What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift
About this episode
This episode explores how social media and online communities influence the virality of music and the success of pop stars, featuring insights from musicologist Paula Clare Harper.
The internet and social media have transformed the way in which we hear and understand music today—and online communities and platforms from YouTube to TikTok have changed how music circulates and ultimately goes viral. Why do some pop stars have more success creating hit songs and building online following than others? In this episode, we speak with Paula Clare Harper, a musicologist and assistant professor at the University of Chicago. Harper co-edited the book Taylor Swift: The Star, The Songs, The Fans, which explores the online musical cultures that produced and propelled the image of megastar Taylor Swift. Harper unpacks how gendered narratives around "the fangirl" continue to influence which musical practices we take seriously—and how studying music on the internet helps us understand contemporary cultural power.
People in this episode
Guest: Paula Clare Harper
Topics covered
- music
- viral culture
- social media
- gender narratives
- pop stars
- online communities
Keywords
- music virality
- social media
- Taylor Swift
- pop culture
- gender narratives
- musicology
- online communities
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Chicago
Books & works: Taylor Swift: The Star, The Songs, The Fans
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