What Is Artificial Streaming?

Buying fake streams on major streaming platforms is nothing new. As easily as fraudulent users can steal an artist’s music to leech royalties, they can also buy streams from illegal third parties and fake them with illegal bots, click-farms, and more. Although seemingly an easy way out (or up, technically), these practices are significantly more harmful than good. In this post, we’ll break down the basics. Here’s everything you need to know…

What Is Artificial Streaming?

Plain & Simple

Artificial streaming all comes down to creating the illusion of success by generating fake plays, masking the true connection between music and its audience. It goes against everything being an artist stands for… creating music for the enjoyment of the craft, the love of the fans, and the magic that comes from your work being appreciated by and resonating with real people.

While it might seem like an easy way to get ahead, streaming fraud is against the rules, can hurt artists’ reputations, and takes money away from creators who put their blood, sweat, and tears into earning fair and honest streams.

At the end of the day, higher numbers don’t equal more talent… and everyone knows it. It’s not hard to tell if your streams are fake, and when they are, boy does it look bad. When labels see you’ve faked your thousands of “listeners”, they share that info with the industry. Then, you’ve lost your reliability and any opportunities that could have transpired had you just been honest and worked for real fans like everyone else.

How does it work?

Artificial streaming happens when individuals or entities use any dishonest tactics to inflate streaming numbers on music platforms. Specifically, these tactics include various methods like:

• Bots: Automated programs are deployed to repeatedly stream tracks, artificially increasing play counts without real human listeners.
• Click Farms: Companies or individuals use large networks of devices or accounts to play songs repeatedly, creating fake engagement.
• Fraudulent Playlists: Some playlists promise high streaming numbers for a fee but use artificial means (like bots or click farms) to generate those numbers instead of attracting real listeners.
• Multiple Accounts: Artists or promoters create multiple fake accounts or encourage fans to do so to play their tracks repeatedly.
• Streaming Rings: Groups of artists or fans agree to stream each other’s music continuously, often on loop, to inflate numbers.
• Manipulated Ads: Paid ads are set up to direct traffic to songs, but they sometimes use fraudulent clicks or impressions to create fake activity.

These methods are unethical, violate the terms of service of platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, and can lead to serious consequences such as account bans, removed songs, and loss of royalties. They also hurt the music ecosystem by distorting data and unfairly impacting revenue distribution.

“Is it possible for my music to be involved in artificial streaming without my knowledge?”

Yes, it’s definitely possible.

Sometimes, third parties (like marketing agencies or promoters) engage in artificial streaming tactics to boost numbers, either intentionally or unintentionally. If you’re working with someone who uses unethical practices, they could inflate your streams without your direct involvement or consent. Your music could also end up on playlists that are using artificial means to boost streams, which could harm your reputation if those practices are detected by streaming platforms. In rarer cases, hackers or scammers could gain access to your streaming accounts and use them for artificial streaming purposes.

If you suspect this is happening to you, make sure to reach out to the platform where the artificial streaming occurred. Most services have dedicated support teams or fraud investigation departments just for this issue. If needed, we’ve provided those below:

Spotify: Use the Spotify for Artists Help Center or contact Spotify Support.

Apple Music: Reach out through the Apple Music for Artists dashboard.

YouTube: Contact YouTube Support.

What is being done about it?

With today’s constantly evolving technology, streaming platforms have adapted to be able to automatically scope out fraudulent streams and artists. Once you’re caught, your account will be suspended or deactivated altogether, forcing you to start from square one.

Here at Symphonic, we take streaming fraud very seriously. If you are found to be participating in these practices, you will not be considered for editorial or featured services with us. Period.

To wrap things up…

Let’s face it… There’s no way to suddenly gain thousands of dedicated monthly listeners overnight. There are, however, tons of legitimate ways to make it happen over time. Remember, nobody does this thing alone. You need a team behind you to really push your music as far as it can go. That said, Symphonic offers legitimate (and awesome) marketing services to help independent artists just like you make their goals a reality. From elevated branding, marketing strategy guidance, social content creation and so much more, we’ve got your back. // To check out our additional marketing services, click here.

In the meantime, it’s up to you to stay educated on and vigilant against fraudulent streaming in all its forms. Interested in learning more? Check these out…

• Fighting Streaming Fraud at the Distributor Level
• New Penalties for Artificial Streaming and How to Stay Safe
• How To Keep Your Accounts Safe Online as an Independent Musician
• How To Detect Fake Spotify Playlists

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