What Is Streaming Fraud?
Streaming fraud — also called artificial streaming or stream manipulation — refers to streams that don’t come from real listeners but from bots, stream farms or services that “guarantee” a certain number of plays for money. Platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer detect these patterns, remove the streams from counts and royalty accounting, withhold royalties and can take affected releases down. In the end, the artist carries the risk — even if they never bought the streams themselves.
What are artificial streams?
Artificial streams occur when software or paid accounts play a song over and over without a human listening. Typical sources are bot networks, device farms, playlists with bought or automated followers, and offers that promise a fixed number of streams for a fee. The goal is either higher payouts or better visibility — both distort the distribution of revenue at the expense of every other artist, because most platforms share out their revenue based on stream share.
How do I spot shady promo offers?
Warning signs include a guaranteed number of streams or followers, very low prices per thousand plays, placements in playlists whose followers hardly save or follow, and providers who won’t tell you how listeners find your song. Legitimate playlist pitching can’t guarantee a placement or a stream count — it can only put your song in front of the right curators. Anything that promises more is a risk to your catalog.
What are the consequences of fake streams?
Platforms remove detected artificial streams from their counts and pay no royalties for them. Since 2024, Spotify has also charged labels and distributors fees for tracks where flagrant artificial streaming is detected; distributors usually pass these costs on to the responsible account. Repeated cases can lead to releases being removed and the distribution agreement being terminated. On top of that comes a type of damage that’s discussed less often: algorithmic recommendations learn from false signals and then push your song to the wrong listeners.
What should I do if someone else’s bots are streaming my track?
It happens that songs end up in bot playlists without the artist doing anything. Document unusual patterns — sudden spikes, streams from a single country without saves, playlists you don’t recognize — and report them to your distributor before the platform does. End any collaboration with promo services you can’t verify. How OGRECORDS™ detects and handles stream manipulation is openly described in our fraud manifesto.
Real listeners instead of bought numbers
Sustainable growth comes from listeners who save, follow and come back. The tools for this are unspectacular but effective: a pre-save link before the release, a smart link for all channels, editorial playlist pitching with realistic expectations and social media content that leads people to the song. Platforms treat these signals positively — and they don’t vanish at the next cleanup.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to buy streams?
It violates the terms of service of every major streaming platform and the contracts of virtually every distributor. The consequences range from deleted streams and withheld royalties to releases being removed.
Can Spotify detect artificial streams?
Spotify and other platforms analyze listening patterns both automatically and manually. Detected artificial streams are removed from counts and royalty accounting.
Are paid playlist placements streaming fraud?
If you pay for a guaranteed placement or stream count, you’re in a gray area that many platforms prohibit — and artificial streams are often behind it. Legitimate pitching doesn’t sell a placement; it sells a submission.
Can I be penalized if someone else sends bots to my song?
The platform judges the streams, not the intent — the streams get removed either way. That’s why it pays to document irregularities early and report them to your distributor.
Does a social media ad campaign count as streaming fraud?
No. Paid advertising that makes real people aware of your song is legitimate — listeners decide for themselves whether to play and save it. It only becomes a problem when the streams or followers themselves are bought or generated automatically.
Pitch your song to playlist editors.
We prepare your pitch for the streaming services’ editorial teams — no bought streams, no placement guarantee.