Farewell to the casual music fan
Very interesting article. Not being a super-fan myself of music, I began thinking of the implications for other creative fields, which may be said to be in this situation. Essentially any field where the primary audience is “hobbyists” probably falls into this area.A long - but worth it - piece taking quizzical aim at Kevin Kelly’s “1000 True Fans” idea, looking not at the individual economics of it so much as the cultural impact of a world where “casual fandom” is a thing of the past.
(I don’t actually buy all these arguments - mainly because I don’t think casual fandom itself is threatened, just casual fandom as expressed through purchase. But they’re all worth examination.
