How to handle and avoid Artificial Streamings (AS)
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 Naivete with using so-called marketing/playlisting services which use unauthorized methods to generate streams.
3 “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 give you a precise number).
Unfortunately, the result is the same in all cases:
1 The DSP will withhold royalties for all such AS
2 The related tracks' streaming count will not be incremented for any AS
3 The related tracks will be blacklisted from all official playlists
4 The DSP will take down the associated release(s) from their service, in the case of Apple, Pandora, and Spotify, this is a permanent takedown.
Please 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 as required by our need to protect our account’s standing with the DSP.
1 Fraudulent behavior (when someone is trying to increase the stream count in order to obtain more royalties
2 Naivete with using so-called marketing/playlisting services which use unauthorized methods to generate streams.
3 “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 give you a precise number).
Unfortunately, the result is the same in all cases:
1 The DSP will withhold royalties for all such AS
2 The related tracks' streaming count will not be incremented for any AS
3 The related tracks will be blacklisted from all official playlists
4 The DSP will take down the associated release(s) from their service, in the case of Apple, Pandora, and Spotify, this is a permanent takedown.
Please 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 as required by our need to protect our account’s standing with the DSP.