Music fandom culture - identity, consumption, and 'toxic' communities.

Source: https://beardedgentlemenmusic.com/2018/07/06/toxic-fandom-cult-of-identity/

To some people music, the act of listening to it, is a casual is part of their life. Some might follow their favourite musicians on social media passively or read an article or two about them on a random occasion. For others however, it is a part of their identity and daily routine, and it can be a strong one at that. Fandoms are not a new thing and exist in various areas, from books to sports (yes being a sports fan CAN be considered being part of a fandom).

Relating to music, fandoms are comprised of fans who share a common interest in a solo artist, or a group and its members. There has been criticism that fandoms, including ones related to

music groups, are a negative space, and can be particularly 'toxic'. Some of this criticism stems from the issue of companies pushing consumerism onto fans as a means of showing their support and love for the musicians. This idea of fandom identity influencing purchasing behaviour is not new, however, it is something that should be looked at, especially when considering the young age of certain fans.

Fans vs. "Stans"

However, not all the criticism can fall on fans and fandom. Some people propose for there to be a separation between the notion of a fan and a "stan". Especially present within the music fandom space a stan is regarded as a fan who goes above and beyond in engaging, mostly o

nline, to an excessive degree (Eloise, 2020). While the word has become synonymous with being a fan and the idea of liking something, when harmful behaviours occur within the fandom space, stans and fans are unfortunately grouped together.

Objective

Thus, while music fandoms can bring a sense of identity and community there are a lot of negative aspects that can get overlooked. The objective of this blog is to present various negative aspects and impacts related to music fandoms, with some points extending to the music industry.

Some of the points that will be covered, or at least mentioned, will include:

v The commodification of musicians

v The line between admiration and obsession

v Where does the fault lie: incentivising or benefiting?

v Harm of music fandoms on the fans: within and between.

To note

Within obsession and fandoms there is always bound to be a story about a fan murdering a celebrity, online stan culture causing someone to commit suicide and other heavy topics. To avoid any potential discomfort and disturbances being cause due to details, no post on this blog will talk about these sort of topics.

However, if for what ever reason you feel inclined to read about the topic feel free to mention it in the forum or in a comment and I will compile a variety of sources.

Sources

Eloise, M. (2020). Do we need to separate 'stan' from 'fan'? PAPER. Retrieved from https://www.papermag.com/should-we-separate-stans-from-fans-2648128712.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1.