Powered by Fans: the Overview
Introduction
Although according to Luminate’s 2023 Year-End Report, only 18% of U.S. music listeners are “super fans,” these superfans spend 68% more on music and 126% more on artist merch than the average music listener (Luminate, 2024). The power of these superfans has only increased in the age of social media and international communication. When examining superfans and the fan community, the trend is no more evident than in K-pop, which in recent years has become known as one of South Korea’s most significant cultural exports. The presence of a global, primarily online fandom helps to facilitate the flow of K-pop because they rely on participatory culture, such as the re-creation and generation of content, to expand past national borders and reach markets that were previously unreachable due to global divides. transcending the language barrier and allowing for the transnational exchange of music and creative content (Jung, 2011). I aim to explore how the success of fandom marketing and artist branding in K-pop can be replicated and built upon in the American music industry. While fandom is certainly well-established in the Western music industry, I believe that artists and record labels are not utilizing the power of fandom as much as they should; by taking time to truly understand an artist’s fanbase and using that knowledge to better market and promote the artist, American record labels can unlock new potential for growth and artistic success beyond just releasing music. In my colloquy, I aim to answer the following questions:
1. How does fandom influence the music industry?
2. What new practices have arisen to capitalize on the power of fandom?
3. How can marketing strategies that have been successfully utilized in K-pop, such as well-defined artist branding and fan promotion, help elevate the American music industry without overly exploiting fans?
These questions were put forth to adequately illustrate the current state of fandom as it relates to the music industry and articulate possible directions in which the American music business could go regarding superfans and fandom marketing. In addition, these questions will inform my recommendations for how the music industry can take advantage of the power of fandom strategically and how artists can better cultivate a dedicated fanbase.
So what is a superfan?
According to Luminate, a superfan is a fan who engages with their favorite artists and their content in five or more different ways (Luminate, 2023). Music fandom, especially, can be reflective of one’s identity, as many fans connect to artists through their lyrics and overall artistic message. This is amplified in superfans—their personal connection is part of what draws them to engage deeply with one artist rather than another. Consequently, Luminate reports that superfans are 59% more likely to want to connect with artists on a more personal level. In many ways, superfans can act as cultural intermediaries or curators for other music listeners due to their passion. In 2023, Luminate reported that superfans were 54% more likely to be early adopters or discoverers of new music and artists. Moreover, they were 43% more likely to enjoy participating in the community or fandom for a specific artist, meaning that engaging with superfans can, in turn, bring more fans into the community (Marconette, 2023). This expression of obsessive superfandom as a form of identity is particularly prevalent in K-pop fan culture. Due to the massive amount of content—musical and non-musical—produced by any given group, being a K-pop fan is often humorously regarded as a full-time job. While much of music consumption in the streaming era is passive, K-pop encourages active listening, due in part to the elaborate music videos featuring intricate dances and compelling storylines that set it apart from other genres. This precedent in K-pop culture incentivizes fans to become wholly dedicated to their favorite idol or group.
The current state of the industry
“Superfan” has become the newest buzzword in the music industry, with Billboard already calling 2024 the “year of the superfan” (Peoples, 2024). The music industry has still not fully bounced back since the Napster crisis of 1999—the music percentage of total entertainment spend continues to be well below where it was in 1998. In 2022, music revenue was 5.19% of total entertainment spend, compared to 7.95% in 1998 (Goldman Sachs Research, 2023).This stagnation is due in part to how the public consumes music and media in the digital age. With the rise of “endless content” and algorithm-driven personalization, the emergence of ever-more-specific niches has made mainstream success increasingly unattainable as audiences fragment into smaller, more dedicated fan communities. These concerns are part of the reason that major labels have latched onto the idea of the “superfan economy” with such ferocity. While superfans are a powerful market base, they are not the godsend that the music industry thinks they are if the industry intends to continue in this passive direction of pouring content into the algorithmic funnel, hoping that a selection of this content reaches listeners.
Recommendations for a way forward
Focus on marketing to a small niche rather than appealing to a wide market
While the widespread belief is that marketing to the broader market of music listeners will result in more fans, many artists will find more success by focusing their marketing on a more niche scene. This way, artists can work more strategically to convert casual listeners to superfans instead of treating fandom like panning for gold. When attempting to create superfans, the strategy should be based on the fan funnel (see below). Rather than trying to get casual listeners to instantly become superfans, there should be a slow but well-thought-out metamorphosis. While part of this is left to chance (not every fan will be a superfan), by employing distinct branding strategies and marketing towards specific niches rather than the mainstream audience, there is a higher likelihood of converting casual followers to dedicated fans.
