Fight For Your Right... To Fight Back!
February 1, 2017 4:07 AM   Subscribe

In recent days, the technology sector has responded to the so-called #MuslimBan in a variety of ways, from Jeff Bezos pledging legal action to Uber... well, being Uber. As the ACLU turns its massive uptick in donations into tech skills, 'artist-empowering' digital music service Bandcamp is putting its money to work in service of the cause. On Friday 3rd February, Bandcamp will donate 100% of their share of all purchases to the ACLU.

The Bandcamp blog post includes music recommendations, but I'm sure MeFites will add their own as well.
posted by prismatic7 (54 comments total) 29 users marked this as a favorite
 
At long last, I'm now a "card-carrying ACLU member". I got fed up with the online petitions, many of which seem to be mining email addresses.
posted by coldhotel at 4:28 AM on February 1, 2017 [7 favorites]


We joined the ACLU last night too. Do you realize their average annual donations are around $4 million, and people have donated like $26 million since this thing? ACLU!
posted by heatherlogan at 4:44 AM on February 1, 2017 [16 favorites]


people have donated like $26 million since this thing

That's encouraging, but if they needed $4 million under Obama, they're going to need $4 billion under Trump/Bannon/Putin.
posted by pracowity at 5:09 AM on February 1, 2017 [7 favorites]


I was going to pledge money from the terrible, puerile album my high school band has on Bandcamp to the ACLU as well, but I'm already in hock to Bandcamp for a couple bucks, so if you want to buy my album, just give a few bucks to the ACLU or SPLC instead and download it for free. (You probably don't want to actually listen to it, though.)
posted by uncleozzy at 5:10 AM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]


I set up a modest monthly donation to the ACLU over the weekend and am encouraging others to do the same.
posted by bunderful at 5:12 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Is this the right thread to add Bandcamp recommendations? If so, well, here's my collection. It's mostly electronic drone/ambient music, sound art, and some skronky indie rock. Mostly of Canadian origin. Highlights:

Most rhythmic: Bataille Solaire - Dolbys ON

Least rhythmic: Sarah Davachi - Dominions

Most lyrical: The Cardboard City - Heavy Paper

Most danceable: Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band - Juguya

(If there's a better place to share these let me know.)
posted by sixohsix at 5:13 AM on February 1, 2017 [3 favorites]


I wonder how long it will take this administration to declare the ACLU a "terrorist sympathizer" or "funding terrorists" or somesuch, thus making them a target for freezing of bank accounts and the like?
posted by Thorzdad at 5:16 AM on February 1, 2017 [6 favorites]


If we're doing that, here's some weird electronic music I've enjoyed:

Atomic Shadow: Shortwave Robot Pants

Princess Gleech Rules the Sky!!!

NYZ: DRN4
posted by Foosnark at 5:26 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Well, now's as good a time as any to put in another plug for the tragic album on Bandcamp that I made with my wife just before she left me hoping it would help us get our marriage back on track and give me something to feel good about through my recovery from spice addiction and other recent traumas... It's too painful for me to listen to it anymore, but a lot of pointless work went into it, lol.
posted by saulgoodman at 5:45 AM on February 1, 2017 [4 favorites]


For a second I thought that was TangerineMeenie and this thread had become sort of awkward.
posted by fullerine at 6:00 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


We recently had a Mefi thread about Bandcamp's best of 2016 list, and you'll find tons of great recommendations there as well.

Some of mine that weren't released in 2016:
Rainbow Chan, Long Vacation
Trails and Ways, Pathology
Glockabelle, Wolf BBQ
Suiyoubi no Campanella, Jugem j'taime
kitty, impatiens
OK?NO!!, Party
posted by chrominance at 6:00 AM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]


The night before the inauguration I staged a ukulele flash mob at South Station in Boston. We initially got permission to have the flash mob inside the station, but the T pulled our permission at the last minute because the management company was concerned about the political aspect of our flash mob.

One of the stipulations of getting permission from the T was that we couldn't raise money while we were inside the station. Since we changed our location to the sidewalk, I used the opportunity to raise money for the ACLU. We made enough to cover the cost of a membership. Since I didn't want to benefit from the work we all did, and since I knew the person who got our permission rescinded...

