Digital Marketing Agency Chaotic Good Projects Manufactures Fake Fan Accounts for Musicians

Chaotic Good Projects, a digital marketing agency founded by Jesse Coren and Andrew Spelman, offers services that include creating hundreds of fake fan accounts to generate virality for musicians. Their client roster spans from mainstream pop stars like Dua Lipa, Shawn Mendes, and Justin Bieber to alternative artists such as Cameron Winter, Geese, Dijon, Mk.gee, Laufey, Wet Leg, Oklou, and Jane Remover. The agency's methods, detailed in a Billboard interview, involve "narrative campaigns" and "UGC" (user-generated content) campaigns where employees post extensively to control online discourse and simulate trends. For instance, they promoted Oklou's Tiny Desk performance and boosted Kevin Atwater's song "startripping" by linking it to edits of the show Yellowjackets. The founders describe their work as "hand-to-hand combat" and "building an army," acknowledging the overwhelming nature of the algorithmic economy. While some artists like Cameron Winter and Geese have benefited from these campaigns, the practice raises questions about authenticity in fandom and the music industry's shift toward algorithmic promotion over traditional gatekeepers like SNL or Pitchfork reviews. The agency's website removed its "Narrative Campaign" section and some artist listings shortly after this article's publication on April 2, though it's unclear if those artists remain clients. The article reflects on the tension between commercial demands and artistic integrity, noting that musicians often pay to avoid the burden of self-promotion in the attention economy.