Valedictory Address

Twenty-first century online music fan cultures have revolutionized the modern music industry and the way in which the general public consumes and understands a musician and their work. These communities, known as a part of Stan Culture, have manifested a unique familial bond through the creation of a common language, behavioral patterns, and the use of symbolic external displays and appearances.  This paper argues that a Twitter-based conglomerate of primarily young women and LGBTQ+ identifying folk have harnessed an indisputable power, making them an irreplaceable layer in the inner-workings of the music industry, specifically in marketing and artist promotion. This ethnographic study focuses on Harry Styles fans (Harries) and provides a complex analysis of this Stan network with the prominence of easter egg and fan-cultivated marketing amongst the digital music scene.