Listening to new music all day, picking out curiosities and favourites to show to the rest of the world – what a dream job! As Chief Curator at Bandcamp, Andrew Jervis is, among other things, in charge of label and artist outreach, and hosts the Bandcamp Weekly show. He will visit NZ as a speaker for the Going Global Music Summit on September 1-2 in Auckland. Anzel Singh got to quiz him about tips to get the most out of his Bandcamp.

What advice would you give a musician wanting to get their song displayed on the Bandcamp weekly and daily pages? What’s their best shot?

For the Bandcamp Daily, make sure the editorial team knows about the release at least 2 months beforehand.

Set up a pre-order of the album and make sure you’ve ticked all of the boxes that make a page shine, like: having at least one track streaming for fans to hear, killer album art, liner notes, artist bio, and photos of your LP/packaging or other merch.

Have press photos ready to go that would look awesome on the Bandcamp homepage.

Carefully crafted pitches get our attention. Let us know why this is the right moment for us to interview or feature you. I don’t think we’re too concerned with who recorded or produced your record, instead give us some context, some personal insight.

What characteristics does an artist need to have in order to convince someone in the music industry that they can be a success?

Have a unique story to tell and a sound to match. Be reliable and consistent with your music and also the business side of things. It’s important to have conviction about your music, but be open to positive criticism, too.

What’s the formula or theory behind how you pick songs and the order that they’re curated for the Bandcamp weekly show?

Fortunately for me, there is no formula, I really do just play what I like! The music featured is based on my taste, so each week’s selection is a little musical journey into the interesting and cool music I’ve come across.

I try to make the show pretty inclusive, and I like to feature new and up and coming acts just as much as more household names.

Some weeks I like to start with something that’s energetic and driving, other weeks it could be something striking because it’s more contemplative – it just depends on the mood, but the show should ebb and flow like an eclectic and cohesive mixtape.

What’s a feature on Bandcamp that musicians in New Zealand can utilise to broaden their music exposure to the world and how can they make the most of this?

Providing as much info about you the artist, and about your release (personal insights, anecdotes about the recording, your story!) really help. Make sure you tag your record with the appropriate genres and sub genres. Recommend other releases you like, and have other acts recommend you. Close to 50% of purchases on Bandcamp are cross-border, so having your page dialed-in with all the tips listed above, helps catch fan’s eyes and ears and should put you in good standing.

Recommend other releases you like, and have other acts recommend you. Close to 50% of purchases on Bandcamp are cross-border, so having your page dialled-in with all the tips listed above, helps catch fan’s eyes and ears and should put you in good standing.