A member of the management company is now a card-carrying member of the ACLU. [/Nelson Muntz laugh]
posted by pxe2000 at 6:01 AM on February 1, 2017 [12 favorites]


saulgoodman I never thought I would meet a person with worse marketing skills than me (I am sorry you are dealing with all those painful experiences and I hope things start looking up soon).

I set up a modest monthly donation to the ACLU over the weekend and am encouraging others to do the same.

I can't really afford a monthly donation, but I filled in an application to volunteer a couple of days ago. Haven't heard from them yet, I really hope they contact me.
posted by Tarumba at 6:07 AM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]


You could join Phat Bollard for some True Words and discover Everything's Fine.
posted by Catblack at 6:15 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


How much of this is principled and how much is an effort to muddy the forthcoming debate on H1 and L1 visa reform, which is along with The Wall/anti-sanctuary and extreme vetting are the three legs of Trump's immigration policy. I also wonder if people who are protesting thoe other two legs will refuse to take the tech jobs that H1 and L1 reform will make available.
posted by MattD at 6:40 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Speaking as someone who has been a strident supporter of H1 reform, I don't trust this group to boil water, let alone reform visa policy. So yeah, I don't see how this is a reason to not support opposition to these shortsighted, hateful policies.
posted by NoxAeternum at 6:54 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Meanwhile, Zuck phones in a pretty lukewarm statement from Palo-Alto-Upon-Princeville. Since I know many here have dropped FB:

My great grandparents came from Germany, Austria and Poland. Priscilla's parents were refugees from China and Vietnam. The United States is a nation of immigrants, and we should be proud of that.

Like many of you, I'm concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump.

We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat. Expanding the focus of law enforcement beyond people who are real threats would make all Americans less safe by diverting resources, while millions of undocumented folks who don't pose a threat will live in fear of deportation.

We should also keep our doors open to refugees and those who need help. That's who we are. Had we turned away refugees a few decades ago, Priscilla's family wouldn't be here today.

That said, I was glad to hear President Trump say he's going to "work something out" for Dreamers -- immigrants who were brought to this country at a young age by their parents. Right now, 750,000 Dreamers benefit from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that allows them to live and work legally in the US. I hope the President and his team keep these protections in place, and over the next few weeks I'll be working with our team at FWD.us to find ways we can help.

I'm also glad the President believes our country should continue to benefit from "people of great talent coming into the country."

These issues are personal for me even beyond my family. A few years ago, I taught a class at a local middle school where some of my best students were undocumented. They are our future too. We are a nation of immigrants, and we all benefit when the best and brightest from around the world can live, work and contribute here. I hope we find the courage and compassion to bring people together and make this world a better place for everyone.
 Anyone MeFites feel like showing up in groups to the local meetings held by this techbro FWD.US outfit? LA's chapter is supposed to be focused on immigration but for all their flashy materials they've been silent.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:05 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


saulgoodman I never thought I would meet a person with worse marketing skills than me

It's my Achilles heel for sure, because I loathe marketing and consciously selling feels scummy.

Bandcamp is one of the few new brightspots for independent music. I'm so glad they're starting to take more of a role in curating and marketing the new music releases in their catalog. We need new ways for music with broad appeal to float up and reach mass audiences because having some common cultural touchstones helps keep a society getting along and the old gatekeepers aren't doing the job very well anymore in the face of the new economic realities of the industry, imo.
posted by saulgoodman at 7:06 AM on February 1, 2017


Here's the Bandcamp page for my band Miracle Beard. All the music is pay what you can, so if you want to download for free & just give money directly to the ACLU, that's cool, too. Bonjour, Jupiter is our most recent release: it's trippy Space Disco, for the most part. We started as Low-Fi Freak Folk (think Sebadoh meets Daniel Johnston, or early Beck or early Ween) so if that's more your scene you should check out our 1st album We Are The Teeth.

 By all means donate to the ACLU but there are lots of smaller groups who could also use a hand. Here's a few suggestions. Please give if you can!
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 7:19 AM on February 1, 2017 [4 favorites]


Inspired by the bandcamp announcement, my band is donating any money we make from album sales at our show on the 3rd to the ACLU.
posted by drezdn at 7:35 AM on February 1, 2017 [4 favorites]


Now is a really good time to donate to the Southern Poverty Law Center. They also do very important things, are a key organization at a time such as this, and they aren't nearly as flush with cash as the ACLU is now.

Also, they don't have any questionable associations with groups that shitbag Thiel is involved with, so you can feel clean giving them money.
posted by evilangela at 7:41 AM on February 1, 2017 [17 favorites]


Good on Bandcamp! I get most of music there these days, this is my current collection which I will enjoy to adding to Friday.

I don't have any music from countries on the banned list (any recs?) but for something somewhat topical, how about Generacion Suicida, a really good Mexican-American punk band (with vocals in Spanish).
posted by rodlymight at 7:42 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


This is me. EPs are pay what you want, albums are €3 (but 50% off in a bundle)

I wish Bandcamp set up permanently to set aside a percentage of sales to a partner of choice (like the humble bundles). I'll drop them a line to suggest that.
posted by lmfsilva at 7:44 AM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]


On the one hand, whatever gets people to delete their Uber accounts works for me. On the other, I'm a little perturbed that so many ostensibly progressive people ever signed on to a service that saves you a couple bucks by taking jobs from (often immigrant) working class people who've invested serious time and money in their jobs and replacing them with untrained, unscreened part-timers with no benefits. Lyft isn't the answer either, even if their PR team and donations are more palatable.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:53 AM on February 1, 2017 [12 favorites]


In other "fuck Trump" music news, engineer and guitarist extraordinaire Kurt Ballou (Converge) is offering free time at Godcity Studios for bands that want to put together an anti-Trump benefit comp, with other engineers jumping in as well. Knowing these guys, it's probably going to be awesome pissed off hardcore/crust/grind.
posted by Existential Dread at 8:10 AM on February 1, 2017 [5 favorites]


I have 4 albums up on Bandcamp. I harbor no illusions of grandeur (we've sold 3 total in 3 years) but I'll pass along 100% of any proceeds for the next week to the ACLU.
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:33 AM on February 1, 2017 [3 favorites]


Since other people are doing it. This is my current band on bandcamp. If you want to get a ton of music cheap, there's also one of my old bands, where you can get the entire discography for something like $3.
posted by drezdn at 9:11 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


It seems to be missing from Verge's list but Joel Spolsky of Stack Overflow also posted a statement against the ban.
posted by L.P. Hatecraft at 9:23 AM on February 1, 2017


I'll make a tiny plug for my old band too.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:40 AM on February 1, 2017


My love of Bandcamp knows no bounds.

Current fave: Shana Falana (dreamy shoe-gazery, all sounds coming from one lady's guitar and effects rig) + great drummer

(and here's my self-link: DoOoM)
posted by gwint at 9:53 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Some of my fave Bandcamp artists, mostly nerdy pop with an emphasis on vocals: Neil Gaiman audiobooks, The Unlovables, The Decemberists, The Doubleclicks, Vienna Teng, Kristin Hersh, Bree Sharp / Beautiful Small Machines (previously), Imogen Heap, Mary Lambert, Miou Miou, The Weakerthans. Basically if there's a pop artist you like, they probably have a song on Bandcamp SOMEWHERE.

Comicbook fans: To benefit the ACLU, artist David Mack & retailer Golden Apple Comics are selling ~$30 signed prints of this beautiful portrait by Mack of Muslim superhero Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel (a protest favorite), as well as signed copies of the Champions #1 comic for which Mack's portrat was a variant cover. They're also selling on eBay.

