In the words of Henry Jenkins, in his book ‘Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide’, “Fandom, after all, is born of a balance between fascination and frustration: if media content didn't fascinate us, there would be no desire to engage with it; but if it didn't frustrate us on some level, there would be no drive to rewrite or remake it.”
In the evolving landscape of the music industry, artist and celebrity management companies are stepping up to curate exclusive, intimate experiences for super fans. Along with large concerts or traditional meet-and-greets, these companies are now additionally crafting personalised, memorable moments that bring fans closer to their favourite artists. From private acoustic performances in unique venues to behind-the-scenes studio visits, these tailored experiences foster deeper connections between artists and their most loyal supporters.
The rise of digital platforms has made fans more accessible, but creating truly meaningful, in-person interactions is now a top priority for many management teams. These carefully designed experiences go beyond just giving fans access; they immerse them in the artist's world, creating lasting memories. Whether it's a surprise backstage pass, a chance to watch rehearsals, or a curated weekend with the artist, these moments deepen fan loyalty while helping artists forge more authentic relationships.
Artist management has become a crucial part of this process, transforming passive fandom into active, engaged communities that feel personally invested in the success of their favourite performers.
In an exclusive interaction, Hamza Kazi, Head of Music, Dharma Cornerstone Agency (DCA), outlines the pointers artists and celebrity management companies need to keep in mind about curating fan experiences, the matter of protecting the privacy of artists/celebrities, his personal fandom experiences and more.
Edited excerpts:
According to you, what factors should be kept in mind by artist and celebrity management companies while curating distinct fan experiences?
Fan experiences are usually cherished by most artists and can have a huge impact on the overall public perception of an artist. However, because of the unpredictability of human interactions, it is something that needs to be carefully monitored. As an artist management agency, there are several factors that we need to consider.
- The most important factor is whether the artist is comfortable with such interactions to begin with. It always helps to understand the personality type of the artist before even considering something like this.
- The type of experience and the deliverables need to be clearly understood and conveyed to the artist beforehand. Whether it is pictures, an autograph, an exclusive Q&A session, etc., the details should be clarified with the promoter or brand, to ensure that the artist is not put in an uncomfortable situation.
- The time and duration of such experiences are also very important. Some artists prefer to do it before a performance, while some prefer to meet fans after. That brings up a whole bunch of other problems, in case there are delays or issues during the act, which might affect the headspace of the artist. Most of them will be okay with meeting a few people within a specific time slot but if that duration is overshot then it is up to the management to handle the situation without letting it affect the image of the artist.
- The location of the engagement and the security and safety measures are also extremely critical. Sometimes we turn down such requests if we feel that the infrastructure of the venue isn't capable of handling such an event.
- We always do a background check on the promoter or event organiser to understand the scale of events that were handled by them previously. It gives us a fair idea of the extra precautions we might need to take.
- Lastly, the most important thing is that we want the fans to go back with a heart-warming memory of the meeting. We feel that fans are responsible for 50 per cent of an artist's career. They are the true marketing and promotion heroes. One successful Meet & Greet session can do wonders for fandom.
As an artist management company, how do you strike a balance between fan access and the artist's personal privacy?
Humans are an unpredictable bunch! You can never really gauge what a person is like and you can never anticipate things taking a bad turn suddenly. However, since we're in the business of people management, and we end up meeting so many folks on a daily basis, most managers are pretty good at reading people. That's the reason why the manager will always be present, close to the artist. If they feel that an interaction is heading in the wrong direction, they usually intervene. This could be if a fan asks a personal question or gets too close while taking a picture.
At the end of the day, we have to protect the image of the artist at all times. We have to ensure that even if some strict action is to be taken, the public knows that it's the management that did it and not the artist. We are responsible for the artist's public image and it is our duty to ensure that it is not tarnished while simultaneously letting the most hard-core and pushy fans, feel like they enjoyed meeting their heroes. It's a tough job that you only learn with experience.
What challenges do artist management companies face when curating intimate fan experiences?
In India, very sadly, nothing ever happens according to a proper schedule. That's the one thing that ruins most experiences. Most fans usually don't realise that there are a ton of things that happen at the back end, which are heavily time-dependent. Any delays snowball into much larger problems which we can't explain to fans.
Secondly, the culture of paid Meet & Greets in India is fairly new. Most fans still don't understand it and that creates security issues for the ones who aren't allowed inside a fan engagement area. Most venues in India don't have designated areas for this, unlike the West. Venue logistics becomes a problem sometimes when an artist has to be led out through the crowd after an interaction.
A lot of fans also don't understand personal space and it becomes tricky to handle them in their hero worship mode. Promoter family favours is another big issue and it becomes hard to say no because, in the end, they're the ones who are enabling the success of our artists, in a way.
There are a lot of interesting experiences that can be crafted but because this concept in relatively new, it will take a while for us to be able to execute the more innovative ideas.
What kind of dipsticks global artists and celebrity management companies can offer to Indian ones, in terms of curating relevant and memorable fan experiences?
I have been fortunate enough to have travelled overseas for a lot of music performances. In fact, I recently travelled to Sweden to watch my favourite band Tool. They had the most amazing VIP experience. It was handled by a company called On The List, which specialises in Meet & Greet and VIP experiences of many incredible bands. It was so perfectly organised with a proper schedule and incredible goodies. It included watching the band sound check, a group photo, interacting with a couple of members for some time, a merch goody bag with a VIP lanyard and a commemorative coin, and early access to a signed merch along with front row seats. As a fan, it is something that I will not only cherish for the rest of my life but talk about it with hundreds of people and convince them to experience it too.
I feel that the one thing that we need to learn from our global counterparts, is the professionalism. We should let dedicated companies handle the experience as that's their core strength. It will simplify the lives of fans, artists and agencies.
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