2026, Superfandom and Alternative Models for the Music Industry.

TLDR; Focus on superfans, not algorithms.

Just in the last 24 hours I’ve come across three stories of artists engaging with their fan communities:

• Childish Gambino wants fans to help curate his set-list for Camp Flog Gnaw, which will be live streamed this weekend.

• Justin Bieber created an entire warehouse for himself, which he showcased in a recent Twitch stream. It featured a recording studio, a mini half-pipe and a basketball court. Fans tuned in to watch him have fun.

• Piri (from Piri & Tommy) has launched a digital access pass stored in Apple Wallet, giving fans early access to tickets and merch discounts.

Why are these major artists starting to serve their communities? Because music streaming as we know it (Spotify/Apple Music) has slowed down. Labels are struggling to develop new artists. Even established acts like Billie Marten (now on her fifth album) say they’re barely making a living. Meanwhile, artists like Justin and Childish are adapting fast, building new income streams around fan connection. As well as this, platforms and models that integrate fans deeply - like Discord, Twitch and direct-to-fan commerce setups like OpenStage - are thriving. Why? Because we’re hurtling towards a superfandom era, and i’m here for it.

What this means for the music industry - for labels and artists

I see the industry dividing in two.

On one side, it’s passive listenership generating high streams with low engagement. We have AI tool Suno making genuinely good music and 50,000 AI tracks are flooding Deezer daily. Dance/Electronic music revenues are set to soar, because a lot of music in this genre fits on mood playlists - which people passively listen to. Some artists are releasing under monikers to capitalise on this, and data-driven labels are thriving, optimising songs for mood playlists.

On the other side, we have traditional artists, creating meaningfully, expressing this art in multiple formats (e.g. visuals, music, writing), who are relying on fans supporting them through every step of their growth. Up until now, this has been the industry as we know it (although arguably we’ve relied on Spotify to do the marketing and discovery for us over the last 10 years and have been lazy about community/fandom).

For labels working with traditional artists, we’ll need to diversify revenue and invest in artists as ecosystems, not just as streamers. A label head recently told me he’d invested hundreds of thousands in a developing artist, whose last three singles amassed a total of 60K streams. Which in this world, is pennies. In hindsight, I wish I’d asked him how many fans they had acquired with £300K. That to me is a better metric to be focusing on.

I met an incredible artist last week - Atlas Azure - he’s a poet, an actor, a musician, a visual artist, a writer - and he’s looking for investment in his next album project. We spoke about the fact that this likely won’t come from a traditional label who’s investing in artists based on their streaming projections. But what he can do - he can sell tickets, create immersive live experiences for his fans, sell visual art, build a whole world around this album, and offer an investor a slice of that. This model to me is incredibly interesting and I believe that artists like him can pioneer in this space for other artists who are truly art-led artists.

Another artist example: XMunashe, from Perth. He’s built an incredible community around his live shows in Australia, Paris and London - without ever releasing a song on DSPs. Why? Because he’s building what every artist wants right now: community, exclusivity, intrigue, and fans feeling they’re part of something bigger. He also happens to be an incredibly talented musician with a unique concept for his live shows. And he’s also going to prove what a non-conventional rollout might look like.

So for artists - asking people to “listen to my new song” isn’t going to cut it anymore, in a world where we are competing with AI music and oversaturated algorithms. What will work is inviting your audience on a journey with you, creating authentic content, figuring out how to tell your story to build an emotional connection with someone and creating a strong brand for your art.

Why the timing is right for this shift

Drawing on recent research:

• Superfans currently represent a tiny slice of listeners (~2%) but drive a huge amount of value (generating ~20% of streams and drive real revenue)

• Streaming economic growth is slowing

• Platforms focused on superfans are scaling fast

• Direct-to-fan commerce (selling albums, merch, VIP experiences) is becoming crucial for artists of every size

• Fans who can build communities and engage a close cohort of fans are going to be able to sustain their careers and growth

• Platforms and major players are waking up: Warner Music Group and Spotify are currently incorporating direct-to-fan tools for their artists

What are some alternative models for the music industry?

Here are some ideas of what’s possible for labels + artists who lean into superfandom in 2026.

1. Artist/Album-Investor model
   When Platoon started in 2015, the co-founders Denzyl Fiegelson and Saul Klein had an innovative concept: to apply the venture capital model (investing in early stage companies) to the music industry. Artists would give up a percentage of their business, or their album project for a term. But streaming had just started booming, so artists/managers were cautious of this. But 10 years later, the music industry feels more ready for this type of model. Atlas Azure - seeking investment for his next project, fits this type of model.

2. Crowdfunding for Albums

   In the late 2000s there was a platform called BandStocks, which was a precursor to Kickstarter and Patreon for musicians. The goal was to allow fans to invest directly in the recording and release of an artist’s album in exchange for a share of the profits and exclusive perks. Despite some success it fizzled - mainstream fans weren’t yet comfortable treating fandom as investment. But the idea that fans could and should participate in the upside of an artist’s career is exactly what’s being re-imagined now through web3, tokenised rights, and superfan equity models.

3. Superfan tiered experiences + exclusivity
   We’re already see examples of artists driving exclusivity around their music and building core communities of fans around them (and this is the gospel I’m already spreading for any artist I connect with, no matter their size).
   Combine this funnel with a direct platform (like OpenStage or Laylo) to sell merch, live streams, tickets - and you get a layered funnel:

   casual listener → committed fan → nurture → superfandom tier.
   The key: make the superfans feel a sense of ownership and involvement.

4. Community first / fan-to-fan interactions
   Fred Again.. and Lorde both model this brilliantly - building communities that thrive even in their absence.
   Think: forums, shared private events, fans organising live meet-ups, behind-the-scenes access and building on the intrigue / chance that an artist might show up to an event like this.

5. Existing platforms adding new D2F features

   Someone recently said to me “the next biggest platform probably already exists”. It made me think. Bandcamp monthly visitors have gone up. YouTube are going hard on Shorts. SoundCloud just announced 100% free distro. Substack could do so much more for music. Spotify are planning D2F tools.
   One of these platforms could make a slight adjustment to what they offer artists/fans and come out on top.

Why this shift is exciting

• For fans: 2026 is going to be an amazing year to go deeper with the artists you love. You’ll be part of the journey. Listening parties, intimate events, community-builds, decision-making, co-creative moments.

• For artists & labels: It’s time we adapt. Instead of being so focused on algorithms and streaming metrics, you get to build a real business around a real audience. That means long-term sustainability, ownership of your audience and diversified income streams.

• For the industry: If we succeed at this, we help rebuild the middle class of artists and prove that there’s still a need for true, meaningful art in the music industry.

So, what next?

Anyone who can incorporate AI (for scaleable tools) with a fan-integrated super fan / direct-to-fan platform is where i’d put my money. As a fan, I want to find opportunities to buy exclusive merch, come and see you perform in an intimate setting and be considered as a super fan in your immediate circle. As a label, I’m in a prime position to test some of these models myself, to try innovate with artists in this new frontier.

While you’re here

We recently took our artists through our new model at goodtwin, which is about shifting our focus from streaming and algorithms, towards superfans. Instead of music releases, we’re encouraging merch drops and live shows - with music releases wrapped around these pivotal moments. We’ve created a 7-step funnel showing each stage of building a community from scratch. You can download that for free here.