Why fandom’s ‘more is more’ era could backfire

‘Less is more’ has long been a pillar of entertainment marketing strategy, promoting the importance of quality over quantity. However, in the past decade, the new phrase has effectively become “more is more” as all forms of entertainment push to release as much content as possible, as often as possible, to appease fanbases eager to consume anything thrown at them. However, as the entertainment industry relies more on superfans for revenue, it is finding that ‘more is more’ is not a sustainable strategy. Like the shift to scale of the previous decade, we may now be due for another entertainment reset – but that does not mean fully returning to the ‘less is more’ approach of the past.

 Overwhelming fans leads to diminishing returns

Perhaps the best example of how entertainment has begun chasing scale at the expense of quality is the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). From its inception in 2008, the MCU brought an already well-known IP to a new audience through films and TV shows – divided into phases – that wove an overarching narrative, making it necessary to watch previous instalments to understand the newest release. However, there was a noticeable shift in strategy over time – while Phase 1 consisted of six films over four years, Phase 4 consisted of a staggering seven films and eight TV series between 2021 and 2022.

This sudden deluge of content would exhaust even the biggest Marvel fans as they try to keep up, so it is no surprise that a 2023 Fandom study found that while 81% of Marvel fans would watch anything Marvel-related, 36% felt that they were overwhelmed by the number of releases in a year (per Variety). This fandom fatigue led to a 2024 box office slump, prompting Disney CEO Bob Iger to announce that the MCU would “slowly decrease volume” and focus on quality rather than quantity (via NME).

A ‘more is more’ approach leads to diminishing returns over time because fans – even superfans – are not engaging with their favourite media 24/7. In MIDiA’s Q1 2025 consumer survey, only a quarter of consumers say they engage with the entertainment of which they are most a fan multiple times a day, and just over a third engage with it daily. Still, engaging daily does not mean constant focus, especially with music fans. As found in MIDiA’s report ‘The superfans of music superstars’, even superfan attention is fragmented these days – just under 30% of Charli XCX superfans listen to her daily, but the same percentage listen to Drake and Billie Eilish daily as well. Not to mention that a growing number of consumers are stepping back from media as a way to combat digital fatigue – the majority of consumers did something to reduce screen time in the past month (source: MIDiA Research Consumer Survey, Q1 2025).

Fandom fatigue in music works differently

Obviously, music does not function like the MCU. While an artist may release music multiple times in the same year, a 15-song album is nowhere near as long as a full-length film, so there is less of a risk of oversaturation from music output. Additionally, listening to music does not require one’s full attention – eyes and ears – the way a film would. However, with the rise of artist-adjacent content and a push for artists to constantly post on social media, music is not safe from content overwhelm. Like the MCU, this strategy produces short-term gains, but eventually fans recognise the signs of overharvesting and push back against constant monetisation. Even Taylor Swift – known for her expansive merch offerings and dedicated fanbase – has received backlash from fans for her merch strategy, with some calling it a “cash grab” (per Business Insiderand Buzzfeed News).

Some artists are abandoning a ‘more is more’ strategy by limiting how much content they release. For example, TikToker-turned-popstar Addison Rae has pivoted from posting on TikTok multiple times a day to posting less frequently but with a more curated feel, making the rare times she does post more valuable to fans (per Apple Music). However, this approach may not prove as successful for more emerging artists – Rae can afford to post less now because she built up a dedicated following by posting more first. Instead, artists should aim to strike a balance between ‘less is more’ and ‘more is more’. While emerging artists may need to post more frequently in the beginning of their careers to build momentum, more established artists can taper off their stream of content over time. As fans become more active creators, they can – and will – fill the gaps with their own creations. Artists do not need to compete with the steady stream of UGC by drowning it out with their own content but should complement it.

Scarcity drives value – when fans are served an endless supply of media, they begin to see it as common and disposable. Attention is more divided than ever and in turn, consumers are becoming more discerning about how they spend their free time, often choosing various media to entertain themselves with rather than just one. Instead of wading through endless content, fans will simply not engage. If entertainment goes from a trickle to a tidal wave, it will wash the fans away.