Musicians who rely on concert ticket sales are hurting -- shows across the world have been cancelled, leaving bands with little recourse. Thankfully, platforms like Bandcamp and SoundCloud have been softening the blow. The latter is allowing musicians to add a button to their profile pages that links to services like PayPal, Bandcamp and Patreon, so that fans can support them directly. SoundCloud recommends that musicians use their bios to be informative and let fans know what exactly they’re supporting, from groceries, to rent to music production costs. The feature will be available indefinitely so that those affected by the coronavirus pandemic have an easier time staying afloat.

SoundCloud

The button displays prominently in blue above the user’s bio, so fans are unlikely to miss it. Above the button, some text makes it clear that this initiative is meant to support those facing hardships during the coronavirus pandemic: “The COVID-19 virus has impacted the creative community around the world. Show support for your favorite creators.” This strategy could be effective because fans don’t have to buy music to support their favorite bands. In other words, even if they already own their favorite bands’ music, they can still send their support. Hopefully musicians can leverage this feature to make it through these trying times.