Fandom as symbolic patronage: expanding understanding of fan relationships with industry through the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign

Conversations surrounding relationships between media fans and media industries frequently categorize fans according to their degree of industrial incorporation or resistance, for instance, as either “affirmational” fans who uncritically celebrate media on industrial terms or “transformational” fans who engage in critical and non-sanctioned forms of participation. Drawing on interviews with participants in the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign, this article connects rhetoric used by these fans to longstanding issues around patronage in fine arts, arguing these historical discourses provide a way to deepen our understanding of how fan audiences relate to media industry interests. The complex, asymmetrical relations that exist between patrons and artists they sponsor offer a valuable model for a type of fandom experience that does not fit neatly into the existing typology.