In recent years, the rise of social media content creation and creators have given rise to new and innovative marketing strategies. The significant growth of “Superfan Culture” has been a significant contributor to the recent shift in marketing strategies. Superfans are fans of artists or groups who go above and beyond to showcase their dedication. This could mean several things from spending large sums of money to acquire concert tickets, to traveling across the world to see the artist perform live.

A new marketing method that is slowly but surely seeing an increase is Artist Experiences. To promote his new album Hurry Up Tomorrow, The Weeknd partnered with Spotify to put up an exhibition in Midtown, Manhattan, showcasing retail such as jackets, tees, and bandanas, along with an experiential art installation illustrating the “mind of The Weeknd,” according to an article by Time Out Magazine. This is a subtle form of marketing that promotes his upcoming album without explicitly promoting his music: focusing on the “experience” of the album rather than the collection of songs embodied in it.

Another marketing technique that is increasing in popularity is “direct-to-fan marketing,” where an artist opts against using a third party like a radio station or TV show to promote upcoming music, and instead goes to the fans directly. Such a strategy was recently used by Chappell Roan to promote her upcoming song “The Giver” by prompting fans to call a phone number that allows them to select different snippets of the song to hear before the release. This excited fans for new music and helped promote the song beyond more typical promotion channels.

Artists also participate in collaborations with brands to host concerts, allowing them to directly engage with their fans upon releasing new music. This was recently exemplified by Charli XCX’s partnership with H&M to throw a surprise pop-up concert in the middle of Times Square, where she performed songs from her album Brat. This stunt not only drew attention from her fans but also passers-by who happened to be in the area at the time.

Through these evolving marketing strategies, artists can better foster their relationship with current fans, while also drawing in newer ones, all by selling an “experience” rather than simply music. Furthermore, by hosting “exclusive” experiences, artists can cultivate superfan culture, thereby financially benefiting from willingness to spend large sums on their preferred artist.