Let’s face it. The days of when millions of adoring fans could easily translate into sales are OVER. Even now with social media, top artists can’t monetize a fans true value based on “likes” and “retweets”. Fans, Stans or “Superfans,” whatever you’d like to call them, are necessary in an entertainers artistic journey. However, a “superfans” dedication to your brand comes with a huge price. Viral Music Media, a digital marketing firm, states that superfans are the heartbeat of any artists or group. It’s this “inner-circle” of fans that believe in commitment to an artist. Superfans are invested in your career and will show their support by purchasing albums, concert tickets, merchandise, and more. This connection creates a relationship between the artist and the fan. With that, a Nielsen study confirmed that superfans make up only 14% of the total population of music consumers. These superfans are responsible for 34% of all music purchases. This means that 86% of music consumers are just regular fans or random purchasers of music. Rick Ross, for instance, has 4.3 million Instagram followers and 3.1 million Twitter followers. If approximately 15% of his fan base were superfans, then the MMG CEO should have sold over 400,000 copies of his latest project Black Market. But, Rick Ross’ album sold a disappointing 34,000 copies the first week. It’s been several weeks now and his superfans haven’t done much to increase his albums sales. So…can an artist depend on a superfan? No. Superfans are just like any other fan. They are finicky and temperamental. On one side they are the most loyal fans. On the other, they are real people who has the choice to not purchase an album. There are ways though for an artist to retain these fans. Artists can recognize their importance by staying engaged via social media, email, meet-n-greets, VIP access, create exclusive BTS footage or music strictly for superfans, etc. Taking these steps will increase the likelihood of music sales going up. Pulling corny publicity stunts and posting pictures on Instagram just won’t cut it anymore. Superfans are smart, they know what’s up. So, an artist best bet is to make superfans feel special. It’s like a man and a woman in a relationship. As long as the man is keeping his girl happy, she’ll do anything he wants. 🙂
