# Bandcamp Genre Tag Scraper (`parseforge/bandcamp-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes Bandcamp releases by genre tag. Returns title, artist, price, and tag metadata for each release. Sort by top or new.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/bandcamp-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Videos, Other
- **Stats:** 10 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $19.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### Bandcamp Genre Tag Scraper

**Scrape Bandcamp releases by genre tag, up to a million per run.** Every release comes with its title, artist, price, and tag metadata. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Bandcamp's official API needs a developer account and rate-limits you. This reads the public genre tag pages directly, filtered by sort order, and returns each release in one fixed schema. Search by any tag, from ambient to punk, and get the latest or best-selling releases.

| Who uses it | What they scrape Bandcamp for |
|---|---|
| Music supervisors | Finding new tracks for film and TV sync licensing |
| A\&R researchers | Discovering emerging artists in a specific genre |
| Playlist curators | Building genre-specific playlists with fresh releases |
| Music journalists | Tracking what is new and popular in a scene |
| Data analysts | Studying pricing and release patterns across genres |

### What it does

This Actor collects Bandcamp releases by genre tag and returns each one as a flat row.

- 🏷️ **Genre tag browsing:** enter any tag like ambient, jazz, punk, or electronic.
- 🔢 **Flexible volume:** from 10 preview items to 1,000,000 releases per run.
- ↕️ **Sort control:** choose Top (best selling) or New (recently released).

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with Bandcamp data

**🎬 Sync licensing scouting.**

A music supervisor runs the Actor on the ambient tag, sorts by new, and reviews the latest releases to shortlist tracks for a film project.

**🎤 A\&R discovery.**

An A\&R researcher scrapes the punk tag sorted by top to identify best-selling independent artists worth signing.

**📊 Genre trend analysis.**

A data analyst collects a year of electronic releases and compares pricing and release frequency across subgenres.

**📻 Playlist curation.**

A playlist curator pulls the newest jazz releases each week and adds the standout tracks to a public playlist.

### Why choose this scraper

| | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key** | Reads public Bandcamp pages directly, no registration or OAuth. |
| **One fixed schema** | Every release returns the same flat fields, ready for analysis. |
| **Scale on demand** | From 10 preview items to a million releases per run. |
| **Export anywhere** | CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML for your pipeline. |

### How it compares

This Actor focuses on scraping releases by a single genre tag with sort control, while competitors offer broader search or additional data types.

| Feature | ParseForge | Bandcamp Scraper - Artists, Albums, Tracks & Tags | Bandcamp New Release Scraper | Bandcamp Album & Artist Scraper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrape by genre tag | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sort by top (best selling) | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Sort by new (recently released) | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
| Scrape up to 1,000,000 releases | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Export to JSON/CSV | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Export to Excel/XML | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a single genre tag, and the sort filter runs as each release is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
 "tag": "ambient",
 "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
 "tag": "ambient",
 "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.021 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $2.10 |
| 1,000 results | $21.00 |
| 10,000 results | $210.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [Bandcamp Genre Tag Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/bandcamp-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Bandcamp through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/bandcamp-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check that the tag you entered exists on Bandcamp. Try a common tag like ambient or jazz. Also ensure maxItems is set to at least 1.

**Why am I only getting 10 items?**

Free users are limited to 10 items as a preview. Upgrade to a paid plan to increase maxItems up to 1,000,000.

**The sort order is not what I expected.**

Make sure you selected the correct sort option: Top for best-selling or New for recently released. The default is Top.

**Some fields are empty in the output.**

Not all releases have every field filled on Bandcamp. Empty fields mean the data was not present on the page.

**The run fails with an error.**

Check the Actor log for details. Often it is a temporary network issue. Retry the run, and if it persists, contact support.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is a Bandcamp genre tag? | A genre tag is a keyword that artists and labels attach to their releases, like ambient, jazz, or punk. You can browse any tag on Bandcamp's Discover pages. |
| Do I need a Bandcamp account or API key? | No. The Actor reads the public tag pages directly, so no login, API key, or OAuth is required. |
| How many releases can I scrape? | Free users are limited to 10 items as a preview. Paid users can set maxItems up to 1,000,000. |
| What does each release row include? | Each row includes the release title, artist, price, and tag metadata, along with other fields from the Bandcamp page. The exact fields are shown in the sample output. |
| Can I sort the results? | Yes, choose Top for best-selling releases or New for recently released ones. |
| Can I scrape multiple tags at once? | This Actor takes one tag per run. Run it multiple times with different tags to cover multiple genres. |
| What export formats are supported? | You can export the dataset as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |
| Is this legal? | You should only scrape public data in accordance with Bandcamp's terms of service and applicable laws. The Actor does not bypass any access controls. |
| How often is the data updated? | The Actor reads live pages on each run, so the data is as current as Bandcamp's public pages. |
| Can I schedule this Actor to run automatically? | Yes, you can set up a schedule in Apify to run it daily, weekly, or at any interval. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Bandcamp, Inc. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `tag` (type: `string`):

Music genre or tag to browse on Bandcamp (e.g. "ambient", "jazz", "punk", "electronic").

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Free users: Limited to 10 items (preview). Paid users: Optional, max 1,000,000.

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Sort order for results.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "tag": "ambient",
  "maxItems": 10,
  "sort": "top"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "tag": "ambient",
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/bandcamp-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "tag": "ambient",
    "maxItems": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/bandcamp-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "tag": "ambient",
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/bandcamp-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/bandcamp-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/nLu2rAaFkntdW6Jev/builds/uqhcqAXTqrvfrjoQV/openapi.json