{"podcast":{"title":"Big Brains","slug":"big-brains-1022699","podcast_index_feed_id":1022699,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/4FF7CAnQ","website_url":"https://big-brains.simplecast.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/2e7c76ad-7ecc-479b-8749-f0cb2f4f2dc5/a6bb7391-0c19-412c-9235-27ca5edc6296/3000x3000/bigbrains-ucpn-logo-largebrain-multicolor-rgb-black-3000.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"University of Chicago Podcast Network","episode_count":222,"summary":"Big Brains explores the groundbreaking research and discoveries that are changing our world. In each episode, we talk to leading experts and unpack their work in straightforward terms. Interesting conversations that cover a gamut of topics from how music affects our brains to what happens after we die.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-26T00:19:41.185737+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699"},"episode":{"title":"What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift","slug":"what-makes-music-go-viral-from-ai-to-taylor-swift","published_at":"2025-12-11T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699/what-makes-music-go-viral-from-ai-to-taylor-swift","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699","url":"https://big-brains.simplecast.com/episodes/what-makes-music-go-viral-from-ai-to-taylor-swift-bGfSelmP","audio_url":"https://afp-920658-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/b15505d2-a359-4f02-b0c3-b7602dbe79f1/episodes/423a9f6a-5486-4d60-a4e3-f6655421b29e/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=b15505d2-a359-4f02-b0c3-b7602dbe79f1&awEpisodeId=423a9f6a-5486-4d60-a4e3-f6655421b29e&feed=4FF7CAnQ","summary":"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.","meta_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 Ti…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2141,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/big-brains-1022699/episodes/what-makes-music-go-viral-from-ai-to-taylor-swift/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/big-brains-1022699/what-makes-music-go-viral-from-ai-to-taylor-swift.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}