Stream Manipulation: How Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Crack Down on Fake Plays

A few thousand “extra” streams can cost an artist their entire career.

In the music industry, stream manipulation isn’t just a “gray tactic” — it’s a direct road to bans, penalties, and permanent removal of a track from all platforms. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube — all the major players have activated tough algorithms and real sanctions against fake plays. But the most important thing is this: the entire streaming system is changing, and the old hacks no longer work.

My name is Konstantin Nevelskiy. I am a producer and artist, releasing music under the name Nevelskiy, creating tracks for films and advertising, while simultaneously running several labels and working with music distributor Sundesire Media Worx. Over the past years, I’ve seen it all: young artists losing entire catalogs because of cheap manipulations, distributors paying fines due to careless clients, and promising projects going up in flames overnight simply because someone believed in “quick popularity.”

I’m writing this article not out of curiosity, but because I see how deeply fraud has infiltrated music — and how crucial it is now to understand where legitimate promotion ends and fraud begins. Below I’ll explain how streaming platforms fight fake plays, what risks artists face when they cheat, and which methods actually work. No moralizing. Just facts, numbers, and personal experience from both sides of the industry.

Streaming platforms

How Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Fight Fake Plays

Streaming platforms use complex algorithms and manual monitoring to detect unnatural activity. Spotify states that it invests significant engineering resources into detecting and eliminating artificial streams, “cleansing” metrics daily by removing manipulated plays from public counters. For example, if Spotify’s system determines that part of a track’s streams were gained dishonestly, those plays are subtracted from the public counter, not counted in charts, and no royalties are paid for them. In this way, the service tries to deprive fraudsters of incentives — because there’s no point in inflating numbers that won’t show up in official stats or generate revenue.

In more serious cases, Spotify applies sanctions: a track may be removed from editorial playlists, and in cases of repeated violations, the company reserves the right to delete the track or the entire release from the platform. Spotify regularly sends monthly reports to labels and aggregators about detected fake streams; distributors, based on this data, may issue warnings to artists, and in cases of gross or repeated violations — remove content from all services and even block offenders’ accounts.

Competitors are not lagging behind. Apple Music has been waging a “quiet” war against manipulations for many years and only recently revealed details of this process. According to Bryce McLaughlin, Head of Music Partnerships at Apple, Apple Music has actively tracked manipulations since 2015 and, thanks to this, keeps them at fractions of a percent. Apple introduced a system of financial sanctions for distribution partners: if a label or aggregator regularly delivers releases with a large number of fake streams, Apple reduces payments to that partner proportionally to the volume of fraudulent traffic. Before applying penalties, Apple gives the partner one month to fix the situation, after which it begins deducting royalties, with deductions increasing if violations continue. According to Apple, six months after the program was introduced, manipulations on the service dropped by 30%, and after another three months — by an additional 20%.

“If fraudulent streams are not paid for and don’t affect the charts, then fraudsters simply lose motivation to engage in them,” notes McLaughlin. Apple shares detailed statistics with partners every day on all suspicious streams and demands their maximum involvement: “Everyone must fight manipulation; otherwise, fraudsters will simply move to a more tolerant distributor” — this is the principle guiding the Apple Music team.

YouTube Music (like the main YouTube platform) also has strict rules against inflating views and plays. According to YouTube policy, if content or a channel is caught artificially inflating metrics, they can be completely removed from the platform. YouTube actively filters invalid views: many users have noticed how the view count of a video may suddenly decrease — this is the result of algorithms cutting off manipulated views that weren’t made by real people. In addition, a channel caught in manipulation risks losing monetization or even access to the Partner Program.

Other services — from Deezer to Russia’s Yandex Music, VK Music, or Zvuk — are implementing similar mechanisms. For example, in France, Deezer’s strengthened anti-fraud policy became part of its new “artist-centric” monetization model, while Russian platform Zvuk declares “zero tolerance” for manipulations and quickly blocks suspicious traffic.

At the industry level, a common understanding has formed that joint efforts are necessary to solve the problem. In 2019, IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), together with the major labels and streaming platforms, adopted a code against stream manipulation, and in 2023 the global alliance Music Fights Fraud was launched. This initiative included both streaming giants (Spotify, Amazon Music) and leading distribution companies to jointly detect, prevent, and stop fraud at every stage — from content upload to promotion. One of the practical steps was the creation of a centralized data-sharing system about identified schemes between alliance members and cooperation with cyber police to bring major violators to justice. This united front shows that the industry is no longer willing to tolerate fake streams.

Notably, Spotify, following Apple, also introduced financial penalties for manipulations. Since April 2024, Spotify has begun charging distributors €10 per month for each track found to be massively manipulated. Aggregators pass these expenses on to violating artists: in other words, the musician will actually pay out of pocket for attempting fraud. In addition to fines, the platform will continue adjusting statistics — manipulated plays will disappear from public metrics and reports — and, if necessary, delete releases from the service. Thus, streaming services make manipulation not only pointless but also a direct financial loss for those who engage in it.

Why Stream Manipulation Is Dangerous for Artists and the Industry

At first glance, inflating your numbers by a few thousand “extra” plays may seem like a harmless trick for a beginner artist. But in practice, artificially boosting metrics carries serious risks.

First, streaming platforms are increasingly acting harshly — up to deleting content and blocking artists entirely. As noted by distributor Sundesire Media Worx, if a track accumulates a suspiciously high percentage of fake plays, it will be removed from all platforms, and it will be impossible to re-upload that song again. And if manipulation is detected across multiple releases, the distributor has the right to shut down the artist’s entire account, cutting off their ability to legally distribute music. In addition, artists caught in fraud may lose access to editorial playlists and press opportunities: platforms don’t want to promote those who cheat the numbers. Representatives of streaming services openly state that artists exposed for manipulation risk permanently losing trust and industry support.

