Fans are consumers of music, but consumers of music aren’t necessarily fans. There are casual listeners - once in a while they like a popular song, maybe they’re content with commercial radio and the occasional purchase of a popular artist or band - and there are avid fans, who become invested, economically and emotionally, in the careers of those artists they admire.

What level of devotion must be reached before one is really considered a fan? A fan relishes the music, listens to it repeatedly, and explores other tangents the music points to (similar artists, other work from the same artist, rare and unreleased tracks).

A fan is an investor. The investor purchases CDs, clothing, extended mixes, concert tickets, website subscriptions. Fans are, essentially, shareholders in an artist’s career, and the dividend is new work, great performances, and some form of interaction.

A fan is a subscriber. Every issue of music that comes from an artist or group automatically goes to the fan.

A fan follows an artist regardless of the artist’s popularity and might often buy the artist’s music without having heard it beforehand. A fan understands the difference between the artist and the music.

Fans group into tribes and extended families.

Real fans of most types of music are tired of an industry trying to create the next big megastar before that performer has earned it. Fans build true loyalty over time, and filter out the hype.

Fans are on all sides of the industry: they work at major labels, indie labels, music retail and dance clubs. Musicians are themselves fans, perhaps the ultimate fans.

The labels have lobbying groups to do their bidding with the government and the FCC. CD manufacturers, online sites, all who have a corporate stake in the material goods of music have powerful voices speaking out on their behalf in shaping the methods by which we will have access to enetertainment.

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