Why do people prefer solid fandom versus general public popularity?

I've seen this argument 100x but it seems like most people prefer a solid fandom versus the love of the public.

Being a celebrity is all about getting publicity, and general public attention gives you all the benefits such as media attention, which translates over to variety show appearances, hosting roles, significant drama roles from the jump (if your idol is into acting), CFs where you make all the money, etc.

Big fandom is good and all, gives you plenty of stability but album sales and tours hardly make much money compared to all the CFs you get from general publicity and they're hella expensive compared to the actual individual members make after all the expenses and company cut . Especially in the first 7 years of the contract, the group makes so much little money due to usually horrible contracts, and that's when your fandom is at its most supportive (as compared to when disbandment and everyone focuses on solo activities). When the group disbands as well, the fandom rarely translates over to individual activities as compared to general public recognition, whereas GP recognition is much more beneficial for career longevity.

Cause fandom is guaranteed money, public popularity isn't, they can always move on to the next hot thing.

Fans usually stick around and continue to support you even if you release something genuinely subpar. The gp doesn't, because they don't care if you flop.

Because groups nowadays are 95% flops on charts and relevance with the gp and the only thing maintaining them at the top is their fandoms.

A big fandom is great, but trying to exclude the gp importance is weird.

Quote from OP

tours hardly make much money

only if your fandom is small

Aside from CFs, tours are generally the most lucrative for any musician, idols included. The emphasis on fandom vs GP popularity is because the GP is fickle and moves onto the next thing. A solid fandom, however, can continue to carry you for many years. This can also translate into your longer term career, as many of the soloists from idol groups carry over a dedicated fandom. I’d rather be a Taemin than a Momoland.

katy perry is a very good example why a big solid fandom is always better than having the gp. a huge loyal fanbase will always be there to support you or maybe defend you when needed, but the second gp is done with you (most of the time it only takes one song/few songs doing less than your hit songs did) your carreer is pretty much nihil, no matter how huge your previous hits were.

And this is talking about western gp who are usually a lot more chill & usually just get bored with you. Imagine living as a korean idol trying to please the korean gp & not get into a scandal when pretty much everything gets you criticised.

the perfect thing would be a balance between gp & a big fandom, but this usually only happens with the top groups.

ALSO, something many people don't seem to realise

usually groups with huge fandoms are the ones that actually got gp to tune in & they turned them into part of their fandom. often kpop stans unstanned one of the big (main) group after they got to know more groups., where else would all these new kpop fans come from?

Who is 'people' in this topic? The company? The artists? The fans?

Generally, why solid fanbase is preferred above public popularity: continuity and consistency.

Meaning money.

A solid fanbase means a consistent source of revenues, which means a bigger chance for prolonged continuity of a group.

Which is why many fans care more about a group having a large fanbase than huge popularity of either the group or the individual members.

Because while huge popularity might mean high chances for huge opportunities for both groups as individual members as long as that popularity lasts, a solid fanbase means that their bias group might have a bigger chance of keeping on existing as a group.