Second, the financial consequences can be extremely painful. If a service finds that streams are manipulated, royalties for them are not paid — neither to the artist nor to the label. Moreover, the platform or aggregator may present a bill for damages: the above-mentioned Spotify fine (€10 per track per month) is a clear example. This means the musician not only fails to earn from fake streams but actually goes into the red, paying penalties. And that’s not counting the money many spend themselves on shady “promoters” — essentially throwing money away.

Third, the legal and reputational angle. In cases of large-scale fraudulent schemes, matters can go to court. A striking example is a recent case in the United States, where a musician from North Carolina managed to collect more than $10 million in royalties from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and YouTube Music by uploading hundreds of thousands of AI-generated tracks under fake names and pumping them with bot networks. Federal authorities exposed the scam: the accused now faces up to 60 years in prison for fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors emphasized that the scheme effectively stole millions of dollars that should have gone to real musicians and rights holders for their legitimate streams.

Yes, such cases are extreme, and ordinary indie artists won’t likely face prison. But the very fact that stream manipulation is officially classified as fraud and punishable by law should serve as a serious warning. There have already been precedents: in Denmark, the organizer of a stream-fraud scheme was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison.

Even if it doesn’t come to court, an artist’s reputation can take severe damage: both listeners and the industry view exposure of fake plays negatively. The name of a musician caught in manipulations may forever be associated with deception, making a career far harder than it would have been with modest but honest numbers at the start.

Finally, manipulation undermines the very economy of streaming and harms all players in the market. The streaming revenue model is structured so that all subscribers pay into a general “pool,” which is then divided among rights holders proportionally to the number of plays. If someone runs bots on endless loops of tracks, the honest artist’s share of the pie shrinks. Fraudsters are literally stealing earnings from those who genuinely found their audience. The more fake streams, the less valuable each real stream becomes — which means payouts to legitimate musicians decline.

That’s why labels and platforms agree: manipulation must be fought for the sake of fairness and the overall health of the industry. This is not just a “harmless” attempt to make stats look better — it’s an erosion of trust in digital platforms that can cause serious losses for every player in the music business.

Recommendations: Honest Promotion Instead of Manipulation

So what should an artist do if they want to grow their audience but don’t want to get hit with sanctions? The answer is simple: use legal promotion methods and focus on genuine fanbase growth. Here are several practical tips I can give fellow musicians as a producer with international experience:

Learn the tools of streaming services.Today almost every platform has its own artist tools. For example, Spotify for Artists allows you to officially pitch tracks to playlist editors before release, as well as launch ad campaigns (Spotify Marquee and others). Apple Music for Artists, YouTube Creator Studio — all these dashboards provide analytics and tips on how to organically grow your audience. Use these features, follow the official guides — this increases your chances of legally landing in algorithmic and editorial playlists without risk.

Promote through social media and communities.A live audience is built on interaction. Share your music on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, talk to fans, post behind-the-scenes content, collaborate with bloggers. Social media can drive real listeners to your streaming profiles. Also don’t neglect local communities: niche groups, forums, music fan chats — those are places where you can find your very first loyal supporters. Let your plays grow organically alongside real interest in your work.

Work with playlisters carefully.Landing on a major playlist can dramatically boost streams, but don’t chase shady offers promising “guaranteed placement” for money. Many of these paid playlisting services are just bot farms. Instead, focus on independent curators, music bloggers, and radio DJs who truly love your music. Send them your tracks personally, build relationships. One sincere playlist add that genuinely resonates with the audience is far more valuable than a hundred bots in a fake playlist.

Monitor your stats and stay vigilant.Regularly check the geography and sources of your streams. A sudden spike from countries or playlists where nobody knows you is a red flag. Sometimes manipulation can happen without your knowledge (for example, as the “initiative” of an unscrupulous promoter). In such cases, it’s important to contact your distributor or platform support immediately and inform them of the situation. Honesty and transparency are the best policy: if you point out suspicious activity yourself, there’s a good chance you’ll be treated with understanding and helped to remove fake streams without sanctions.

Focus on quality and long-term strategy.At the end of the day, no amount of manipulated plays will make a song a hit if there’s nothing behind it. Streaming algorithms are getting smarter: they track playlist saves, listener returns, personalized recommendations. These metrics cannot be faked by bots — they depend only on whether real people actually enjoy your music. So put energy into production, songwriting, and sound design. Release consistently, build a story around your project. Growth may be slow, but it will be real. And every new fan is a living person who might come to your show, buy merch, or tell friends about you. That kind of foundation is far more valuable than empty numbers on a counter.

Conclusion

The streaming industry is evolving rapidly, and the “wild west” era of manipulation is ending. Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and other global players make it clear: attempts to artificially boost popularity will be detected and punished — with financial sanctions, music removal, account loss, and reputational damage.

“As an artist, buying fake streams is playing with fire — and you risk burning your own career down,” is something I hear more and more often from colleagues around the world. International experience shows that honest growth, even if slow, ultimately brings bigger dividends than short-term tricks.

Personally, I’m convinced: “A live audience is worth more than any bots. Only real listeners will lead an artist to success — on streaming platforms and in the real world.” So put your focus on music and people — and the numbers will follow, but this time they’ll be real. Your path to an audience may take longer, but it will be solid, rewarding, and — most importantly — you’ll have nothing to be ashamed of when success finally arrives.