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What is Artificial Streaming/Streaming Fraud?

Questions in this Article

What is artificial streaming?

Artificial streaming, also known as streaming fraud or streaming manipulation, is activity that artificially increases streams, listeners, followers, playlist activity, or other engagement on a digital music service.

Artificial streaming does not reflect genuine listener intent. It can involve automated or deceptive methods such as bots, click farms, manipulated accounts, fraudulent playlists, or other methods designed to artificially influence streaming activity or platform metrics.

Artificial streaming can happen intentionally, but artists can also be affected without realizing it. For example, a third-party promotion or marketing service may use methods that violate a platform's policies, or music may be added to a playlist generating artificial activity without the artist's knowledge.

How do streaming platforms identify artificial streaming?

Digital music services use their own systems and methods to identify unusual or potentially artificial activity. These systems can consider a variety of signals and patterns across streams, listeners, playlists, territories, accounts, and other activity.

Because each platform uses its own systems and policies, activity may be identified differently from one service to another.

An unusual increase in streams does not necessarily mean that artificial streaming has occurred. However, activity that is determined by a platform to be artificial or manipulated may result in streams being removed, royalties being adjusted, or other action being taken.

Can I receive artificial streams without doing anything wrong?

Yes. Artists can sometimes be affected by artificial streaming even when they did not intentionally purchase or generate artificial streams.

This can happen through third-party promotion or marketing services, fraudulent playlists, or other activity outside an artist's direct control. For example, a promotion company may claim to provide legitimate marketing or audience growth while using methods that violate a streaming platform's policies.

However, using a third party does not necessarily protect an artist from the consequences of artificial streaming. Artists should carefully research and vet any company or individual they hire to promote their music.

What types of activity can lead to artificial streaming?

Examples may include:

  • Paying for streams, listeners, followers, or other guaranteed engagement
  • Paying for guaranteed or paid playlist placement
  • Using bots, scripts, click farms, or other automated methods to generate streams
  • Using multiple accounts or other methods to artificially increase play counts
  • Repeated or manipulated listening intended to inflate streams
  • Using promotional services that employ deceptive or fraudulent methods
  • Other activity intended to manipulate streams, playlists, charts, discovery, or other platform metrics

Not every unusual streaming pattern is necessarily artificial streaming. Digital music services make their own determinations based on the activity they identify.

What should I know about music promotion services?

Be cautious of services that guarantee a specific number of streams, listeners, followers, playlist placements, or other measurable results in exchange for payment. Legitimate advertising and marketing can help artists reach new audiences, but no legitimate promotion method can guarantee a specific number of organic streams or listeners.

A service describing itself as "organic," "real," or "guaranteed" does not, by itself, mean its methods comply with streaming platform policies. Artists should research promotional services carefully and understand how they generate the activity they are promising.

What does an artificial streaming notification mean?

A notification about artificial streaming or abnormal streaming activity generally means that a digital music service has identified unusual or potentially artificial activity associated with one or more tracks.

A notification does not necessarily mean that an artist intentionally engaged in streaming fraud, nor does it necessarily mean that a release has been removed.

In some cases, notifications are intended to provide awareness of activity before additional action is taken. Artists should take these notifications seriously and review any recent promotional activity, playlist activity, or unusual changes in their streaming data.

What happens when artificial streaming is identified?

Consequences can vary depending on the digital music service, the nature and extent of the activity, and whether similar activity continues.

Potential consequences may include:

  • Removal of artificial streams from reported streaming totals
  • Adjustment or withholding of royalties associated with artificial activity
  • Financial penalties or other charges assessed by a digital music service
  • Removal of an affected release from a streaming service
  • Restrictions on future distribution
  • Removal of additional releases or an artist's catalog
  • Suspension or termination of a distribution account
  • Restrictions on the withdrawal of funds, where applicable

Not every case will result in every consequence listed above.

Digital music services may also impose their own actions directly, including removing artificial streams or content from their platforms.

Can artificial streaming result in a financial penalty?

Yes. Some digital music services may impose financial penalties or other royalty adjustments when artificial streaming is identified. These penalties may be assessed against distributors or other partners and may subsequently be passed through to the account associated with the affected content.

Artificial streams themselves do not generate legitimate royalties, and royalties associated with activity determined to be artificial may be removed or adjusted.

If your content is flagged for such penalties, you will receive an email notice alerting you to this, which will also include a potential appeal path.

Can my music be removed even if I did not intentionally generate artificial streams?

Yes. A digital music service may take action based on the activity associated with a recording, regardless of whether the artist intentionally generated that activity.

This is why it is important to carefully vet third-party marketing and promotion services and avoid services that guarantee streams, followers, or playlist placement.

How can I reduce the risk of artificial streaming?

The best way to reduce the risk is to use legitimate promotional methods and avoid services that promise guaranteed streams, listeners, followers, or playlist placement.

You should also monitor your streaming activity and pay attention to significant or unexpected changes, including:

  • Sudden or unexplained spikes in streams
  • Unfamiliar playlists generating significant activity
  • Unexpected activity from particular regions or markets
  • Unusual changes in listener or stream patterns
  • Streaming activity that appears inconsistent with your normal audience

What should I do if I believe my music is receiving artificial streams without my knowledge?

If you notice suspicious activity, review your streaming analytics and recent promotional activity to determine whether you can identify a potential source. Pay particular attention to third-party marketing or playlist services, and any unfamiliar playlists or unusual streaming patterns.

If you identify suspicious activity, report it to the relevant digital music service through its available reporting tools.

Most importantly, do not attempt to counteract suspicious activity by purchasing additional streams or engagement. Doing so can increase the risk of further artificial activity being associated with your music.

Review playlists and use verification tools 

Several tools can help you check whether a playlist you've been added to is fraudulent. SubmitHub offers a helpful playlist checker, and artist.tools does too. If you want to check yourself, here are some helpful signs to consider.

If you see a significant number of streams coming from a playlist you’re unfamiliar with, report it to the DSP based on the information provided by these tools.

Contact Spotify for Artists for help 

You can inform Spotify of any potentially suspicious playlists via your Spotify for Artists account and by contacting their support team. Other DSPs may have similar "For Artists" portals, and we recommend using those as well.

What is the difference between legitimate promotion and artificial streaming?

Legitimate promotion is designed to introduce music to potential listeners through advertising, editorial pitching, social media, press, content creation, or other methods where listeners make their own decision about whether to listen.

Artificial streaming is designed to manipulate the number of streams or other platform metrics through automated, deceptive, fraudulent, or otherwise invalid activity.

A legitimate promotional campaign may increase streams, but it should not guarantee a specific number of streams or listeners.

Why does artificial streaming matter?

Artificial streaming affects more than the artist whose music is involved. 

It can distort charts, playlists, recommendation systems, listener data, and royalty calculations. It can also reduce the value of legitimate listening activity and make it more difficult for platforms to accurately identify and recommend music to genuine listeners.

For these reasons, digital music services and distributors actively monitor for artificial streaming and take steps to remove or prevent manipulated activity.

The most important thing to remember?

Do not pay for guaranteed streams, followers, listeners, or playlist placement.

Artificial streaming can happen intentionally or without an artist's knowledge, and activity generated by a third party can still result in consequences for the music or account associated with it.

The safest approach is to use legitimate promotional methods, carefully vet any third-party services you use, and monitor your streaming activity for unusual or suspicious patterns.

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