How to build a fan-centric artist brand
In the new music industry, it is essential to understand how to nurture random listeners into loyal fans.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
How to build a fan-centric artist brand
The Customer-Based Brand Equity model (Keller, 1993, 2001, 2003) describes the process of building strong brands. The model can be applied to a fan-centric, four-level approach to building strong artist brands.
Why it matters
AI has accelerated the music industry to a tipping point where artists should focus on fandom, identity, creativity, and exceptionalism.
A new generation of fans is pushing for more meaningful interactions that will influence their use of traditional social media.
Artists are turning to community-first online platforms such as Discord, and many upcoming ventures are building tools to re-centre the music industry around fans.
Therefore, in the new music industry, it is essential to understand how to nurture random listeners into loyal fans who feel deeply connected with an artist’s brand.
How it works
The name of the model already gives it away: The Customer-Based Brand Equity model is fan-centred. The model shows how a fan’s attitude towards an artist’s brand can lead to the brand’s success or failure.
Building fan-based brand equity is a hard and long-term process, but Keller’s model's strength is its simplicity. An actionable, yet long-term, approach to building fan-based brand equity looks like this:
Level 1: Make the artist stand out. The first step is to create brand awareness. People should be able to recognise and identify the artist. This step is harder than it may seem: Most brands never move further from this step.
Level 2: Build the artist’s image. Next, artists should know and communicate what they mean to fans and what the artist’s brand stands for. The brand’s benefits come to mind here.
Level 3: Manage the fan’s judgements and feelings. Then, artists should understand how they make fans feel and how fans judge them. This should be aligned with the artist’s brand positioning and the main associations they focus on in their marketing strategy.
Level 4: Build strong emotional connections with fans. Finally, when fans feel deeply connected with the artist's brand, artists should invest in a community ecosystem where fans could engage in meaningful interactions between the artist and their fans and between fans.
Yes, but..
The model’s four-step approach emphasises raising brand awareness first before moving on to the next step. This means that, according to the CBBE model, artists should only focus on community building when they have a larger fanbase. However, it is perfectly possible to grow a community member-by-member and start with meaningful interactions from day one.
Take action now
Ask yourself: What level is your brand on now?
Go deeper
The music industry’s tipping point is Right Here, Right Now (MIDiA)
Keep It Real or Lose Gen Z (Wired)
Modern-Day Fan Forums: The Renaissance in Online Music Communities (Resident Advisor)
Keller, K.L. (1993). Conceptualising, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 1-22.
Keller, K.L. (2001). Building customer-based brand equity. Marketing Management, 10(2), 14-19.
Keller, K.L. (2003). Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity. (goodreads)
How an artist brand benefits fans (The Fanbase Builder)