As part of my M.A. in Strategic Public Relations at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, this white paper uses Frank Ocean’s Boys Don’t Cry pop-up as a case study to define fandom and examine its significance to the music industry, the growth of tech, and value of experiential marketing.

It features extensive research of the market, fandom, and commercial music technology, a content analysis, and interviews with Kevin Lyman, Founder and CEO of the Kevin Lyman Group and creator of the Vans Warped Tour. As well as Michael Kaminsky, founder and president of KMGMT, Inc., and Andrew Justice, head of the Music Library at the University of Southern California.