You got an artificial streaming warning. Here is what it means and what to do next

What the notice actually says

An artificial streaming notice means Spotify has decided that a large share of the streams on one of your tracks did not come from real listeners. Spotify reports the affected tracks to your distributor, and the distributor passes the message on to you.

Since 1 April 2024 Spotify has charged labels and distributors €10 per track per month when it detects what it calls flagrant artificial streaming, which means more than 90% of a track’s streams are flagged. The fee goes to the distributor, not to you directly. Many distributors then take it from your balance.

What it can cost you

The fee is the visible cost. The wider consequences depend on your distributor and on how many tracks are involved. Spotify’s own policy lists withheld royalties on the flagged streams, corrected stream counts and, in severe cases, removal of the song from Spotify playlists.

Distributors add their own rules. TuneCore, FUGA, CD Baby and Amuse all say they pass the fee on, and several warn that repeated flags can lead to tracks being removed or the account being closed. Read your distributor’s own page on the subject, because the detail differs.

Why the notice rarely tells you where the streams came from

Spotify’s reports name the impacted tracks. They do not name the playlists that sent the streams. FUGA’s guidance to its clients says the same thing in practice: you are expected to look through your Spotify for Artists analytics and work out where the flagged track was being played.

That is the gap most artists fall into. You know a track was flagged, you do not know which placement caused it, and the playlist is probably still live.

The order to work through it

Do these in order, and keep a copy of every message you send.

• Read the notice for the track names and the dates. Note which tracks are named and whether the message mentions a fee.
• Open Spotify for Artists and list the playlists each flagged track has been on recently. The next guide in this series shows how.
• Check each playlist for bot-farm patterns before you decide which to act on. A scan will not prove a playlist caused the flag, but it shows you which ones deserve a closer look.
• Ask the curators of the risky playlists to remove your track, and tell your distributor what you found and what you did.
• Hold off on buying new placements from any source you cannot verify until the flag is resolved.

What to say to your distributor

Keep the reply factual. Say which tracks you were told about, which placements you have found and checked, which curators you have asked to remove your track, and that you will stop using the source if it is confirmed. You are showing that the streams were not something you ordered and that you acted as soon as you knew.

SpotCheck drafts this reply for you from the scan results on the Pro plan. You can also write it yourself with the points above.

FAQ

Validate before you pay

SpotCheck scores bot risk on any Spotify playlist, right on the page. Free to check — see plans.