No two music lovers are alike. We casually adore certain artists who hum to the tune of one of their records at the beginning and end of our entire relationship.
But then there are some that we are obsessed with. We can’t get enough of them. Between those extremes are the different levels of engagement that musicians, managers and labels must monitor and nurture.
with Web 3.0 Initiatives The music industry is rapidly catching up, looking for new ways to understand the next generation of fans. Technology is changing the nature of fantasy in ways that will be transformative in the years to come.
Spring, a company that partners with artists when it comes to e-commerce, Commissioned a study of 8,000 music lovers In hopes of charting a future emotional and ultimately financial relationship between fans and artists.
The result is a psychological breakdown that places fans into 10 different buckets, each featuring different levels of investment when it comes to emotion, spending, energy, time, and evangelism.
The first three types of fans can be grouped as “attached”. The browser is the most casual music listener (37 percent of those surveyed), someone who stumbles across content, enjoys it on a superficial level, and then is either distracted or bored and moves on.
Type Two is the Observer, someone who revolves around music, but isn’t really deeply committed.
The last “busy” type of fan is the curious. They are interested in what they hear and are probably open to being encouraged to become more involved with a community of like-minded people who follow a particular band.
The middle group of fans is known as the “Advocate”. It starts with the subscribers, who make it a point to follow the musician through both traditional and social media. They subscribe to an artist’s Instagram account, bookmark their Spotify playlist, and Google stories about the artist.
A small step up from that is the Engaged Fan. They do everything a subscriber does but regularly comment on videos and pictures, provide Facebook likes, and seek greater status within the community of fans surrounding that artist. This is the realm of the true fan, who really digs into what’s going on and wants a piece of it.
If an artist can bring a fan to the next level of the spectrum, they become a “buyer”—and that’s where people’s appreciation for the musician’s work can be monetized.
The first Buyer level is active. Only one in every thousand true fans could be classified as active (40 percent of respondents identified themselves as such). They are somewhat more evangelical about the artist and often wear T-shirts, set up special playlists, go to concerts, and buy the occasional physical product. If the artist comes to the fore in the conversation, the active will start shouting loudly. And if necessary, they will strongly defend the artist if anyone disagrees with his talent.
If Active’s love for the artist grew (and if finances allowed), he became a collector. This group collects everything: all releases, all merchants, and all the knowledge they can about their favorite musician. They’ll also shell out big bucks for things like box sets and limited-edition vinyl releases.
The only level above Active is Superfan. Only one out of every 100 true fans fits this description. Superfans will do whatever it takes to achieve the deepest connection with their favorite musicians. For example, they will follow an act on tour over the course of weeks or months. Others will seek out their expertise and stories involving a particular artist. Some form cover bands that play nothing but the music of their favorite band. And they can also be acknowledged for their uniqueness by the artist himself.
If you want to study this group, we also need to take a look at BTS ARMY (Adorable Rep MC for Youth), Taylor Swift’s Swifties, Hardcore Deadheads, Beyoncé’s Beehive, Dylanologists, and Beatlemaniacs. Mariah Carey has Lambs, Bieber Beliebers, and Jimmy Buffet parotheads. Little Monsters passionately follows Lady Gaga. Slipknot’s hardcore base is known as Maggots. And if you’re a Juggalo, you’ll do anything close to being a part of the crazy clown world.
So far, that makes sense, doesn’t it? But Spring has identified the music fan of the future, which is just being invented. They anticipate the rise of an uber-superfan, a cult fan who is so deep into a particular artist that they want an original version of something created by that artist. These guys are about to buy NFTs and other Web 3.0 products in the pipeline. They also help pay for things like recordings and tours by contributing to pre-funding campaigns through sites like Kickstarter and GoFundMe.
If they could, they would love the ability to collaborate with creators to create works such as design merchandise. They will buy multiple copies of any product the artist has to offer. If an artist endorses a particular product, it becomes a fan favorite product. And to help boost an artist’s profile, they’ll sometimes put that musician’s Spotify playlist on repeat and play it 24/7 with the volume down. And wait until the metaverse takes hold. These people will go crazy.
Spring believes that the future of music commerce lies in bringing people as far away as possible through these 10 levels of fantasy. And it may not be as difficult as you think.
Young people are always the primary drivers of music culture and the next group of superfans will come from people born between 2010 and 2014. Call them Gen Alpha (We’ve got letters ending with Gen Z, so it’s time to start.) The oldest of those super-tech savvy kids will become teens next year, making their musical debut their age. There will be a beginning. His relationship with music will largely be shaped by technology and, to a lesser extent, post-COVID years.
The Spring study says they will be more adaptable, more collaborative, and more entrepreneurial than any generation of music fans we’ve seen so far. They will live in a world of AI, voice recognition, blockchain, NFTs, metaverse, ultra-personalized engagement and the simplification of everything.
We have come a long way. And the future certainly looks interesting.
,
allen cross Is a broadcaster with Q107 and 102.1 Edge and a commentator for Global News.
Subscribe now for the ongoing History of Allen’s new music podcast apple podcast either Google Play
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.