The Day One Fan

“One area that I think is unexplored and relevant to this conversation is digital merch. What does digital merch look like? Not your avatar wearing a digital shirt. Rather: a badge saying you found this person early. Being able to flex to your friends that you found an artist or a content creator before everyone else — and you can actually prove th... See more

There is immediate gratification in knowing you selected a creator before their exponential growth, akin to holding bitcoin when it sat at just $1000. It is a form of social currency for young people today, one that carries more weight than the extent of your fandom.

In just a decade, the fan experience has fundamentally shifted.