Short answer: Yes. Spotify removes artificial streams from public numbers, withholds royalties on them and charges labels and distributors per track when flagrant artificial streaming is detected. Your distributor can warn you, fine you, suspend you or pull your music. In extreme cases, Spotify removes the track.
What Spotify says happens to the streams
According to Spotify for Artists, artificial streams:
- Do not earn royalties.
- Do not count toward public stream numbers or charts.
- Do not positively influence recommendation algorithms.
Spotify also performs daily cleaning of public numbers, so the all-time stream count and monthly listeners you see in the app are adjusted to remove confirmed artificial streaming. Your private Spotify for Artists dashboard may still show spikes for a while, which is why you can see a discrepancy.
What happens to you
Depending on severity, Spotify says additional penalties can include:
- Your distributor being told and then issuing warnings, charging a penalty fee, suspending your account or removing your music.
- Removal of the track from Spotify when it appears to be primarily a vehicle for artificial streaming.
- Removal from playlists.
Spotify shares monthly reports with labels and distributors about confirmed artificial streaming. That's how it usually reaches an artist: through the distributor.
The fee
Spotify charges labels and distributors per track when flagrant artificial streaming is detected, effective April 1, 2024. It applies only at very high rates of artificial streaming per track.
Distributors pass this on. TuneCore's support page says Spotify currently charges a monthly €10 penalty to labels and distributors for each track deemed to have high levels of artificial streaming, and TuneCore passes that fee to the account holder. It's charged per track per month, so a track that shows up in multiple monthly reports can be charged more than once. Check your own distributor's terms because each one differs.
"But I didn't pay for streams"
This is the painful one. Spotify acknowledges that some services bot playlists against an artist's will, or without their knowledge. TuneCore's FAQ even includes the question "I didn't pay for streams, why am I being charged a penalty?"
What to do:
- Check your Spotify for Artists data for spikes, odd locations and "Other" sources.
- Tell your distributor how you promoted the song and share any services you used. Spotify says if streams were earned authentically, sharing that helps them review.
- Report the suspicious playlist to Spotify. Spotify says it investigates.
What an investigation looks for
Spotify's signs of artificial streaming in your data:
- A sudden spike with no reason, then a drop-off.
- An unexplained spike from a location where you've had no activity.
- The majority of streams coming from "Other" or an odd source.
How to protect your catalog
- Never pay for guaranteed streams or placement. Spotify says these services are not legitimate and violate its terms.
- Vet every playlist before you pitch. See our guide on spotting fake playlists.
- Watch Spotify for Artists weekly after a campaign.
- Keep records of services, invoices, playlists and dates.
- Ask vendors how they promote. Vague answers mean bots.
- Use services that don't promise numbers.
Quick table: what Spotify says vs what people hope
| People hope | Spotify says |
|---|---|
| Fake streams still boost me | They don't help algorithms |
| It counts toward charts | It doesn't |
| It's harmless | Distributors may fine, suspend or remove |
| I can't get caught | Spotify shares monthly reports with distributors |
What we'd do
If your numbers ever jump overnight for no reason, treat it like a smoke alarm: check the source, tell your distributor before they tell you, and stop working with whoever put you there.
FAQ
Can I get banned from Spotify?
Spotify says it can remove manipulated content for repeated or egregious artificial streaming, and your distributor can suspend your account.
Do fake streams hurt the algorithm?
Spotify says artificial streams do not positively influence recommendation algorithms.
Will Spotify tell me when it finds fake streams?
It shares monthly reports with labels and distributors, who may contact you.
What should I do if a playlist botted me?
Report it, tell your distributor and document your promotion.
Are fees the same at every distributor?
No. Spotify charges labels and distributors, and each distributor sets its own policy for passing it on.
Does a sudden spike always mean fake streams?
Not always, but it is one of the signs Spotify lists. Check the source and location of the streams.
Vet the playlist before you pitch it.
Paste a Spotify playlist link and get the evidence in about 30 seconds. Free account, 5 free pitches, no card.
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