ABSTRACT
This article discusses five new roles that fans can play: sponsors, co-creators of value,
stakeholders, investors, and filters. These roles are elements of new types of relationship
between fans and artists, which are manifestations of the emergence of what can be called
a “new economy of fandom.” The new economy of fandom is understood here as a
condition in which empowered fan communities use the democratizing potential of new
social media to communicate and cooperate with artists, without the mediation of the
traditional recording industry. The emergence of the new economy of fandom may lead to
a redefinition of what it means to be a fan. It also requires finding new theoretical
frameworks that will help analyze new types of relationships between artists and fans. The
article argues that concepts of value co-creation, and “prosumption” may help explain the
ongoing changes.
