve its community of artists and fans long into the future".
"Those that don’t receive offers within the next few weeks will receive severance from Epic as part of their layoffs as communicated on 28 Sep", it then said. "We will work towards a fair and equitable outcome for the global members of the Bandcamp team".