Artificial Streaming is the manipulation of stream counts to inflate the number of plays on DSPs. This is done using bots, meaning, the streams aren’t legitimate but are generated through the use of a computer program.
You may have seen ads from promotional services which guarantee you a certain number of streams or playlist ads for a nominal fee. It is better to stay away from such practices as most of these companies engage in artificial streaming. It is not possible to get such numbers from real listeners in such a short span.
Spotify itself states – “Any service that claims to offer guaranteed placement on playlists on Spotify in exchange for money is in violation of our terms & conditions, and they shouldn’t be used.”
Consequences of Artificial Streaming?
Might sound like a good idea - it's not.
Due to the rise of such fraudulent activities, DSPs now have advanced systems which monitor the streams on your tracks regularly and if they detect any suspicious pattern on an artist profile, they can take strict actions. Based on the platform, the following actions could be taken –
- The streaming service can withhold your royalties.
- Removal of the fake stream counts from public display.
- Takedown of the affected releases.
- Monetary fine imposed on the Label or Distributor.
- In case of multiple fraud activities, your artist profile can be banned on the DSP and/or Distribution service.
Harmful than it seems
- Apart from the consequences mentioned above, streaming fraud can also affect your career negatively, as it messes with the algorithm which can kill your organic growth on the streaming services.
- Organic methods of promotion where your track reaches real listeners helps you in the long run as the algorithm pushes your content to more listeners with a similar taste.
- Now imagine, a track which is streamed by bots, will be suggested to whom? No one.
- Ultimately, relying on such practices to exaggerate numbers will do you more harm than good and once your numbers go stagnant, you will also risk your reputation and trust in the industry.
Some examples of Artificial streaming
Spotify for Artists data (Audience) for one artist is provided. Things to note here :
- Period : ~12 Months (27th Feb 2024 – 25th Feb 2025) – a good sample size.
- Number of Listeners : 497 – not unnaturaly high, all okay.
- Streams : 5,842 – Unnaturaly high for the numer of listeners.
- Streams/Listener : 11.755 – Unnaturaly high again.
Precautions you can take to avoid Artificial Streams
- Before using any marketing service, always research thoroughly.
- Avoid Using services which offer guaranteed playlist placements or guaranteed number of streams.
- Monitoring your analytics is also a good way to check for artificial streaming. Keep an eye on your analytics for any sudden jumps in streams or engagement that don’t seem natural. You can check data such as streams per listener, location of listeners and more to verify this.
- In case you find your tracks in suspicious playlists on Spotify, you can report it to Spotify from here – https://artists.spotify.com/c/playlist-reporter
