Fave Rave

In the latest venture, Warner Music and Sony Music were among those who invested US$2 million into the AI-powered superfan social media platform Fave. Past and present executives of Google, YouTube, Spotify and Amazon also put money in.

Fave launched in beta in 2021 as a place for fans to hang out, share stories of their idols, analyse song lyrics, enter dance competitions and exchange fan-made merchandise. It became the flashpoint for fans as Taylor Swift’s Swifties, Bruno Mars’ Hooligans United, and the BTS ARMY (fans of K-pop band BTS, whose label HYBE was an early backer of Fave).

“We’ve spent years advocating for superfans,” said its founder Jacquelle Amankonah Horton. “The entertainment business has started to understand just how crucial they are to artists’ longevity, and they are turning to us as the experts.”

Fave has struck “groundbreaking” deals with music companies for them to use its “AI-powered fan intelligence” with billions of audience data points, and its “laser focus on empowering superfans”. This week Fave extended the service to artists and managers with the launch of FanFinder, which helps them identify their superfans. It provides info on who’s listening to their music the longest, who makes fan art and their own merch, who goes to every show on a tour, or who can be tapped to hold listening parties for a new record with other fans.

It pointed out, “The direct connection means the artist team isn’t at the mercy of algorithmically-driven social feeds that reach only 2 percent of followers when the artist is trying to reach their dedicated fans.” Plans are to expand to superfans of sports celebrities and influencers.

As a black woman, Horton is pleased entertainment bosses are now looking past white males for solutions. In her 20s she made her mark as an innovative product manager at Google and YouTube.