Make Me Smart

Recent controversy surrounding the rock band Geese and a digital marketing firm Chaotic Good Projects has sparked debate over the tactics firms use to drum up hype for artists online. How can we tell if online hype is real or fake? And does it really matter? Trapital founder Dan Runcie joins Kimberly to break it down. Plus, a final thank you from Kimberly.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Geese psyop debate: Rock band raises questions about music marketing" from Fast Company
"Fake Fans" from Eliza McLamb
"The Fanfare Around the Band Geese Actually Was a Psyop" from Wired
"If Geese are a psy-op, so is everything else" from Dazed
"Are Chaotic Good’s marketing practices bad for listeners?" From CBC Arts

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After a pandemic-era boom, the fine art market is going through something of a bust. Many galleries have closed due to climbing overhead costs and sales just aren’t what they used to be. Author and freelance journalist Julie Belcove joins Kimberly to demystify the inner workings of the global art market and what a slump could mean for the those who work in the arts.

As Kimberly gets ready to step into her new role as the host of “Marketplace Morning Report,” her predecessor David Brancaccio joins her to talk about his years on the morning shift and what he’s looking forward to on his new beat covering future effects for Marketplace. Plus, the two swap summer reading recommendations and play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

"Liar's Poker" by Michael Lewis
"Number Go Up" by Zeke Faux
"Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson
"The Sum of Us" by Heather McGhee
"Public pools used to be everywhere in America. Then racism shut them down." From Marketplace
"Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI" by Ryan Rolansky and Aneesh Raman
"Want to make new friends? There's an app for that" from Marketplace
"Why online courses sold by influencers have become so popular" from Marketplace
"The Roomba Guy’s Second Act: A Robot You’ll Want to Snuggle" from The Wall Street Journal
"The Spirit Airlines Comeback Story No One Saw Coming" from Inc.

“Make Me Smart” is a public media program. Support “Make Me Smart” with your donation today and keep economic news available to everyone. Donate now: https://bit.ly/mkp_mms_pod

The WNBA’s 30th season tips off tomorrow. This year, things look a lot different for players after the league and players union recently signed a landmark collective bargaining agreement (CBA). On today’s show, The Athletic’s Annie Costabile joins Kimberly to break down how the deal has transformed the way players are paid. Plus, has women’s basketball ever really been given the chance to maximize its earning potential?

The power struggle between the states and federal government is as old as the U.S. itself. But under the second Trump administration, that struggle has become particularly fraught. Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy joins Kimberly to explain how the president is wielding federal funding as a tool to expand his authority, and how states are fighting back.