Spotify holds Artist Masterclass on combating stream farming

Artificial streaming, which includes fake plays from bots and click farms, remains a serious issue in the music industry.

In a continuous effort to tackle this issue, Spotify held a masterclass for artists to educate them on the various forms of streaming manipulations and their adverse effects on the music industry.

The speakers at the masterclass include Andreea Gleeson (CEO, Tunecore), David Martin (CEO at Featured Artists Coalition), and Bryan Johnson (Head of Artist & Industry Partnerships, International at Spotify).

The masterclass clarifies the complexities of artificial streaming, its negative impact on artists (inflated stats, misled fans, lost royalties), and how creators can protect themselves.

Many artists are unknowingly targeted by services promising “guaranteed streams” or playlist placements, which are often red flags leading to penalties and hindering genuine fan connections.

Spotify actively combats artificial streaming using advanced detection, manual reviews, and collaborations like the Music Fights Fraud Alliance.

Educating artists and the industry is key. Understanding artificial streaming helps artists get fairly compensated and ensures their music reaches real listeners.

The speakers spoke on the benefits of embracing organic growth over short-term benefits of fake streams and false fans that can have a longer negative impact on the careers of artists.

Streaming manipulation continues to be one of the leading challenges confronting the digital consumption of music.

Streaming platforms are using technological tools in analysing and identifying bot streams. Spotify has also adopted a manual forensic method that has led to streaming deductions from songs guilty of fraudulent activities.

You can watch the full masterclass below.