“Fan communities are the most critical driver of success in today's music industry”

“It’s no longer about the quantity of people that are consuming, it’s about the quality of people” “So how do you start to identify those people, and how do you build a relationship with those people? In Latin America, something that’s important in this regard are fan-clubs, which still exist and have massive potential for many Latin artists” Abreu talked about the importance of CRM but suggested that the term needs rebranding: “CRM has always been seen as email marketing, but in reality it’s fan relationships,” he said.

The Fan Data Goldmine: new tech that allows artists to interact with superfans turning data into dollars and opening long-term revenue streams. The music industry has long ridden on superfans: the top 1% most-engaged, day-one-die-hards who consistently stream their favourite artists’ music, buy their merchandise, pay to see their shows and share their music with friends. Executives interviewed for this story estimate that superfans on average make up to 50% to 80% of an artist’s overall revenue. Yet on an individual level, superfans are invisible to their idols, since the artists and their teams lacked the tools to track fans’ information and habits.

Kelley Walton, Amazon Music: The evolution of fandom is what’s exciting to me, especially in the last 5-10 years. It used to be a one-way street where fans were just spectators of their favorite musicians or sports teams, but now it’s become a two-way relationship and community. The most powerful fandoms, like the Bey Hive and the Swifties, are real communities of people who are invested in the success of their idols. Danielle Lee, Warner Music Group: Data and fan insights are key for our business strategies.