In a musical landscape upset by streaming and changes in musical consumption habits, a figure crystallizes all attentions: the surface ! Capable of listening to its favorite artist ten to fifteen times more than the average, first on the purchase of tickets or t-shirts, very vocal on social networks and within its community, this ultra-engaged fan embodies hope for an industry in search of growth. Gathered as part of a round table on the occasion of the 2025 edition of the Pix festival, Didier Borg , Maxence Bazin and Robin Champseix gave us their vision of a now essential phenomenon.
Surface: a small percentage that can change everything
The definition of the surface varies according to the actors, but some markers are consensus. Base for Music has developed a sophisticated fans classification system by level of engagement, based on various metrics and typologies of content consulted. This scoring system makes it possible to identify the most committed fans , sometimes rewarded for their loyalty by exclusives, such as early access to new pieces.
For Billy , purchasing behaviors are a key indicator closely monitored. Robin Champseix stresses that superfans are the fastest to consume, especially in the first 72 hours of an ad (tickets, merchandising, phono). In addition, 22% of consumers buy more than simple tickets around events, which generates approximately 20% additional income for labels and producers.
One of the main challenges, however, remains access to the relevant data . As Maxence Bazin explains: “ The logic in marketing is that we touch audiences on social networks, we redirect them to the platforms and then it is a black box. This opacity considerably complicates the evaluation of the efficiency of the campaigns and the precise identification of the superfans. It is for this reason that Base for Music has developed partnerships with Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music in order to obtain more detailed information on this typology of listeners.
When passion becomes a value creation engine
The transformation of an ordinary fan into a surface ready to fully invest in his passion represents a considerable economic potential for the various players in the industry. The South Korean model, and more specifically the BTS group, is undoubtedly the most obvious illustration, as Didier Borg reminds us. Built as a real ecosystem, BTS relies on its "Army", which in addition to being an extremely enthusiastic community of fans, is also a major economic lever . This strategy results in the sale of collections of accessories for concerts, the development of online and physical stores, but also the creation of exclusive experiences.
As Didier Borg points out, the economic environment of the musical industry has historically evolved by seeking to satisfy its most committed fans more by offering them concerts, magazines, derivatives and ... experience . A central experience today in the value creation strategy.
The COVVI-19 pandemic has also accelerated innovation in this area, pushing the actors to find solutions to continue to interact with fans at a distance, and to monetize time and attention around artists. The BTS group has notably managed to sell more than 750,000 places for an event broadcast live on the Internet !
For his part, Robin Champseix explains Billy's approach: offering bundles integrating merchandising into the ticket purchase route. This system not only increases the price of the average basket, but it also makes it possible to better understand the expectations of the fanbase thanks to the data collected.
Like to loyalty: Building a hard relationship
Concretely, how to grow and maintain this precious category of fans? Base for Music has developed tools to follow commitment and transform ordinary listeners into “extraordinary” listeners. These solutions allow artists to develop and monitor their audience. This involves features designed to facilitate the transformation of the listener through the implementation of smartlinks , the role of which is to automatically redirect the user according to certain contextual criteria. A particularly effective method, since the conversion rate can reach 70 to 80 % depending on the quality of activation, as Maxence Bazin entrusted with us.
For its part, Billy offers a collaboration tool for producers, labels and business partners, with data sharing relating to buyers and participants (with their consent). Rather than opting for a classic CRM, Robin Champseix and his team made the choice to use a tagging system allowing to define precisely the identification elements of the Superfans, such as an expenditure threshold of € 80 per order, for example.
Project initiated by Didier Borg during the pandemic, Hey Live was aimed at " putting the live at the heart of the relationship and restoring power to artists in relation to social networks " by offering tools for interaction and creation of events . Inspired by the South Korean platform Weverse, which has placed gamification at the heart of the fan/artist relationship, with points to win to buy derivatives in particular, this service was aimed at creating a full ecosystem around the artist.
A locked market and strong resistances
Hey Live did not survive, for lack of industry support. The artist is far away, the contracts are numerous, the data is locked, deplores Didier Borg. In this millefeuille industry, innovation must often deal with everyone's interests . In this context, the support of majors appears to be a determining factor in success. As Didier Borg explains: “ Without the agreement of the market, there is nothing. He took the example of Spotify who had to wait for the market to give his agreement, in return for conditions dictated by the majors.
Robin Champseix tells how Billy was forced to pivot twice: first by transforming his solution into a white marque, integrated into the sales routes, then simplifying the routes to convince the majors . It was only after having obtained the support of the three big majors (Universal, Sony and Warner) that Billy was able to finally impose his solution on the producers. A process that however required at least 15 months of harsh discussions!
Many opportunities, even for emerging artists
Despite the many locks to blow up, the Superfans market offers considerable opportunities. But contrary to popular belief, these models are not necessarily reserved for the biggest names in the industry. An important part of the basic for music services indeed concerns emerging artists . Certain musical genres, such as jazz, however have certain peculiarities. According to Maxence Bazin, the difficulty is to reach the right people, who represent very specific audiences. But, on the other hand, it is " profiles that react well and generate a lot of commitment ".
In a market in constant research of value creation, the monetization strategies of superfans give birth to various projects . For example, the Spotify leader plans a supervisory plan, Universal Music Group is looking for specialists in the field, and Warner Music develops a dedicated application. These different initiatives bear witness to an increasing interest in the subject, even if nothing yet seems to be clear in terms of a dominant model.
Difficult to deny it: the surface is no longer a bonus, it is a real pillar . In a changing industry, value is now being built more on the quality of the relationship, more than on the quantity of listening. Identifying, nourishing and engaging these ultra-investis fans is to bet on a lever of sustainable growth!
The PIX festival brings together the ICC ecosystem
Didier Borg, Maxence Bazin and Robin Champseix were invited in April 2025 as part of the Pix festival organized by the Plaine Images. Pix was born from the desire to make the actors of the cult and creative industries of the Hauts-de-France territory shine.
At the same time, meetings between actors in the creative industries sector, Pix is also an inspiration for professionals "by the way" wanting to seize good ideas, methodos, creativity and innovations produced within ICC.
Find more information on the festival website.
The full replay of our conference is available here:
