Copyright Rolling Stone
The recorded music industry faces a structural problem: limited pricing power. Streaming has delivered global reach, but at a low, fixed price point that leaves little room for growth. Platforms are now betting on superfans to drive revenue through premium tiers and special communities. Yet in most cases, the data and relationships stay locked inside the platforms themselves, a pattern that extends well beyond the recorded music industry. From social media companies to streaming companies to ecommerce giants, the dominant model is the same: they capture the audience, they capture the data and they keep control of the fan relationship. Increasing pricing power may benefit the recorded music industry, but if the data remains locked in yet another platform, it misses the larger opportunity. The artist is the true center of the ecosystem — the connecting point across streaming, ticketing, merchandise and social platforms. If empowered to retain the data that shows who is engaging with them as a song, an event or a community, artists could unify what is now fragmented across multiple sources. This would not only strengthen their direct connection with fans but also create the foundation to close the gap left by today’s decentralized and platform-controlled data landscape. As musician James Blake recently put it: “For the last decade, we’ve seen companies harvest our fan data, which means phone numbers and emails of people who come to see us. I’ve played to millions of people in my lifetime and I wouldn’t know how to contact them to tell them I’ve got a show coming up.” When artists don’t own their fan data, they don’t own their future and the industry loses the benefits of a unified, centralized view of its audience. Why Fan Data Matters Just as artists fight for control of their masters, they also must fight for control of their audience relationships. Fan data — emails, phone numbers, purchase history, geographic location, engagement patterns — is the most durable foundation for career growth. Editor’s picks With it, artists: • Maintain direct connections with fans regardless of label, promoter or platform changes. • Identify superfans, who reliably drive the bulk of ticket, merch and community revenue and treat them not only as a revenue source but also with true engagement. • Negotiate stronger partnerships with labels, promoters, sponsors and streaming services using hard evidence of fanbase size and engagement. • Unlock sustainable revenue streams beyond album cycles and one-off tours. Without it, as Blake observed: “I’d liken it to a heist… Musicians are in the hands of the people who own their data, ultimately.” Actionable Steps Artists Can Take Now The good news is that any artist — from a DIY newcomer to a global touring act — can start reclaiming their fan relationships. Here are three immediate steps: 1. Acquisition: Capture the right fan data. • Start by identifying what data you can (and should) own, from contact info and purchase history to engagement and demographics. • Own your foundation by using a CRM or CDP that integrates across ticketing, merch and communications and ensures your data stays portable. The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify? Related Content • Collect responsibly by understanding the legal framework around data collection — who you can communicate with directly versus who you can only analyze as part of your audience. • Collect actively using presales, giveaways and in-venue activations to build your fan database at every touchpoint. 2. Analysis: Turn data into understanding. • Centralize your data to reveal who your fans are and how they engage. • Profile depth by identifying who’s new versus long-term, casual attendees versus superfans and how behaviors differ across platforms or events. • Segment intelligently by grouping fans by value, geography or behavior to uncover growth and engagement opportunities. • Surface insight by using these patterns to guide creative, marketing and partnership decisions. 3. Activation: Use data to drive action and revenue. • Turn fan understanding into measurable impact. • Shift to owned channels and drive fans from social platforms to email, SMS or your website — channels you control and can directly activate. • Create ownership loops by launching fan clubs or memberships that deepen engagement and feed new data back into your system. • Use data to target touring markets, personalize offers and test campaigns. • Turn understanding into deeper fan experiences — exclusive drops, early access or tailored content that strengthens connection and advocacy. This is key for transforming insight into loyalty. The Bigger Picture The industry will continue to evolve, and platforms, labels and promoters will remain important partners. But they should not be the sole gatekeepers to the audience. A more balanced model — where artists retain access to their fan data — strengthens the entire ecosystem. It gives creators the ability to build sustainable careers while ensuring more of the economic upside flows back to those generating the cultural value. Trending Stories For fans, this shift delivers more authentic and direct experiences, rather than ones filtered through opaque algorithms. For the industry, it creates a more resilient foundation. When partnerships with third parties inevitably change or expire, artists who maintain a clear understanding of their fans remain active participants in the market and are not sidelined by a lack of insight. A centralized, artist-driven layer of fan data ultimately benefits every stakeholder by reducing fragmentation and unlocking growth opportunities across the ecosystem. Owning fan data is not simply a business tactic. It is infrastructure that ensures the bond between artist and audience is preserved in a way that supports long-term industry health.