Also, if you're looking for a cool personalized gift for someone, a LOT of artists on Twitter are offering inexpensive commissions to benefit organizations like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. I am sorely tempted to order a portrait of my cat.
posted by nicebookrack at 10:09 AM on February 1, 2017 [4 favorites]


On the one hand, whatever gets people to delete their Uber accounts works for me. On the other, I'm a little perturbed that so many ostensibly progressive people ever signed on to a service that saves you a couple bucks by taking jobs from (often immigrant) working class people who've invested serious time and money in their jobs and replacing them with untrained, unscreened part-timers with no benefits. Lyft isn't the answer either, even if their PR team and donations are more palatable.


Uber/Lyft are only marginally about that. While they go much too far, they surged ahead on a promise to change the power dynamic - taxi services in many cities are absolute garbage and the drivers can be outright hostile, bad at their jobs, etc., and the consumer has relatively little recourse - even the attempts to set up third-party hotlines were famed for their ineffectiveness. See Toronto, where the taxi companies only belatedly set up a feedback system in August 2016 after being under attack from the upstarts. As for "untrained, unscreened", one doesn't have to go far to find horror stories about supposedly "trained and screened" taxi drivers.

In addition, the medallion system has been fucked for a long time now. There's no reason for there to be a secondary market for them where they're investments by rent-seeking businesses. They've also been artificially inflating ride prices for customers.

Yes, I'm upset at the abuse built-in to the Uber/Lyft systems. But let's not pretend that the taxi industry was some kind of idyll.
posted by pahalial at 10:10 AM on February 1, 2017 [3 favorites]


If you buy the new Nazi-punching classic "Richard Spencer" by Tim Heidecker, it'll also benefit the NAACP!
posted by nicebookrack at 10:10 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


But let's not pretend that the taxi industry was some kind of idyll.

I will lay $10 of my money for every comment by anyone in the history of MetaFilter that can reasonably be read to say something like that against $1 of your money for every comment that decries people pretending that the taxi industry is perfect. And I'll give you yours free.
posted by Etrigan at 11:37 AM on February 1, 2017 [3 favorites]


Let's not have a derail on Uber vs. Taxis again please. Or the harm your consumption causes that mine does not, etc etc.
posted by ODiV at 11:42 AM on February 1, 2017


If you buy the new Nazi-punching classic “Richard Spencer” by Tim Heidecker, it'll also benefit the NAACP!

Also the newer Tim Heidecker classic, “Trump Tower”, will let you send money to Standing Rock

It’s worth reiterating (though both the post and Bandcamp say it themselves) but this is only Bandcamp’s cut, which is (by design) a small fraction of the whole album’s cost. So great on them! But maybe buy some of the comps that are also donating their entire take: Wish I could vouch for the quality of all of these, but besides the Shigeto, Pinegrove, Allergy Season, and Ondo Fudd, I cannot. Everybody wants to get on the anti-Trump train, which makes it a weirdly good time to be a consumer of certain types of entertainment.

(And, of course, there are non-Bandcamp compilations out there like Battle Hymns)
posted by Going To Maine at 12:21 PM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


On my electronica radio show tonight I will be featuring music from all 7 banned countries. I will make sure to give the Bandcamp item a huge shout out. Thanks for this timely post!
posted by aeshnid at 1:16 PM on February 1, 2017


I don't think anyone is saying taxi service is perfect... only that ride shares were a bullshit Libertarian "the free market will fix everything!" kind of delusion.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:48 PM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Here's my bandcamp. It's a bunch of sci fi lit inspired heavy ambient/experimental. Most mefites who would want to buy it probably already have, but it's there.
posted by loquacious at 2:49 PM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]


Now that a few other folks have added their own music to the thread and I am some distance off threadsitting, here's my stuff. Like others here, I'll be donating the proceeds from any sales on the 3rd to the ACLU.
posted by prismatic7 at 3:52 PM on February 1, 2017


Here's some lush new acid: Tin Man's Dripping Acid.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:12 PM on February 1, 2017


Also, Drag City just moved its entire catalog to Bandcamp - so that's some more stuff to get.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:19 PM on February 1, 2017


On the one hand, whatever gets people to delete their Uber accounts works for me. On the other, I'm a little perturbed that so many ostensibly progressive people ever signed on to a service that saves you a couple bucks by taking jobs from (often immigrant) working class people who've invested serious time and money in their jobs and replacing them with untrained, unscreened part-timers with no benefits. Lyft isn't the answer either, even if their PR team and donations are more palatable.

