What the Genre!? vs Bandcamp tags: how artists describe it, how listeners hear it

Bandcamp tags are the artist's own description of a release. What the Genre!? is the listeners' answer for each track. Both are worth having.

An artist picks a top genre from Bandcamp's list, then adds genre tags or makes up their own, and can edit them at any time. The tags help fans find the music in search and in Discover.[1]

That is why Bandcamp is strong on microgenres: artists use the words their scene uses.[2] Bandcamp was bought by Songtradr in 2023.[3]

Tags sit on the release, so an EP with a techno track and an ambient track carries both words for both.

Artists tag to be found. That is fair, but a listener cannot answer back.

A subgenre for each track, voted by listeners with a one-line reason, no account needed.

Each track links to its Bandcamp page when there is one, so buying stays one tap away.

The genre map gives each subgenre a dated, cited history: dub techno, minimal techno.

Discovering and buying from artists directly: Bandcamp. Settling what a track is: search for it here.