More than just a fan? Exploring the influence of fan engagement and gender on brand perception of artists in popular music

How do fans influence the way popular music artists are perceived, and what role does gender play in shaping these perceptions? This thesis investigates the relationship between fan engagement, artist gender, and brand perception in the popular music industry. Using a quantitative approach, it examines how engagement with fan-created content relates to how audiences evaluate artists across different brand personality dimensions. The study draws on Aaker's Brand Personality Framework alongside theories of participatory culture, brand identity, and gender inequality in music. A survey was conducted with over 150 respondents, measuring the extent of their fan engagement and their perception of various artist traits, including excitement, sincerity, competence, ruggedness, and sophistication. Findings show that fan engagement is a significant predictor of how artists are perceived across multiple brand dimensions. While gender did not directly predict perception across all traits, it interacted with specific fan behaviours in meaningful ways, suggesting that the construction of artist identity is partially shaped by how gendered expectations intersect with participatory fan practices. This thesis contributes to a more nuanced understanding of fan-artist dynamics by showing how brand perception is co-produced through digital participation. It also offers a replicable method for studying audience influence in artist branding, relevant to both scholars and industry professionals aiming to grasp the complexities of artist image construction in the digital era.