DiscoverBig BrainsWhat Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift
What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift

What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift

Update: 2025-12-11
Share

Description

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.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Comments 
loading
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
1.0x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift

What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift

University of Chicago Podcast Network