What are superfans? Do they matter?
I’ll answer the second question first.
Yes, they do matter.
If you are an artist, manager, promoter, or booking agent, you should get familiar with the term and why the music industry cares. I know that’s not the answer you want to hear, but it’s not as bad as it seems.
Let’s go back to the first question.
WHAT IS A SUPER FAN?
The widely accepted definition is:
A superfan is a music listener who engages with artists and their content
in 5 or more different ways.
- Luminate Data
Not impressive, right? I agree. In reality, there are several definitions of a “superfan”.
That is because each sector’s definition boils down to one question:
“What type of fan behavior will make us the most money?”
A digital music company’s definition will lean more heavily on streams. A media company’s definition may give more credit to online engagement. A label will focus more on album sales, tours, and merch.
Superfans are music consumers who generate considerable revenue
for the music industry.
Not everyone the industry calls a superfan automatically spends a lot of cash on music. Some behavioral patterns can qualify you as a superfan too. If you’re following an artist on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify – and you tune into an IG Live and Youtube Live – and you like every post or throw out a few comments – and you stream their music a lot… you may be considered a superfan. Your participation across platforms generates ad revenue and helps heighten that artist's visibility.
BUT WHY DOES IT MATTER?
You guessed it – MONEY.
The industry has to normalize paying for music because investors are knocking on the door.
Twenty years ago, we would all be considered superfans. Now, you can access way more music with a lot less money. Practically speaking – it makes more sense not to be a superfan.
Streaming totally disrupted the music-to-money pipeline. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc. is who American consumers pay to listen to music.
Traditional music companies, who used to have that direct relationship with our pockets, still have a great history with investment firms. But, history only goes so far when we’re talking about money. Every three months, industry-wide financial reports show that traditional music companies aren’t quite making the money they once did. So, investors are politely on their NECKS.
Even further, these same investment firms are turning to tech companies who have more promising returns. So the music industry is doing all it can to research and market to the people who will pay for music — the superfans.
DON’T GET IT TWISTED
The term is misleading.
Superfan ≠ Obsessed Fan
Superfan ≠ True Fan
Superfan = (kinda) person who spends relatively more on music than the average person.
When we see the term as a measure of artistic appreciation, it doesn’t fit. We throw it away and roll our eyes at the conversations surrounding the ‘superfan’.
When we remember that it’s simply a metric and a solution to music’s money problem, then we can see if it solves our music money problems.
The truth is –
if you’re an artist, manager, tour manager, agent, label owner, songwriter, or producer, it benefits you when people pay for their music experiences.
Again, everybody is pouring their resources and research into the topic. Lean into that conversation. You may find tips & tools on how to improve your performance style, build your target audience, develop a deeper relationship with your fans, and save money on marketing. You might get a step-by-step tutorial on how indie artists press their CDs. You may get an inside scoop on the vinyl production process.
The ‘superfan’ phenomenon may not fix the music industry.
But, it might help YOU.
For many music companies, it’s about taking advantage of fans. For YOU, it can be about taking advantage of resources to build with your fans.
Whenever the music industry starts buzzing about a term, it opens doors for you to spin the hype in your favor.
SOME FANS WANT TO SPEND MORE ON MUSIC
Luminate Data surveys suggest that music fans want to spend money on their favorite artists. They want to collect albums, signed posters, and fly merch. Younger generations, especially, have repopularized CDs, vinyls, and cassettes.
‘SuperDUPERfans’- that’s what I call the more hardcore fans – desire even more opportunities to purchase from their favorite acts. Yet, a superfan and a superDUPERfan have about the same opportunities to spend money on their music experience.
Even if you don’t have superDUPERfans, you may have day-one listeners. Better yet, you may have the opportunity to attain early listeners at every gig or open you do. Giving individuals an opportunity to buy in - even at a low rate - can establish a lasting connection.
BUILDING WITH DAY-ONE AUDIENCES IS AN ADVANTAGE SMALL ARTISTS HAVE OVER MAJOR LABELS
Major record labels, especially nowadays, have a hard time identifying day-one fans. With all the tech and data available, it's still difficult for labels to know who will buy into an artist's career long-term. By the time new artists are signed, their numbers are already high enough to catch the label's attention.
If that artist didn't do that groundwork to find their audience or if that artist blew up on a viral moment, it can be very difficult for the label to find the 'superfan'. But if you're operating on a smaller scale, you can make every stream, ticket, like, follow, and comment count. You recognize who shows up and you reward their support with great music experiences.
I’m not gonna lie – you may have to start at a deficit to make the impact. You may not break even if you sell your fly lapel pins, stickers, mini posters, or t-shirts after your next open or small gig. However, that investment may have created a superfan for years to come. That’s worth it.
I always use J. Cole’s A Dollar and a Dream Tours. Fans paid ONE DOLLAR to see J.Cole live back in the day. And many of those same fans take the extra step to download his digital albums and singles when they can get it on YouTube for free. That’s because he and his team took the financial loss in those early years.
That Dollar and a Dream tour idea came from selling mixtapes CDs at NCAT Homecoming for $1. Definitely a loss - but who's counting now?
You gotta start building that ‘super’ fandom somewhere.
Sincerely,
Latifah
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