Artificial streaming is a topic that has been discussed more than any other in the streaming music industry. This article will guide you through all you need to learn about Spotify’s artificial stream–what it’s like, why it’s a problem and what you can do as an artist to combat it.

What is Spotify Artificial Streaming exactly?

We have discussed artificial streaming in several articles. But for clarity’s sake, let’s re-explain what it is. Spotify defines artificial streaming as a way to manipulate stream counts through one or several means. These methods result in fake streams that do not come from genuine users and do not reflect the intent of those users.

The majority of artificial streaming is done through automated processes. These are usually bots or scripts provided by third-party services in exchange for money. These services are quite straightforward. They promise to generate a certain number of streams for a fee. This is by far the most popular method, but it is not exclusive. Artificial streaming includes:

• Release music under false names
• Hacking your account is a serious issue.
• Your track being featured on a fake playlist is a bad idea.
• Repeating music is a bad habit.
• You can also ask others, like family members, friends, or fans, to play your music in loops.

Certainly, these points are activities over which we have no control. That’s correct. Artificial streaming is possible, either on purpose or accidentally, and you might not even be aware of it. This shows that it is an issue that affects the entire industry. Contrary to popular belief, this issue can affect everyone in the industry, not just streaming platforms.

You may already know, but artificial streaming is no minor mistake. This method is against Spotify’s policies, as well as those of other streaming services. It also results in unreliable outcomes. Spotify classifies it as fraud. Artificial streaming may have legal consequences, such as possible jail time depending on the severity. Even if there are no legal consequences for the offender, they will still most likely experience significant repercussions. We will go into more detail about this later.

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Why is artificial streaming a problem?

We now know that artificially boosting streams is a serious issue and should be considered fraud. What is the root cause of this problem, and what are the consequences for artists and the industry? We need to examine closely the royalty payment system used by many streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, to reward artists financially for their work.

The so-called “pro-rata” distribution system is an effective way to divide something like money, shares or benefits proportionally ( “fairly”) between designated recipients, based on certain criteria such as time and quantity. Each person gets a share of the total amount.

Spotify and other streaming services operate by collecting money through monthly subscription fees, advertising, and commissions. This creates a streaming revenue fund, which represents the total revenue that is allocated for royalties. Then, they calculate the number of total streams for the platform over a certain period. The royalties are then distributed proportionally to all artists who release music on the platform, based on their shares of the total streams.

Let’s review this example once more:

• For example, if all Spotify users streamed 100 billion songs per month and a particular artist’s song was listened to one billion times in that same period, the artist would receive 1% of this total.
• If the pool is $1 billion, then an artist would receive $10 million before splits are made with labels, publishers, etc..

This means that for Spotify artists, royalty payments fluctuate every month depending on revenue received, the total number of streams generated, and other factors.

What role does artificial streaming have in all of this? It takes money away from the real artists who have generated streams authentically. A person can artificially increase streams to generate thousands, or even millions, of streams. This will then be reflected in higher stream shares and, therefore, higher royalties. Legally, however, the individual who has taken the money has not earned it. Instead, they have taken it from the royalty pool and deprived the real artists of their revenue. It is not fair to the people who put in the effort, and it can disrupt the system.

As we have already outlined, artificial streaming can also disadvantage artists and creators. The first thing to consider is the likely consequences of being caught. It is important to note that the chances of getting away with something are almost zero. Spotify, along with other major streaming services, uses the latest technologies and advances to monitor platform activity and detect any suspicious behaviour.

Serious penalties can include:

• Serving jail time,
• You will be fined a lot.
• Your earnings can be frozen
• Your music being removed from the platform or
• You can be banned from using the streaming service.

Artificial streaming has even more serious long-term effects. Your career can be seriously damaged. Spotify may disrupt your algorithm by removing fake streams. This will make it more difficult for fans to find you organically.

But most importantly, fake streams are called that because they do not originate from actual listeners. It is essential to have real listeners if you want to build a career that will last. While streaming is an important part of today’s music industry and the main way that people listen to music, it is only one monetisation source for artists. It’s also not very significant, considering that Spotify charges a ridiculous royalty rate of $0.003 to $0.005 for each stream.

You need to build a fan base that loves your music, will attend your concerts, and will buy your merchandise.

What If I Am Accused Of Artificial Streaming But Haven’t Participated In It?

It’s hard to ignore the increasing number of cases in which artists claim that they were wrongfully accused of artificial streaming. Artificially boosting streams does not always have to happen intentionally, and you may be unaware that this is happening. This is a difficult situation, but unfortunately, there are no effective ways to deal with it once Spotify detects suspicious activity.

Spotify has a zero-tolerance policy for artificial streaming. This means that in 2024, any attempts or activities to artificially increase your streams through bots, third-party services or by playing your tracks repeatedly may result in severe penalties. If Spotify flags your account for such behaviour, you may face penalties and fines, whether or not your actions were deliberate.

Many artists and industry insiders have voiced concerns that this method is unfair to musicians who are just trying to make music and earn money from it. Their voices may not yet be loud enough to start a conversation with Spotify about exploring alternatives or implementing changes.

We at iMusician, a digital distributor for independent labels and artists, take these situations very seriously. We do everything we can to guide and support musicians just like you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our Artist and Label Relations Team as soon as you can and inform Spotify of the situation. We will work with you to investigate the problem and resolve it.

In this case, timing is everything. The team may be able to prevent Spotify from flagging your track if the problem is reported quickly.

Unfortunately, Spotify has no control over what happens after it flags a problem. Spotify’s internal investigation process is kept pretty secret. They do not share any information on the sources or methods of detecting artificial streams. Digital distributors usually receive only the barcodes for the affected releases, the period during which the suspicious activity occurred, and the list of penalties.

How can I identify fake playlists or artificial streams?

The best way to prevent being falsely accused of artificial stream is to monitor your account carefully and avoid taking specific actions that could trick you into violating Spotify’s policies. Here are a few tips to help you avoid fake Spotify playlists and artificial streams.

1. You observe sudden spikes or drops in your streams without an obvious cause, like a marketing campaign or collaboration with another person.
2. There is a high level of engagement, but there are no other interactions, such as playlist additions, follows, or changes to social media engagement.
3. You can keep your account updated 24/7.
4. The streams that you see on your Spotify account do not trigger placement on Discover Weekly or any other Spotify algorithmic playlist.
5. You will receive offers for guaranteed playlist placement on Instagram (in your DMs or by email).
6. The playlist that you are considering is a random list of tracks with one big artist at the top.
7. The playlist is at least two years old and has more than 200K followers, but the curator wants to charge a ridiculous sum of money. Anything expensive (and likely illegitimate) will not be worth it.
8. You can’t tell who is behind the paid submission services, platforms, or websites. SubmitHub is a trusted playlist submission service. Other services to consider are Playlist Push (also known as IndieMono), Groover, Daily Playlists and Soundplate.

This article contains a crucial tip that we hope you will remember: Never pay for services offered, or even worse, a guaranteed stream. You can’t increase your streams by purchasing them. These services aren’t affiliated with Spotify or any other streaming platforms. You will be caught if you participate in artificial streaming.

Artificial streaming is a problem for the music business, and it won’t go away any time soon. Spotify’s zero-tolerance policy is an effective way to combat this. Does it really benefit independent artists? We’ll have to wait and see what happens in the future.