Bandcamp Friday: how to prepare for 4 December
By the HyperTribe team. Reviewed by Kimberly, founder. Updated .
The last Bandcamp Friday of 2026 is Friday 4 December. On that day the platform waives its share of every sale, so close to everything a fan pays goes to you. Payment processing fees still come off.
In UK time, plan on 8am Friday to 7am Saturday. The window is midnight to midnight Pacific Time, which is 8am to 8am here in November and December, but the platform's own help page also says PDT in one place, which would make it an hour earlier. Those are the hours both readings share. Don't post at 9am Friday thinking you've got a day left in the evening. You have the whole night.
Here's how we'd prepare for it, starting two weeks out. Reading this in the week of the date? Skip to the Wednesday section and upload tonight.
What does Bandcamp Friday actually change?
On a normal day the platform says an average of 82% of what a fan pays reaches the artist or their label, after its share and payment fees. On a Bandcamp Friday the platform's share is waived and only the payment processor's fee remains. For a £10 purchase, that's roughly another pound in your pocket per sale. It's a nice bonus. It is not the reason to care.
The reason to care is that a fan who buys from you on that platform can be added to your mailing list. When someone buys or follows you, they're given the choice to join your list, and for free downloads you can require an email address. That list is yours to export and use. A stream gives you nothing to reply to. A sale gives you a person.
So the plan below is built to turn one Friday into a bigger list, with the better day's takings as the bonus.
Two weeks out (Fri 20 Nov)
Decide the one thing. Pick one item you'll only sell that day or in small numbers: a test pressing, a live recording, a demo bundle, a signed print, a lyric sheet. One. A fan buys today when it won't be there next month.
Check your page. Is every release up, with the right artwork, credits and prices? Is the "require email address" box ticked on anything you give away free? Is your bio current and does it say where else to find you?
Write to your list first. One short message to the people already on it: what the item is, why it exists, and that it goes up on the Friday. Send it the Wednesday before.
The Wednesday before (Wed 2 Dec)
Upload on the Wednesday, not the Friday. Put the limited item up two days early, set to go live on the day if the tool allows, or live immediately with a note that it's for Friday. Two reasons: anything that breaks has time to be fixed, and the platform's processing and your fans' time zones won't catch you out.
Post once that it's coming. A phone video of the item, in your words, 20 seconds. Say the day and the time in your country.
On the day (8am Friday to 7am Saturday UK)
Post once in the morning with one link. Reply to every comment and thank every buyer by name. If the first buyer posts about it, share that. Don't post six times; nobody buys because of the sixth post.
Watch the sale timestamps if you're near the edges of the window: the platform's payment summary shows times in UTC, and a sale that lands outside the Pacific window takes the normal share.
The week after
Payouts usually reach your account within 24 to 48 hours. Export the new emails into whatever you use for your list, and send one message: thank you, and here's what's next. Those buyers are the first people to hear what you do next.
Kimberly, our founder: “If I were planning around the last one of the year, I'd put the signed item people ask about at shows on it.”
Where this fits
This is the "money" stage of artist development, and one of the few days in the calendar with a built-in reason for a fan to buy. It works best when the release itself was planned back from a date. If you've nothing out and the next release is months away, use the day for a live recording or a demo bundle rather than skipping it.
The one-page Bandcamp Friday checklist has the dates, the UK hours and every step above in order. Download it and put the Wednesday in your calendar now.
- Artist development: what it is, what it costs, and how to tell it's workingthe hub
- Plan your release back from the date
- How to get your first 1,000 fans (not streams)
- How to grow as an independent artist: the next 90 days
- The UK independent release checklist (2026)
- Release countdown calculatorfree tool
- How do you build an email list as a musician?
Questions artists ask
When is the next Bandcamp Friday?
Friday 4 December 2026, the last of the year. The full 2026 calendar had eight: 6 Feb, 6 Mar, 1 May, 7 Aug, 4 Sep, 2 Oct, 6 Nov and 4 Dec. The 2027 dates are usually announced in December.
What time does Bandcamp Friday start in the UK?
Plan on 8am Friday to 7am Saturday, UK time. The official window is midnight to midnight Pacific Time, which is 8am to 8am in November and December, but the help page also says PDT in one line, which would be an hour earlier. Those are the safe hours either way.
Does the artist get 100% on Bandcamp Friday?
The platform waives its share. Payment processor fees still apply, so slightly under 100%. On a normal day the platform says artists or labels receive 82% on average.
Should I release new music on Bandcamp Friday?
Only if the release was already planned for then. A new single deserves its own planned release day. Use Bandcamp Friday for the limited item, the live recording or the back catalogue, and let it feed your list.
Do I get the buyer's email address?
Buyers and followers are offered the choice to join your mailing list, and you can require an email for free downloads. You can export that list. Ask people to tick the box.
I'm not on Bandcamp. Is it worth setting up for one day?
Yes, for the list. A page takes an evening, and the day is just the first reason to send people to it.
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