Photo Credit: Nicholas Green
Superfan apps like Weverse (HYBE) and the freshly-launched Berriz (Kakao Entertainment) have become critical tools for K-pop labels — helping transform fan engagement into scalable revenue streams while addressing core industry challenges along the way. Now, it looks like Warner Music’s superfan app is getting off its starting blocks.
Traditional streaming economics often fail to capture the full financial potential of highly engaged ‘superfans’—those who drive music discovery and interact with their favorite acts on a daily basis. Superfan apps and platforms, by contrast, leverage direct-to-consumer models, offering tiered subscriptions, exclusive merchandise, and virtual concerts for the most dedicated fans.
While these apps have exploded in popularity among music fans in Asia, US labels are looking to emulate that success.
HYBE’s ‘Fan Club’ segment—which includes Weverse—generated $69.7 million in 2023, up 35.9% year-over-year. That’s because superfans spend 80% more monthly on music than the average listener, with 61% stating they purchase both digital content and physical albums.
These superfan apps help centralize fan activity, providing labels with granular behavioral data around time spent interacting with an artists’ content, purchase patterns, and more. That data can be useful in informing everything from tour planning to merchandise drops—reducing reliance on third-party platforms like social media.
It’s no small surprise that major labels in the United States want a piece of this action. Last year, Robert Kyncl announced that Warner Music would focus on building out its own superfan app, allowing fans to connect with their favorite artists. Kyncl hired a new tech team to build the app, with an initial buy-in from Atlantic star Ed Sheeran.
A new profile in The Wall Street Journal of Elliot Grainge makes brief mention of the app, which appears to be going through internal testing. “A beta version rolled out to some employees for testing in the spring,” the WSJ reports. “The app looks like an Instagram feed of only Ed Sheeran posts that users could like and comment on, barebones in both tech and content.”
Sheeran shared his feedback with the tech team, with Elliot Grainge is closely working with to get the app ready. “The project suffered from a lack of alignment between the team building it and Atlantic,” the report continues. “Kyncl says Grainge is already working closely with the tech team. ‘They can only build as well to what they’re guided to,’ Kyncl says. ‘They need insights from the people who are on the ground. Elliot’s really good at helping filter this.’”
Now a more sophisticated version of the app—that Sheeran actively uses—rolled out to a small group of test users in recent weeks.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.