In our ongoing effort to fight Artificial Streaming ("AS"), Revelator sends clients the monthly AS reports that we receive from Spotify regarding their catalog. The report includes all the data clients need to monitor AS, take preventive actions to minimize this issue, and hopefully eliminate it. Please note that Artificial Streams are identified and reported by the DSP. Revelator simply communicates to clients what we receive from the DSP.


CAUSES OF ARTIFICIAL STREAMS

The streaming services work diligently to ensure streams reflect genuine user listening intent. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. AS can result from any of the following causes:

  1. Fraudulent behavior (when someone is trying to increase the stream count in order to obtain more royalties).

  2. Naively using a seemingly legitimate marketing/playlisting service which in fact uses unauthorized methods to generate streams.

  3. Being placed on a botted playlist against your will. Fraudulent services will often do this in order to convince artists that they can increase their streams.

  4. “Ricochet” AS when fraudsters play random tracks in order to appear like normal users. In such cases, you or your client are not the instigators of the AS, but random victims. DSPs are aware of this phenomenon and will not usually take action against your assets unless the number of AS becomes significant (it’s not possible to indicate a precise number).


CONSEQUENCES OF ARTIFICIAL STREAMING 

Regardless of the cause of your reported AS, the result is the same in all cases:

  • The DSP will withhold royalties for all such AS.

  • The related tracks' streaming count will not be incremented for any AS.

  • The related tracks will be blacklisted from all official playlists.

  • The track and/or artist may be demoted from all recommendation algorithms.

  • The DSP may take down the associated release(s) from their service, in the case of Apple, Pandora, and sometimes Spotify, this is a permanent takedown.

  • Spotify only: for any track that Spotify identifies as being significantly abused, Spotify will charge Revelator a 10 Euro fee. Revelator's policy is to pass this fee on to you.

  • Revelator may take down and permanently block any track found to be engaging in AS either repeatedly and/or in significantly high manner. 

  • Revelator may withhold related royalties for such tracks.

  • Revelator will terminate all accounts found to be repeatedly engaging in AS.


Please further note that repeated AS activity from your catalog may be cause for limiting or canceling your access to certain DSPs, and may ultimately result in the termination of your account. 


WHAT TO DO IF YOU RECEIVE A REPORT FOR ARTIFICIAL STREAMS IN YOUR ACCOUNT

  • Contact all artists with an AS count above 100 (per track) and let them know of the consequences and penalties for AS (see the section above). Tracks with 100 or less reported AS are likely not engaging in true AS. But do pay attention to any 1 account having multiple such tracks as keeping a low AS count across multiple tracks is a known technique to avoid detection while ensuring a significant amount of AS streams.
  • Share with them the educational links at the bottom of this page. Assuming that these are not bad actors, request that these artists immediately contact the marketing/playlisting services they have retained and have them stop their campaigns at once. 
  • If you suspect a bad actor, we further encourage you to take down their entire catalog and terminate their account.
  • In cases of significantly high AS we will notify you and may issue a takedown of the related assets in order to prevent additional AS. In such cases, please do not redeliver the related releases until you have confirmed that the cause of the AS has been addressed and confirmed with us that you can redeliver the related releases.
  • If you contest the DSP's findings of AS, please reach out to infringement AT revelator.com


HOW TO AVOID ARTIFICIAL STREAMS

Communicate with your clients about this issue and ask them to avoid any paid or unpaid services that guarantee streams or playlist placements. These services are probably using illegitimate practices without your client’s knowledge. Revelator knows only these services to legitimately and safely promote your music (in alphabetical order):

  1. Boost Collective
  2. IndieMono
  3. Playlist Push
  4. SoundPlate
  5. Spotify Discovery Mode (please reach out to our Support team to enquire more about this program)
  6. Submit Hub

 

Make sure your clients understand how important it is to avoid using bots, click farms, or any pay-to-play schemes. These services can threaten your hard work and put your catalog and account at risk.

Learn more about it in the following link, and share them with your clients:


VIDEO: WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL STREAMING?
SPOTIFY FOR ARTISTS: ARTIFICIAL STREAMING EDUCATION

ARTICLE: PAID 3RD-PARTY SERVICES THAT GUARANTEE STREAMS

IMPACT OF FAKE STREAMS ON ARTISTS' ALGORITHMIC PERFORMANCE