In April 2024, Spotify implemented financial penalties for artificial streaming. When they detect "flagrant artificial streaming" on a track, they charge the distributor €10 per affected track. Distributors pass these fines to artists and often terminate accounts.
This policy fundamentally changed the risk profile of paid playlist services.
What Is Artificial Streaming?
Artificial streaming refers to plays generated by bot farms (automated accounts that stream on repeat), stream manipulation services (companies selling streams), fraudulent listener accounts (fake profiles), and click farms (human workers paid to stream). These methods inflate stream counts without representing genuine listener interest.
How Spotify Detects It
Spotify's detection systems look for patterns including unusual play-through rates (100% completion on every stream), streams from accounts with suspicious behavior patterns, geographic anomalies (all streams from unexpected locations), time-of-day patterns inconsistent with normal listening, and accounts streaming only specific content repeatedly.
When more than 90% of a track's streams are flagged as artificial, Spotify considers this "flagrant artificial streaming."
The Penalty Structure
The fine: €10 per track with flagrant artificial streaming detected.
Who pays: Spotify charges the distributor, who then passes the fine to the artist, may add administrative fees, often terminates the artist's account, and may remove the affected catalog entirely.
Why per-track matters: If you've promoted multiple tracks through a shady service, you could face multiple €10 charges plus account termination. An artist with 10 affected tracks faces €100+ in fines and likely loses distribution access.
The Connection to Paid Playlist Services
Many paid playlist services deliver "results" through artificial methods: playlists filled with bot accounts as followers, guaranteed stream counts that can only come from manipulation, and suspiciously cheap pricing that doesn't math out with real listeners.
When you use these services, you're potentially paying to have your music artificially streamed, creating evidence that will trigger Spotify's detection, and setting yourself up for fines and account termination. The service takes your money. You take the punishment.
Red Flags in Playlist Services
Avoid services that guarantee specific stream counts, promise specific playlist placements, offer pricing that seems too cheap for real results, have curators with high followers but low engagement, or can't explain how their placements generate results.
Legitimate services (like SubmitHub, Groover) guarantee feedback and consideration, not streams or placements.
What Happens When You're Caught
If Spotify detects artificial streaming on your tracks:
- Streams are removed: Artificial streams don't count toward royalties
- Fines are assessed: €10 per flagged track
- Distributor is notified: They receive the charge from Spotify
- You're contacted: Distributor seeks payment and/or terminates account
- Catalog may be removed: Your music could disappear from Spotify
Some distributors give warnings before termination. Others terminate immediately. Read your distributor's terms of service.
Protecting Yourself
Use official pitching tools: Spotify for Artists (free), Amazon Music for Artists (free), and distributor-facilitated Apple Music pitching are your safest options.
If you use paid services: Choose services that guarantee feedback, not results. Verify curator legitimacy before submission. Understand you're paying for consideration, not streams. Accept that no placement is guaranteed.
Monitor your analytics: Unusual stream spikes from unknown sources are warning signs. Check listener locations and behavior patterns regularly. If something looks artificial, it probably is.
The Bigger Picture
Spotify's penalty system is part of a broader crackdown on streaming manipulation. As detection improves and penalties increase, the risk-reward calculation for artificial streaming gets worse.
The artists who built careers on inflated metrics face a reckoning. The artists who focused on genuine listeners are better positioned.
If you've been tempted by services promising easy streams, the artificial streaming policy is a clear signal: the risk isn't worth it. Build real audiences through legitimate channels.