The FECI Fan Map is a powerful way to explain the relationship any individual or group has with music by segmenting people into Fans, Enthusiasts, Casuals and Indifferents.

To understand the first principles of FECI segmentation let's take a look at the Music Fan Map below. The central horizontal axis represents how 'engaged' an audience group is with music. At the left hand side of the axis are the 'Fanatics' and 'Enthusiasts'. These are people who invest almost crazy amounts of time, effort and money into their relationship with music. 

Over on the right are the 'Casuals' and 'Indifferents'. These are people with little or no interest in music who might struggle to recognise any of the tunes played at a wedding disco.

At a broad level The Fanatics and Enthusiasts are relatively small in number but represent the heaviest, most committed and profitable type of music consumer out there. Conversely, Casuals and Indifferents purchase less frequently and spend far less per head than the Fanatics and Enthusiasts, but thanks to their big population size represent a valuable high-volume market of light and irregular customers. This difference in market or audience size is represented by the Fan Map's funnel shape.

The Music Enthusiasts

A passion for music is a key part of life for Music Enthusiasts, but their interest is rarely as obsessive as that of the Fanatics. Enthusiasts tend to be polymaths with a diverse range of interests who like to be plugged into several passion-fields at once, rather than wholly committed to just music.  The Enthusiasts are also keen to travel off music’s beaten path but rarely venture far without a guide - they often look to Fanatics for news from ‘the edge’.

Music Enthusiasts are second only to the Fanatics in terms of the time and money they invest in music.  A key driver of the Enthusiast’s relationship with music is a strong desire to experience the sense of membership and privilege that comes with being part of a scene. Enthusiasts want to feel part of an exciting and vibrant moment, experience something authentic and immerse themselves in an alternative world that feels both real and inspiring. Music Enthusiasts are fascinated by the new or the experimental and love to feel a sense of connectedness.

Compared to Music Fanatics the Enthusiasts are less purist in their tastes. They are happier than die-hard music fans to engage with a more mainstream offering, if only at a knowing or ironic level. The Enthusiast’s musical archive seems more fragmented and something of a mishmash when compared to the Fanatic's ‘collection’. Their tastes are eclectic and they tend not to think of the music they stream as a ‘collection’ but more as a social and personal tool.

Music has a real influence on the lives of the Enthusiasts because it complements different occasions and helps them shape or define moods. This typifies the new era of music streaming – a relationship that exists somewhere between the Casual’s mania for the latest big thing and the Fanatic's esoteric obsession with revered artists.

You might think Music Enthusiasts are a homogenous group of music consumers, but this isn't true. To illustrate, let's take a look at three notional Music Enthusiast sub groups that are broadly reflective of various FECI Segmentations Colourtext has undertaken. The name of each group is very suggestive of its character - they are The Underground, The Spotify Tourists and The Party Grandees.

Music Enthusiast sub-groups

The Underground – guys and girls in their early to mid-twenties who like to be at the cutting edge of culture. These are popular party people who know people who know people. Music is a key part of their social lives and many of their friends produce music, arrange club nights or work in fashionable shops. However, they also pursue a wider youth cultural agenda with a keen interest in skating, fashion and technology etc. They are fascinated by the new or the experimental and love to feel a sense of ‘connectedness’ with the cultural underground.

The Spotify Tourists - music has a real influence on the lives of these twenty-somethings because it helps them define moods and complement different occasions – the Spotify take on music.  Their relationship with music is not about being gripped by the latest hip band of the moment nor is it like the obsessional intensity that some Fanatics have for a revered band or artist.  These guys have wide, catholic tastes and are open to many genres.  They are optimistic about the future of music and actively seek out new acts. 

The Party Grandees - guys and girls in their late 20’s and 30’s who maintain a vibrant social life and still experience moments at the cutting edge of popular culture.  They don’t feel tied down by adult responsibilities and continue to lead real ‘rock n roll’ lifestyles.  They are still connected to life at the edge and know what’s going on.  Music has always been an essential part their social lives, with clubbing and gigs featuring strongly in their backgrounds.  They tend not to think of their music in terms of a collection but more as a social and personal tool. 

Next to The Enthusiasts on the FECI Music Fan Map are The Fanatics and The Casuals. We can create a FECI Segmentation Fan Map for your brand and market - contact us now.