The Editorials

What Does It Mean To Be A Fan?

Written by Darren O'Neill

We had a pretty heated argument start on the Martina McBride bulletin board this weekend over what it means to be a “fan” of an artist. I could not believe how really intense some of the bashing and name calling got. It's pretty sad that something that should be fun can turn so downright nasty in a heartbeat.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about what being a fan means to different people. The original poster asked a few questions that made me think. If you buy someone's CDs are you then by default a fan? If you see someone in concert are you a fan? If you see a video you like on CMT, are you then considered a fan?

In my opinion, I think it is up to each individual person to declare whether or not they are a fan, and everyone has a different criteria for claiming what makes them a fan. For me, I would say that there are varying degrees of being a fan, whether we are talking about country music artists, sports teams, or anything in general.

For music, I believe there are about three tiers of being a fan. The first tier is you've heard a song you liked on the radio, or saw the video on CMT and liked the song. You may or may not actually go out and get the CD or see the artist when they are in your town.

The second tier would be that you buy the CD with the song you like on it, and most likely other CDs by the same artist. You may even have all the CDs of the artist. If the artist comes to your area, you will probably go see them. You might even pick up a magazine if you see something about the artist appears inside.

The third tier is where the super fan comes in! At this tier, you definitely have all of the CDs that you can get from this artist. You will go to any show in your area, and will even drive hundreds of miles to see the artist in other towns. If you see two lines about the artist in a magazine you're slapping down your cash at the check out for it.

I posted something similar to this to the Martina bulletin board and was accused of being wrong. Someone said that all fans were equal, and I just don't buy that for one second. I do not see how all fans can be equal. I know there are bigger fans of certain artists than I am, and I don't understand why people can't believe that they may not actually be the number one fan for their favorite artists.

I consider myself a fan of the Chicago White Sox (and yeah, we've been waiting for this season for about 24 years now!) but I know not all Sox fans are equal in their love for the team and the game. Over the past 5 years, I've probably been to maybe 10 games total. Over the same 5 years my dad, who is a season ticket holder, has been to approximately 400 games... How can anyone say that their isn't one of us who is a bigger fan than the other?

While country music isn't a competition (among the fans anyway) I'd like to know what people consider it takes to be a fan... Is it just liking a song you heard on the radio? Is it buying a CD? Is is going to concerts? I'd like to know how you feel. When do you go from liking a few songs to being a true fan? Or isn't there a difference at all? And remember, no one is right or wrong on this one, it is not a test!

Share your thoughts on to the message board!