I mean, I would love to not use Lyft, but when there's no public transportation after midnight and cab companies literally won't answer the phone, my desire to make my lifestyle personally uncomfortable in solidarity for a better tomorrow gets real hard to justify when that means I have a two-hour walk home, you know?
posted by Automocar at 9:50 PM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


So I got pretty pissed off at Elon Musk's waffling appeasement of Trump, so I made Martian Immigration Nightmare. It's an online visual novel where you're in a spaceport and have to try and make it to your Mars rocket...

I dedicated the game to Musk in the hopes that he might play it and maybe see a parallel between the people who are just trying to get home, to their family, their lives, and himself, who dreams of traveling through space.
posted by Zarkonnen at 4:40 AM on February 2, 2017 [5 favorites]


Well, my making a list of comps donating their proceeds just became moot. Some excellent news for music buyers courtesy of Bandcamp itself: “#NoBanNoWall: Over 150 Labels & Artists Join Us in Donating Friday’s Profits to the ACLU”
posted by Going To Maine at 12:04 PM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]


Also, if you don’t have a copy of the pretty-dang-great puzzle game Fez, it’s currently pay-what-you-can with proceeds going to the ACLU over at itch.io.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:06 PM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]


I wonder if all the Trumptweeters who were LOLing at the Uber boycott last week have severe whiplash from their sudden change of direction.
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:51 PM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]


A new article from FACT, albeit that recaps older “Best of Bandcamp” columns: “ 33 essential Bandcamp releases you should buy to support the ACLU this Friday”
posted by Going To Maine at 11:30 PM on February 2, 2017


Happy Friday! Hope everyone is stocking up for a good cause today.

All of my releases are going 100% to the ACLU including vinyl and cassette purchases. That link is a quick guide to my catalog.

Here's what I've bought. Everything through Lykanthea is 100% ACLU (i.e., both the label/artist and Bandcamp donating).

A couple I don't see on the Bandcamp list:
Orange Milk - LP Bundle sale for the ACLU (not through Bandcamp)
NNA Tapes
posted by naju at 3:08 AM on February 3, 2017


Another album worth nothing: Earthen Sea - A Serious Thing ("100% of the profits from this release will be donated to the following organizations: International Refugee Assistance Project, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, National Lawyers Guild")
posted by naju at 3:16 AM on February 3, 2017


It isn't much and I'm way late to this party but I will add my meagre pennies to the pot and donate any proceeds from sales of They Don't Run Your Life today.
posted by chococat at 9:28 AM on February 3, 2017


https://caitbrennan.bandcamp.com/ — Debutante was one of my all-time favorite records of last year, and it's only $5, plus Cait's put up her live album for One Day Only (also $5) for the ACLU drive.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 2:32 PM on February 3, 2017


Woot, someone bought an album!

Hrm, apparently I also still owe money to Bandcamp via revenue sharing shenanigans. But it's cool that this is a thing that happened. Weird music I made a few years ago just put a few coins towards ACLU.

Considering I owe money to Bandcamp, and considering I used to have this link openly posted on my profile so here are both albums for free download. It includes the full album art, a sticker sheet and text statement.

Instead, donate directly to the ACLU.

Alternatively if you wish to donate directly to my favorite local registered non profit, contact me for a link. It's a unique coffee shop / soup kitchen / sober / safe resource space that is a local treasure and feeds a lot people for free. I've been volunteering there for a bit over a month, now, and it's highly rewarding to be able to enthusiastically feed people without exchanging any money or caring about it.

(It doesn't even have to be in my name or pseudonym. I might prefer it if it wasn't, really. They already think I'm awesome and it's kind of embarrassing to be appreciated so much.)
posted by loquacious at 6:43 PM on February 3, 2017 [2 favorites]


People spent hundreds on my music! It's all going to the ACLU. Pretty fantastic.
posted by naju at 1:19 AM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]


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