Gatekeep Kahit Nagugutom: The Impact of Gatekeeping Practices within Local Music Fanbases on Filipino Music Organizations

Abstract

This study explores how cultural capital-driven fanbase gatekeeping—or the informal regulation of fan community membership based on perceived tenure, familiarity, and knowledge as a fan—impacts the organizational processes, creative expression, and audience engagement of mid-range Filipino music organizations. Set within Metro Manila’s local music scene, the research draws from eight semi-structured interviews with participants affiliated with mid-range music organizations, production houses, and artist collectives. Guided by Bourdieu’s (1986) theory of cultural capital and White’s (1950) gatekeeping model, and analyzed through Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis, the study developed three major themes: Organizational Understandings of Fanbase Gatekeeping; Implications of Fan Behavior to Organizational Expression; and The Multidimensionality of Fanbase Gatekeeping. Findings suggest that while fanbase gatekeeping can impede audience growth and restrict creative freedom, it also offers opportunities for reflection, brand clarity, and dialogue with one’s fan community. Organizations interpreted some forms of gatekeeping as harmful assertions of authority, while others were seen as protective acts rooted in care. Overall, fanbase gatekeeping presents both challenges and possibilities, prompting organizations to reanalyze how they position themselves within their creative space and fan community.