Written by: Katherine Penman
In recent years, fans and music business professionals have begun to realize the power of a fan. As fandoms began to show their strength, fan engagement started to become more and more popular. It highly benefits the artist when they create a bond between themself and their fan base. But what is fan engagement, and what does it mean for artists?
Fan engagement is a wide variety of interactions between the fan and artist. It can be the artist responding to fans comments, meet & greets, behind the scenes vlogs, Q&A’s, sharing fan art, weekly newsletters - the options seem endless. Anything an artist does that lets fans into their world or makes the fans feel noticed or heard is an example of fan engagement.
So what does fan engagement do? Artist and fan relationships have typically been seen as one sided, and it seems fan engagement is meant to make the fans feel as if the artist sees them. It can make the fans feel like they really know the artist. By strengthening the relationship, it’s also strengthening the fans' dedication. If the artist seems to be putting effort in to connect with their fans, the fans are more likely to put more in as well.
Dedicated fans will stream music 24/7 until it gets to #1, they’ll trend hashtags, watch music videos to get the most views, they’ll go to great lengths in order to push their favorite artist to the top. It’s important for artists to show appreciation for their fans' dedication because without it the artist wouldn’t succeed. The role of the fan in an artist's career is extremely important, which is why fan engagement is becoming something every artist should focus on!
If you want to get more involved in fan communities,
join a Fan Crew on the With the Band app!