How to Redeem a Bandcamp Code
Someone handed you a Bandcamp code, or you claimed one on GetMusic, and now you have eight characters and a dash and no idea where to type them. This is the walkthrough. It takes about a minute once you know where the page is, and the page is the part nobody tells you: codes are redeemed on the artist's own Bandcamp address, not on bandcamp.com. Below is the exact URL pattern, the steps, a format table so you do not stall on the download screen, and what to do when a code refuses to work.
Step 1: find the artist's /yum page
Every Bandcamp artist and label has a redemption page at their own subdomain followed by /yum:
artistname.bandcamp.com/yum
So if the artist's page is lakebedrecords.bandcamp.com, the code page is lakebedrecords.bandcamp.com/yum. There is no generic bandcamp.com/yum; typing that will not get you anywhere. If you are not sure of the artist's subdomain, open any of their releases and look at the address bar. Everything before .bandcamp.com is what you need.
Artists often skip this step for you by sending a pre-filled link:
artistname.bandcamp.com/yum?code=K7PQ-3XWM
If your code arrived as a link like that, click it and the code is already in the box. GetMusic gives you this link automatically when you claim a code, so if you came from there you can jump to step 3.
Step 2: enter the code
The page has one field. Type or paste the code exactly as written, dash included: two groups of four characters, eight characters in total. Then press the button to redeem.
Before you do, log in to your Bandcamp account if you have one. This is the step people regret skipping. A code redeemed while logged in puts the release in your collection, where you can re-download it later and stream it in the Bandcamp app. If you do not have an account, make one now; it is free, and every future code you redeem will land in the same place.
Step 3: choose a format
After the code is accepted, Bandcamp asks which format you want. There are eight options, and the right one depends on where you listen.
| Format | Choose it if |
|---|---|
| MP3 320 | You are not sure. It plays on everything and the files are small. Bandcamp's own recommendation for compatibility. |
| MP3 V0 | You want MP3 with slightly smaller files at a similar quality. |
| FLAC | You want the best copy. Lossless, with the artwork and track info embedded. Bandcamp prefers it over WAV for exactly that reason. |
| ALAC | You want lossless and your library is Apple Music or iTunes. |
| AAC | You specifically need AAC for an older Apple device or app. |
| Ogg Vorbis | You use a player that prefers it. Most people can skip this one. |
| WAV or AIFF | You are burning an audio CD or importing into recording software. These are uncompressed and carry no tags or artwork, so they are not the format to archive in. |
You can only pick one format per redemption, so choose carefully. If you want both an MP3 for your phone and a FLAC for home, the FLAC is the one to keep; you can convert down from it later but not up.
Step 4: download, and find it in your collection
Bandcamp prepares a zip of the release and gives you a download link. Download it right away. The code never expired while it sat in your pocket, but once redeemed, the download link only allows a few attempts inside a limited window. Do not bookmark it for next month.
If you were logged in, the release is now in your Bandcamp collection. That means three things:
- You can re-download it from your collection page later, even after the original link has lapsed.
- It streams in the Bandcamp app on your phone, with no limit, exactly like a purchase.
- It shows on your public profile as something you own, which is how a lot of Bandcamp discovery happens between fans.
If you were not logged in, there is no collection for the release to land in, so keep the zip file somewhere safe. That is fine if a file is all you wanted, but it is why we keep saying to log in first.
Redeeming on a phone
The /yum page works in a mobile browser, and a pre-filled link from a text message or a GetMusic claim opens straight into it. The one thing to plan for is the zip file: a phone is not a great place to unpack a lossless album. If you mainly listen on your phone, redeem while logged in, pick any format, and then just stream the release from the Bandcamp app. Download the files again on a computer later from your collection if you want them on disk.
A note on pre-orders
If the release is still in pre-order, a code unlocks the whole album, not just the preview tracks. Artists use this to get the record to reviewers and to fans who backed them early, so if you redeem a pre-order code and get more than the public page shows, that is on purpose. Enjoy it and keep it to yourself until release day.
When the code does not work
Bandcamp will tell you the code is invalid or has already been redeemed. Three things cause nearly every case.
It was typed wrong
On a printed card, a zero and a capital O, or a one and a capital I, are easy to swap. Try the alternatives before you assume the code is dead. If you have a pre-filled link, use that instead of retyping.
It was already used
Codes are single-use, and Bandcamp has said there is no plan for multi-use codes. Codes posted in public, on a social feed or a forum, get consumed by whoever is fastest. This is the main reason artists list codes on GetMusic instead: each claim is tracked, so the code you were given is yours and nobody else's.
The download window lapsed
If you redeemed the code a while ago and are now getting an error, the code worked; it is the download link that has expired. Log in to Bandcamp and check your collection. The release is very likely already there, and you can download it again from that page.
None of those
Open the release page on Bandcamp and use the Contact artist link. Send the eight-character code and the name of the item. Artists can see whether a code has been used and can send you a replacement. They generate codes in batches of a hundred, so nobody is going to mind.
Why artists do this
It costs an artist nothing to give you a code: Bandcamp provides them free, 200 to start and more as sales come in. The download does not count as a sale, so the artist is not losing money; they are trading a copy of the record for a listener who chose it on purpose. The full artist-side picture, including how many codes they get and the ways they hand them out, is in our guide to Bandcamp download codes. If the record lands, the way to pay it back is simple: follow them on Bandcamp, tell someone, and buy the next one.