Nurturing Young Music Fans for BBC Radio 1’s New Immersive Music Portal

BBC Radio 1’s New Music Portal sought to build an engaged digital community for emerging artists and music fans while delivering immersive virtual gigs in collaboration with Condense. As a community growth specialist, I was responsible for designing and implementing audience engagement strategies tailored to younger listeners, managing the Portal’s Discord community, and supporting audiences before and during live immersive gigs.

Our goal was to transform passive listeners into active participants, creating a space where new music discovery feels interactive and exciting rather than transactional.

Approach

1. Understanding Where Real Engagement Happens: The Deep Web of Online Communities

To drive meaningful engagement, I needed to move beyond traditional social media platforms and understand where younger music fans spend their time. The deep web—comprising private Discord servers, niche Telegram groups, closed forums, and invite-only Facebook groups—is where the most authentic, unfiltered conversations happen.

These spaces are often gated and protected by dedicated volunteers and moderators, who ensure they remain valuable to their members. Respectfully entering these communities allows me to observe natural behaviors, contribute meaningfully, and build trust. Authenticity starts where the noise of the surface web fades.

2. Elevating the Live Immersive Gig Experience Condense’s immersive virtual gig technology offered a unique opportunity to bridge digital and live experiences in a way that felt interactive rather than passive. My role involved ensuring that the community was:

• Prepared and excited before the gig (teasers, artist interactions, and pre-show discussions)

• Engaged during the gig (real-time chat interactions, community-driven commentary, and exclusive moments)

• Motivated to continue engaging post-event (follow-up discussions, artist retrospectives, and continued involvement in future events)

Key Learnings & Insights

While key accomplishments are still unfolding, early engagement trends indicate that younger audiences crave spaces where they can engage deeply, not just passively consume content. The deep web remains an underutilized space for media and entertainment brands, yet it holds some of the most dedicated fan communities.

For brands looking to connect with Gen Z and young millennial audiences, the takeaway is clear: