Spotify Artificial Streaming: Everything You Should Know

We’ve already discussed the topic of artificial streaming in several articles, but for the sake of clarity, let’s revise what artificial streaming is. Spotify defines artificial streaming as a method designed to manipulate stream numbers through one or more means. The result of these methods is fake plays that, unlike genuine streams, do not originate from authentic users and thus do not reflect their intent.

Most of the time, artificial streaming occurs through automated processes, typically involving bots and scripts offered by third-party services for monetary compensation. The way these services operate is quite simple—they ‘promise’ to generate X amount of streams on selected platform(s) for payment. While this is the most common method, it is not the only one. Artificial streaming also includes:

• Releasing music under fake names,

• Having your account hacked,

• Having your track featured on a fake playlist,

• Playing your music on repeat,

• Or asking others, such as family, friends, or even fans, to stream your music repeatedly in a loop.

As you might notice, some of these points involve activities that are beyond our control. And that’s right. Artificial streaming can happen both on purpose or by accident, and sometimes, you may not even realize it’s happening. Ultimately, this illustrates that this is an industry-wide issue. And, contrary to common belief, it can impact everyone in the industry, not just streaming platforms, which are often seen as the primary target.

Although you may have already guessed, it’s important to recognize that artificial streaming is not a minor or negligible misstep. This method violates Spotify’s policy—and those of other streaming platforms—and results in illegitimate outcomes. For this reason, Spotify categorizes it as fraud. Artificial streaming can have potential legal implications, including possible jail time, depending on the severity of the case. Even if the offender does not face any legal consequences, they may still—and most likely will—experience significant repercussions, which we will discuss in more detail later.

Now we know that artificial stream boosting is serious enough to be considered fraud. But what is the actual root of the problem, and what consequences does it have for artists and the industry as a whole? To understand that, we have to look closely at a royalty payout system that many streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, use to financially reward artists for their work.

Essentially, the so-called pro-rata distribution system is a way of dividing something, like money, shares, or benefits, proportionally (‘fairly’) among designated recipients based on specific criteria, such as time or quantity. As a result, each person receives an amount that corresponds to their share of the total.

Spotify (and other streaming services) operates by collecting money from monthly subscription fees, ads, and commissions to create a streaming revenue pool, which represents the total revenue allocated for royalty payments. They then calculate the total streams on the platform for a given period. Subsequently, the royalties in the pool are distributed proportionally among all artists releasing music on the platform based on their share of total streams.

We’ve provided this example before, but let’s go over it one more time:

• If all Spotify users streamed 100 billion songs in a month and an artist’s song received one billion streams, their share would amount to 1% of the total streaming pool.

• Therefore, if the total pool totaled $1 billion, that artist’s payout would be $10 million (before splits with labels, publishers, etc.).

Ultimately, for Spotify artists, this means that the amount of royalties fluctuates each month based on the received revenue, the total number of streams, the generated streams, and other factors.

But what role does artificial streaming play in this? Well, it takes money from real artists who generated their streams in a genuine way. By choosing to artificially boost streams, an individual can generate thousands or even millions of streams, which are then reflected in higher stream shares and thus higher royalty payments. From a legal perspective, though, this individual hasn’t rightfully obtained that money and has instead taken from the royalty pool, depriving genuine artists of the revenue they would have otherwise earned. In other words, it is unfair to those putting in the work, and it disrupts the entire system.

But, as we previously outlined, artificial streaming also presents significant disadvantages to the artists and creators who participate in it. First, there are the repercussions one will likely face when they get caught. To make it clear, the likelihood of getting away with it is genuinely close to zero. Spotify, like other major streaming services, uses the latest technology and advancements to closely monitor platform activities and detect any suspicious behavior.

The possible serious penalties include:

• Serving jail time,

• Paying hefty fines,

• Getting your earnings frozen,

• Having your music removed from the platform, or

• Getting banned from the streaming service altogether.

However, the long-term consequences of engaging in artificial streaming can go even further. It can seriously damage your career. When Spotify identifies and removes your fake streams, it may significantly disrupt your algorithm, making it harder for real fans to discover your music organically.

Most importantly, however, artificial streams are dubbed fake for a reason—they do not come from real listeners. And having genuine listeners is absolutely essential for building a sustainable career. While streaming is a powerful part of the music business and serves as the primary way people consume music nowadays, for artists, it represents just one of many monetization sources. And considering the almost-ridiculous royalty rates, averaging between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream on Spotify, it’s not particularly significant.

To build a career and generate revenue that can potentially support your livelihood, you truly need a fanbase that will love and listen to your music, show up at your concerts, buy your merch, and do so again and again.

Something that’s become challenging to overlook is the rising cases of artists who claim they have been wrongfully accused of participating in artificial streaming. As we said, artificially boosting streams doesn’t always have to be intentional, and sometimes, you may not be aware that it’s happening to your music. Such a situation is, of course, difficult, and, unfortunately, there are currently no proper ways to address the issue in a way that would benefit the accused artist once Spotify detects a suspicious activity.

In 2024, Spotify implemented a zero-tolerance policy on artificial streaming, meaning that any attempt or activities intended to artificially inflate your streams, whether through third-party services, bots, or playing your tracks on repeat, may result in serious penalties. Once Spotify identifies such behavior on your account and decides to address it—meaning you’ll get flagged— you could face fines and potentially other penalties, regardless of whether your actions were intentional or not.

Naturally, many artists and industry insiders have expressed concerns about the method being unfair to artists who are simply trying to create music and earn a living from it. However, their voices may not be loud enough yet to spark a discussion with Spotify about implementing changes or exploring alternative approaches.

As a digital music distributor dedicated to independent artists and labels, we at iMusician take these situations seriously and do our best to support and guide musicians like you. If you release your music with us and notice that your streams are suddenly skyrocketing, don’t hesitate to contact our Artist and Label Relations team as soon as possible and report it to Spotify. We will tackle the issue with you, investigate it, and try to resolve it.

It is crucial that you report it as soon as you suspect anything–timing is key in this situation. If the issue is reported promptly, the team might be able to prevent Spotify from officially flagging your tracks.

Unfortunately, once flagged by Spotify, we have no power to change anything. Spotify keeps its internal investigation process pretty much a secret. They don’t share specific information about the sources of artificial streams or how they detect such activities. Instead, a digital distributor usually only receives the barcodes of affected releases, the time period of the suspicious activity, and a list of imposed penalties.