Do not overestimate the fanbase too early—cultivating a fanbase takes time
With the rise in fan platforms, there is pressure on artists who already have fandoms to make the jump to a specific platform for their fan community rather than communicating with fans majority on social media. However, switching to a specific fan platform from social media will almost always lead to not every follower transferring over to the fan platform. If the switch is made with too small a following, an artist can run the risk of losing a majority of their following. As stated before, not every fan will be a superfan—there is still a place for casual listeners in the music industry. In this case, it is important to remember the Pareto principle (also known as the “80-20 rule”): in a given event, 80% of outcomes result from 20% of all causes (Tardi, 2023). While 80% of revenue may come from 20% of fans (those who are dedicated superfans), ignoring the 80% of more casual fans and only relying on the income from the 20% is a recipe for failure. In many cases, it is better to take advantage of the platforms that already exist that cater to artists and fans, such as Patreon or Discord. Discord can offer a way to interact with fans in a more intimate way without creating a new platform specifically for this interaction. Patreon, though less centered around artist-fan communication, allows users to create different tiers of support for their fans, both free and paid. Fanbases, while incredibly devoted, are also mercurial. If an artist overestimates the fanbase, it can quickly backfire. Allowing fans to choose their level of support on a platform like Patreon can both give the artist data on how many people are at the superfan level in the fandom and still include the casual fans who may end up becoming superfans.
Nurture fandom, don’t exploit it
Though superfans have been hailed as the ideal market in the music industry, they are often seen as a homogenous consumer base who will mindlessly engage with anything that relates to their favorite artist. However, seeing superfans as a faceless block of consumers is detrimental to creating a connection that persuades them to support an artist. Superfans are more likely to spend money on products and experiences that are connected to their favorite artist but are also cognizant of what they are being sold. Rather than simply exploiting fans, companies should instead aim to nurture fandom. Artists and their fans function as an ecosystem, directly supporting each other—without the artists releasing music, there would be no fans, but without any fans, the artist would have no one for whom to make music. Companies need to approach superfan monetization from the mindset of one of those fans—it is more of a collaboration than one party directly profiting from the other (Hu & Patel, 2021). Fandom is representative of identity, so identity and connecting artists and fans should be at the center of the fan economy. By engaging deeply with each scene and learning what the fans value, companies can more successfully tap into the power of superfans.
Conclusion
Fandom has often been relegated to niche interests, treated as a phenomenon that only exists among science fiction readers and teenage girls. However, fandom has been a part of music since the beginning. An artist can be the most talented person in the world, but without fans, that music remains unheard. The fanbase of an artist, be it ten thousand fans or five fans, is an important of the artistic journey and deserves to be treated as such. As mainstream pop culture splinters into individual niches, fandom has become even more critical in music as a group of dedicated fans can directly contribute to an artist’s financial success. The rise of K-pop on the global stage has shown the power of fans in what has historically been regarded as a niche genre. K-pop fan culture embodies the most foundational aspects of fandom: devotion to the artists and the music, and a desire to share that love with others. While K-pop fan culture cannot easily be duplicated in other genres, K-pop fandom is indicative of the role that fandom plays in music and the connection between fandom and the music industry.
In the attention economy, fans are constantly bombarded with media, so connecting with them beyond the music is even more critical. While fan platforms have emerged as a way to foster the artist-fan relationship, they are not a panacea against the concern of how artists can better communicate with their fans. If utilized incorrectly, fan platforms can create more problems than solutions. Paid artist subscriptions are becoming an easier way to monetize superfans without alienating other tiers of fans, but they must offer something that makes the subscription worth it rather than just being a paywalled version of social media. For these platforms to be successful, relational labor is required on both the artist’s side and the fans’ side (Baym, 2015). While this labor can seem daunting, it is necessary to develop a solid artist-fan relationship that expands beyond trends and music releases. The ecosystem of artists and fans is a central aspect of the music industry; by nurturing both sides of the ecosystem, the music industry can create a sustainable cycle without bleeding either side dry.