On March 20, Bandcamp waived their revenue cut for 24 hours, in an effort to help artists and labels struggling in the face of gig cancellations due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The initiative was met with phenomenal public support, with fans purchasing nearly 800,000 items and putting $4.3 million into the pockets of musicians – making March 20 the site's biggest ever sales day. Now, Bandcamp are set to do it all over again, by waiving their fees on Friday, May 1.

In a letter to artists and labels, Bandcamp's CEO Ethan Diamond noted that March 20 "was an inspiring day, and we heard many requests to do it again, so we're going to do exactly that (and a bit more)."

More details on the May 1 initiative are expected next week.

With countless musicians facing extreme financial difficulty due to gig cancelations and social restrictions, there's never been a better time to support your favourite artists. Last month, Hot Press launched the #HotPressMyLovelyTshirt campaign – encouraging music fans across the country and beyond to show their support for Irish musicians by posting a photo of themselves wearing their favourite homegrown band t-shirt. With Bandcamp waiving their 10% cut on merchandise on May 1, you'll be able to once again stock up on quality merch from your favourites artists – while knowing that your money will be going directly into the musicians' pockets.