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Music has been a primary leisure resource for the younger generations all over the globe. There are many ways where music features in the youth’s lives as they grow up (Bennett, 2000). The youth mainly rely on music to entertain them and as years pass by, access to music has been easier due to the advanced technology that is always upgrading. This paper will talk about the influence of artists and their music on the consumer behaviour which creates fan culture. Its aim is to recognise the factors that make an individual support musicians with their music.
Individuals tend to enjoy an aspect of popular culture and they share this enjoyment with other people with the same interests. These people are a community which goes by the popular term--- fan culture (Grinnell College, 2013). Fan culture in the music industry is the result of the influence of popular music to the mass market. The creation of a fan culture in the music industry already existed before technology.
Fan culture is not actually new. It started way back in the 20th century with the music of Franz Liszt, hailed as a musical genius. The fan culture dedicated to Liszt was created due to Liszt’s music which people loved, that caused hysteria, which they called "Liztomania”. In the 21st century, this hysteria still happens. It has become easier to interact with popular music in the present century through the digitization of music (Dearn, 2013). Musicians used to tour just to gain a following, but they are able to do it using technology.
Technology played an important part in the creation of fan culture in the 21st century. The Beatles, a British band, burst on the music scene because of their television guesting in America which gained them 73 million viewers who became supporters---creating their own fan culture (Greenberg, 2014). There are many factors why musicians like The Beatles influence the consumer behaviour of individuals through technology. Two reasons why fans support them are: their music and their appearance. Their music blew up during the sixties which were the decade that made television the main medium: “by 1961 [television] was reaching into the homes of 75 percent of the population [of Britain]” (Marwick, 2003, p. 134). The television helped The Beatles promote their music. Their looks are also one of the main reasons as their appearance on stage attracted the people’s attention and eventually, turned them into fans. Their appearance was not the only reason they were appealing, but also their fresh and cheeky behaviour: “The Beatles became heroes to the young because they were not deferential: no authority had broken their spirit; they were confident and funny; they answered back; no one put them down” (Kureishi, 1997, p. 81). The creation of The Beatles’ fan culture was due to the factors mentioned above, which are still relevant, but technology advanced greatly.
Many decades later, the consumer behaviour of individuals towards music is still the same, but now with the help of social media. The popularity of the South Korean boy group, Bulletproof Boy Scouts (BTS), is the best example of this. BTS’ music is available on any streaming platform which allows consumers to access their music easily. Just like The Beatles, BTS also gained popularity thanks to their music and appearance, but what makes them unique is that they release music in another language, Korean, yet they still touch the hearts of people all around the world. Individuals can relate to their lyrics as they release music that focuses on social issues. It strengthens BTS’ fan culture as their music shows the fans that every single one of them matters and has a purpose. BTS does not cater to a Western-centric music industry which grew their fanbase as they also do not only make music that teenage girls appreciate, but it also resonates with people of colour (Taussig, 2020).
In addition, boy groups such as BTS and The Beatles also talk about women---especially teenage girls---in their songs with respect and the message that women are important, which is why most of their fans are females. Female fans, or “Fangirls” have been ridiculed for years for supporting artists wholeheartedly and these musicians are the perfect examples of artists that made fangirls feel appreciated.
On the whole, fan culture will remain due to the consumer behaviour towards artists as affected by several factors: the artists’ music, appearance, personalities, and their message. The existence of the strong fan culture of artists like The Beatles and BTS would not be possible without the help of technology. Until today, music listeners continue to support their favourite artists---not only because of their appearance---but mainly because their music translates messages that are close to their hearts and which will carry on the fan culture of musicians until many centuries in the future.
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