“65% of Gen Z identify as creators, and 8% consider themselves 'Professional Fans' - earning money from their fan activities”: How self-releasing artists can build a dedicated audience in the 2020s

Mark Knight

Back in 2008, Kevin Kelly’s “1,000 True Fans” essay proposed that creators need only 1,000 loyal supporters to sustain a career. Yet, the world has changed significantly since then. Physical sales have been largely replaced by streaming, media reach has fragmented, and fans have become content creators themselves. Here, we'll critically examine the 'true fans' theory and posit how it needs to evolve to marry with the demands of the 2020s

Kevin Kelly introduced his popular 'true fans' theory back in 2008. It suggested that creators of all kinds: artists, musicians, writers, performers and more could make a living by acquiring just 1,000 devoted fans. These true fans would purchase anything and everything the creator produced, offering a sustainable income by spending around $100 each annually, totalling $100,000. This simplicity made it a popular model in the music world, but like many marketing theories, it rarely holds up to research or testing.

Kelly described a true fan as someone who would go to great lengths to support the creator - buying exclusive merchandise, attending shows, and actively following every release. However, the simplicity of this model overlooks the complexities of real-world fandom.

The three obstacles to generating true fans in the 2020s

Here are some of the biggest challenges facing Kelly’s 1,000 true fans theory in the 2020s.

1: The Shift from Physical to Digital Sales - In 2009, physical music sales dominated, generating $11.6 billion, while digital sales were only $4.2 billion. Back then, fans frequently purchased CDs or downloads, directly supporting artists.

Today, however, streaming accounts for over 67% of global music revenue, with revenues reaching $19.3 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, digital music sales contributed only $0.9 billion, and digital downloads less than 5% of the annual total.

This shift has made it difficult for fans to spend $100 annually on a single artist. The bulk of fan spending now goes to platforms like Spotify or Live Nation, with only a fraction directly benefiting the artist.

2: Fandom Doesn’t Exist in a Vacuum - One of the biggest flaws in Kelly’s theory is the assumption that fandom is exclusive. While a true fan might be willing to spend $100 on your music, it’s unrealistic to expect that all their spending would go toward a single artist.

Even if they were inclined to do so, fans will likely invest in a well-known, major-label pop star rather than an independent artist - the very artists that the 1,000 true fans concept was meant to support.

Six years after Kelly’s essay, a 2014 Nielsen study examined average music spending among U.S. fans and found it to be just $109 per year, with 54% ($49.50) going toward live events like concerts and festivals, and only 35% ($38) on digital tracks. Even then, only a small fraction of this spending would reach any one artist directly.

3: Media Fragmentation and Declining Reach - In 2008, the average UK adult engaged with six different media sources. By 2024, this number rose to 14, diluting the reach any one creator can have.

TV viewership offers a striking example: in 1983, 106 million people watched the finale of MASH*. By 2019, the Game of Thrones finale drew only 19.3 million viewers, and by 2023, just 2.9 million watched the finale of Succession. Social media reach has also declined significantly.

In 2024, organic reach on platforms like Instagram and Facebook is just 4.00% and 2.6%, respectively. While Kelly’s 2008 vision was based on the power of platforms like Blogger and MySpace, today’s reality is that artists struggle to reach even a fraction of their audience. Platforms like Spotify provide listener data but limit artists' direct connections with fans, making it harder to cultivate those fabled true fans.

Music fandom in 2024

The YouTube Culture & Trends Report 2024 highlights the evolution of fandom. Now, 65% of Gen Z identify as creators, and 8% consider themselves 'Professional Fans' - earning money from their fan activities. This shift has turned fans into active participants, not just consumers, expanding the ways fans engage with creators.

The report identifies four segments, two extend beyond just spending:

Casual Fans: Consume

Big Fans: Spend

Super Fans: Participate

Professional Fans: Earn

Interestingly, 66% of Gen Z report spending more time with fan-made content than the original material. Fan culture now drives and amplifies popular culture, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube enabling fans to create vast amounts of related content.

For instance, when Drake and Kendrick Lamar released nine tracks during their feud, fans uploaded over 250,000 related pieces, generating more than 3.5 billion views. Taylor Swift’s army of 'Swifties' create YouTube channels that are dedicated to interpreting her lyrics and exploring her artist journey. The routes open for for casual listeners to become 'super fans' are more diverse than ever.

How do independent artists generate true fans in this landscape?

Recognising the limitations of the 1,000 true fans model and adapting to the evolving fan landscape can help creators build meaningful connections and lasting success.

1: Easy Access - Make your music accessible and eliminate barriers for your audience. Be easily found where fans expect, and maintain a consistent image to build trust. Check that all links in your Spotify or Instagram bio work, and monitor what appears when you search your name online.

2: Focus on Growth, Not Retention - According to Byron Sharp’s law of Buyer Moderation, consumer behaviour often returns to average levels over time. This means that even super fans might not stay loyal year after year, so recruiting new fans is essential.

3: Reach a Broad Audience - While your music might fit a niche, most listeners enjoy multiple genres. Avoid overly narrow marketing; instead, aim to appeal to a larger, diverse audience to cut through in a fragmented media landscape.

4: Lead with Emotion - Music should make you feel something, so leave the rational sell and the rational ‘listen now’ message at the door. Remember humans are hard-wired to be emotional beings that think, rather than rational beings that feel. Engage the eyes and the mind to engage the ears.

5: Attach Music to Cultural Moments - Help fans understand when and why to listen to your music. Is it perfect for a Friday night or a Sunday morning? Engage in larger cultural conversations and encourage fans to remix and reinterpret your work to keep it relevant.

By understanding the complexities of today’s fan ecosystem, creators can move beyond the dream of the dated 1,000 true fans model and harness the reality of today’s active fan creators.