Summary
Highlights
Major record labels employ a sophisticated tactic to boost their artists' visibility: using interns to create hundreds of fake fan accounts. These 'burner accounts' then flood TikTok and Instagram with videos of the featured artists, making it appear as though the content is organic and fan-generated.
This strategy is a 'numbers game.' Just like buying multiple lottery tickets increases the chances of winning, these labels leverage their vast resources and personnel to post hundreds of videos daily. For instance, 50 interns posting 10 videos each results in 500 daily posts, significantly increasing the likelihood of one or two videos gaining traction and going viral.
This saturation creates the illusion that an artist is constantly going viral and is 'everywhere.' However, this success is rarely due to the individual artist's sole efforts. It's often a result of significant financial and resource investment from the labels, creating a playing field that is far from level and involves a lot of 'smoke and mirrors.'