Loud article has small followers (4)
I believe the answer is:
fans
'followers' is the definition.
(fan is a kind of follower)
'loud article has small' is the wordplay.
'loud' becomes 'f' (short for forte - 'loud' in music).
'article' becomes 'an' (indefinite article).
'has' says to put letters next to each other.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'f'+'an'+'s'='FANS'
(Other definitions for fans that I've seen before include "Enthusiasts" , "Aficionados" , "Devices for creating currents of air" , "Ardent followers" , "Supporters" .)