The TikTok-ification of music marketing

The TikTok-ification of music marketing

From Make Me Smart by Marketplace

May 14, 2026 · 18 min · Episode 1566

About this episode

The episode discusses the controversy surrounding music marketing tactics and the authenticity of online hype, featuring insights from Dan Runcie.

Recent controversy surrounding the rock band Geese and a digital marketing firm Chaotic Good Projects has sparked debate over the tactics firms use to drum up hype for artists online. How can we tell if online hype is real or fake? And does it really matter? Trapital founder Dan Runcie joins Kimberly to break it down. Plus, a final thank you from Kimberly. Here’s everything we talked about today: "Geese psyop debate: Rock band raises questions about music marketing" from Fast Company "Fake Fans" from Eliza McLamb "The Fanfare Around the Band Geese Actually Was a Psyop" from Wired "If Geese are a psy-op, so is everything else" from Dazed "Are Chaotic Good’s marketing practices bad for listeners?" From CBC Arts “Make Me Smart” is a public media program. Show your support with a donation today and keep economic news available to everyone. Donate now: https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod

People in this episode

Host: Kimberly

Guest: Dan Runcie

Topics covered

  • music marketing
  • digital marketing
  • online hype
  • artist promotion
  • controversy
  • music industry

Keywords

  • TikTok
  • music marketing
  • Geese
  • Chaotic Good Projects
  • online hype
  • Dan Runcie
  • controversy
  • digital marketing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chaotic Good Projects, Fast Company, Wired, Dazed, CBC Arts

Books & works: Fake Fans, Geese psyop debate: Rock band raises questions about music marketing, The Fanfare Around the Band Geese Actually Was a Psyop, If Geese are a psy-op, so is everything else, Are Chaotic Good’s marketing practices bad for listeners?

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