Chaotic Good Projects exposed for deceptive viral marketing in indie music

2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Apr 29

A Billboard interview revealed Chaotic Good Projects used fake fan accounts, influencer campaigns, and paid narratives to promote artists like Geese, Oklou, and Zara Larsson, sparking backlash and debate among fans and industry professionals.
The agency’s tactics, including creating and managing fanpages and paying microinfluencers, have led to accusations of manufactured success and eroded trust in indie music’s authenticity, with some managers admitting to similar practices.
These revelations highlight a broader trend of blurred ethical lines in music marketing, raising questions about transparency, effectiveness, and the increasing difficulty for genuine fan engagement amid algorithm-driven promotion.

As fake fans become a marketing tool, how can listeners ever trust an artist's viral success again?

As labels sue over influencer posts, is the era of using popular music freely in social media marketing over?

With payola investigations targeting streaming, are we on the verge of a major crackdown on music marketing?

Is this digital hype truly different from the music industry's long history of pay-for-play promotion?

Is the real villain the marketing firms, or the social media algorithms that reward their deceptive tactics?