Music fandom online: R.E.M. fans in pursuit of the ultimate first listen

Abstract

This article explores the processes that occur when music fans reject the up-to-date flow and download culture of the internet in favour of a more traditional first experience of listening to an album. Examining a sub-group within an online community for fans of rock band R.E.M., this article discusses how these fans assume non-normativity, due to their activities evading spoilers concerning the then forthcoming album. Driven by a nostalgic aim to recapture the experience of buying a new album without prior knowledge other than official information, this research shows how fans endeavour to resist technology and restore the experience of listening to and purchasing a new album as a singular event. The analysis shows how this pursuit of pleasure resulted in their cultural distinctiveness from the community and how it enabled them to create a form of inverted fan cultural capital, positioning them as a different, albeit temporary, interpretive community.

Keywords

fandom internet music online community R.E.M.spoilers

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