# Switch from Bandcamp to Fanful: migration guide

A practical migration checklist for creators evaluating Fanful as a Bandcamp alternative.

## Migration posture

Respect existing music buyers and collectors. Fanful can become the owned artist home while Bandcamp continues to handle historical purchases, marketplace discovery, downloads, and music-native buying habits until replacement flows are proven.

## Migration stages

### 1. Inventory the current stack
List what Bandcamp currently owns before changing any live fan-facing path.

- Inventory albums, tracks, merch, subscriptions, fan messages, download access, mailing list exports, embeds, and artist-page links.
- Keep Bandcamp purchase continuity intact while choosing which owned-site pages Fanful should host first.

### 2. Map fan jobs into Fanful
Decide which jobs should become native Fanful surfaces and which should remain linked or temporarily external.

- Artists who want Bandcamp-style directness plus their own site, dates, lessons, memberships, live rooms, and admin workflows.
- Separate content, commerce, membership, community, lesson, live, email, and analytics needs so each one has an owner.

### 3. Run in parallel before cutover
Keep the source platform live while the Fanful destination is checked by humans and agents.

- Decide how releases, subscriber-only content, live events, and lesson offers should be represented in a unified fan account.
- Replace social and site links gradually so buyers can still find existing Bandcamp purchases.

## Data map

| Source data | Fanful destination | Handling note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Albums, tracks, merch, artwork, and embeds | Media library, release pages, and shop offers | Keep purchase links intact while recreating the owned artist presentation. |
| Fans, supporters, messages, and mailing list exports | Fan profiles and email/community segments | Import contact context only where export rights and consent are clear. |
| Subscriptions and subscriber-only items | Membership benefits and protected media | Move benefits only after subscribers know what remains on Bandcamp. |
| Artist page links and social destinations | Artist homepage and campaign pages | Switch primary links gradually to avoid breaking existing purchases. |

## Cutover checks

- The Fanful comparison page for Bandcamp still describes the tradeoff honestly.
- Every migrated fan path has a fallback link to the old platform during the transition.
- Paid access, export rights, and email consent are documented before any audience import.
- The markdown guide mirrors the browser guide so agents can audit the migration plan.

## Related pages

- [Fanful vs Bandcamp](/compare/bandcamp-alternative.md)
- [Fanful compare hub](/compare.md)
- [Fanful roadmap](https://fanful.net/roadmap)

## Source links

- [Bandcamp for Artists](https://bandcamp.com/artists)
- [Bandcamp subscriptions](https://bandcamp.com/subscriptions)
- [Bandcamp Live](https://bandcamp.com/about_livestreams)