Streaming Fraud or Artificial Streaming represents streams that don’t reflect genuine user listening intent, including any instance of manipulating automated processes on streaming platforms. Usually, this is achieved using bots or scripts to inflate streams.
It is worth remembering that third-party promotional services offering to boost your streams can sound tempting, but they may be generated using bots, which is a major red flag for DSPs:
"Paid 3rd-party services that guarantee streams aren’t legitimate.
3rd-party promotional services that advertise streams in return for payment violate our terms & conditions, and using them could result in your music being removed from Spotify. Any service that claims to offer a guaranteed placement on playlists on Spotify in exchange for money is in violation of our terms & conditions, and they shouldn't be used."
Read the full article here.
The result of fraudulent streams is:
The DSPs will withhold royalties for all such Artificial Streams
The related tracks' streaming count will not be incremented for any Artificial Streams
The related tracks will be blacklisted from all official playlists
The DSPs will take down the associated release(s) from their service. In the case of Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify, this is a permanent takedown.
Furthermore, please note that if you're caught committing streaming fraud, your account with Family in Music will be immediately terminated as such conduct is in breach of our Terms of Service and Distribution Agreement.