ARTIFICIAL STREAMING

All you need to know about artificial streaming

Artificial streaming is a problem across the music industry. But what exactly is it? How can you avoid it? And what is Spotify doing to tackle this issue?

WHAT IS IT?

An artificial stream is a stream that doesn't reflect genuine user listening intent, including any instance of attempting to manipulate streaming services like Spotify by using automated processes (like bots or scripts). If left undetected, artificial streams dilute the royalty pool, shifting revenue from legitimate artists to bad actors. They also undermine the fair playing field that streaming represents.

The industry context

A growth story

Since the industry’s financial low point in 2014, streaming growth has turned the music industry around. In 2023, streaming accounted for two-thirds of global recorded revenue, with Spotify accounting for roughly a third of that.

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Bad actors

As streaming payouts have grown to billions of dollars per year, bad actors have started trying to manipulate streams for their own financial gain, or to scam artists by promising increased stream counts in exchange for money.

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Detecting and removing

Spotify invests heavily in detecting, preventing, and removing the royalty impact of artificial streams. We also charge labels and distributors when flagrant artificial streaming is detected on their content.

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Services that seem too good to be true

Marketing and promotional services may target you on socials and via email with the promise of streams or playlist placements on Spotify and other streaming platforms – often in return for a fee. They’re scams and should be avoided.

  • They may claim to be able to get a song streamed, playlisted, or prioritized in Spotify’s algorithmic recommendations. None of this is true.
  • Many of these services use bots to stream a song on repeat, attempting to inflate the stream count.
  • Some services charge money to be “considered” for user playlists, but do not guarantee placements. Be highly skeptical of these services, as well.
  • The only way to grow your career on Spotify is by gaining legitimate fans who engage with your songs and invest in you as an artist.

    • Penalties and deterrents

    Spotify strictly prohibits using any third party service that promises streams or playlist placement in exchange for money. These services violate Spotify’s Terms and Conditions of Use and User Guidelines.

    We want to ensure that artificial streams have no benefit – and do not create any second-order negative impact on legitimate streams. We are always updating our systems to enforce these policies as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Spotify’s policy is that when we detect any artificial streams, the following penalties are applied:

  • Those streams do not earn royalties.
  • Those streams do not count toward public stream numbers or charts.
  • Those streams do not positively influence recommendation algorithms.

    • Depending on the severity of the artificial streaming detected, additional penalties can include:

  • Removal of the song from Spotify playlists
  • The distributor of the track, after being informed of the artificial streaming by Spotify, may issue warnings, charge a penalty fee, suspend the user’s account, or remove the music from Spotify
  • Removal of the track from Spotify altogether, In cases where the track appears to be primarily a vehicle to enable artificial streaming
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    Artificial streaming in your data

    Looking at your Spotify for Artists data can provide insights into whether artificial streaming is impacting your account.

    If you see anything abnormal, please inform your label or distributor and share details of any services you’ve hired to help promote your music.

    Abnormal activity may include:

  • A sudden spike in streams for no apparent reason, followed by a drop off
  • An unexplained spike in streams from a location where your tracks haven’t previously been active
  • The majority of streams coming from unexplained or surprising sources of streams (such as “Other” or another streaming source that doesn’t make sense)
  • A sudden and short-lived increase in follower growth
    • Your questions, answeredYour questions, answered

    An industry wide challenge

    The challenge of artificial streaming requires stakeholders from across the global music business to align as a united front.

    Spotify is proud to be a founding member of the Music Fights Fraud Alliance – a global task force aimed at eradicating streaming fraud.

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    The Game PlanThe Game Plan
    What is artificial streaming?What is artificial streaming?

    Spotify and industry experts explain what artificial streaming is, how it can be detrimental to your goals, and what we’re doing to combat this problem.

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