Spotify’s new tool to combat Artificial Streaming
Spotify has introduced a feature allowing artists and distributors to report suspicious playlists directly. If you notice a playlist that appears to be using bots or fake streams, you can now report it to help Spotify combat artificial streaming more effectively.
Artificial streams, often driven by bot-inflated playlists, undermine real artists by skewing listening stats and revenue distribution. Some artists have found their music added to these playlists without their consent, but without a way to get them removed. Now, if you come across a playlist that seems suspect, you can report it directly to Spotify, which then investigates and takes action to maintain fair play.
What to look out for
If you see unrealistic and unexpected spikes in your Streams this can indicate Artificial Streaming. Looking at the Streams per Listener on a given day can be a useful place to verify this. In the example below, this indicates that each listener listened to a track over 100 times in a day on average, a clear sign of bot activity.
Whilst this can happen at random, some third parties promising playlist placements or a specific number of streams in exchange for compensation are often using illegitimate practices. We advise great caution when using paid for playlist promotion – you can read more about that in our Guide to Artificial Streaming.
This new tool is part of Spotify’s efforts to maintain a fair streaming environment by ensuring that streams reflect genuine audience engagement. By reporting suspicious activity, you’re helping protect the integrity of your music and avoiding potential consequences such as lost revenue, stream or even track removal.
For more details, visit Spotify’s Artificial Streaming Guide.