In today’s streaming economy, it’s tempting to look for shortcuts. There are countless “services” out there promising thousands of streams for a small fee but behind those flashy numbers lies serious risk. Artificial streaming can damage your reputation, distort your data, and even get your music removed from platforms.
Here’s how to recognise, avoid, and rise above the traps of fake streams.
What Artificial Streaming Actually Is
Artificial streaming happens when plays come from bots, click farms, or incentivised listening schemes rather than real fans. It can happen through shady playlist networks, third-party “promotion” sites, or even automated streaming apps that mimic listener behaviour.
Streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube have advanced detection systems. When they find evidence of artificial activity, they can:
- Remove fake streams (and their royalties)
- Pull your release or entire catalogue
- Flag or suspend your distributor
- Ban your artist profile from editorial consideration
In other words, it’s not worth the risk.
How to Spot the Red Flags
If a service or individual promises streams, playlist placements, or exposure that sounds “too good to be true,” it probably is. Watch out for:
- “Guaranteed streams” or “100K plays in 7 days” offers
- Playlist adds from playlists with no clear curators or branding
- Random playlists full of unrelated music genres
- Services that don’t show real audience data (no engagement stats, follower info, or demographics)
- Campaigns that spike streams overnight but show no follower, save, or listener growth
- This website helped flags sites that could potentially be problematic (Music Scam Alert)
What to Do Instead
There are real ways to grow your audience sustainably and they work better in the long run.
1. Invest in Real Promotion
Use trusted music marketing tools and agencies that offer transparent audience targeting, like ad campaigns, influencer partnerships, and organic playlist pitching.
2. Leverage Algorithmic Playlists
Build engagement naturally by driving fans to save and replay your tracks. This signals Spotify’s algorithm to push you into Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Radio all of which lead to lasting, authentic growth.
Ways to encourage authentic engagement include:
- Run a Pre-save initiative in the run up to release
- Tell the story behind the song
- Invite the audience to take a look at the creative process
- Share your personal journey
3. Collaborate Within Your Scene
Work with artists in your community. Cross-promotion, remixes, or collaborative content can introduce you to entirely new audiences driving your monthly listeners up without breaking the rules.
4. Track Your Data
Keep an eye on your analytics in Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists, and YouTube Studio. Look for steady, believable patterns. If you see sudden spikes from countries you’ve never targeted, investigate immediately.
5. Build Your Own Playlist
A trend we’re seeing a lot is artists starting to build their own playlist built around their musical niche featuring tracks from various related artists. Driving fans of that niche to the playlist and then peppering in your own tracks can be a great way to promote your song as well as signalling to Spotify’s algorithm that you are part of that particular scene. You can build the playlist through organic promotion as well as paid ads. Our ads tool can be a great way to do this.
Avoiding artificial streaming isn’t just about staying out of trouble, it’s about protecting the integrity of your career. Real growth takes time, but it builds loyal fans, healthy data, and opportunities that last.
Ready to pitch your music to Spotify and Apple Music editors?
Head back to the un:hurd app to explore more tools and resources for playlist promotion.
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