Guide · 6 min read
How to find the playlists behind an artificial streaming flag
Your distributor named the track but not the playlist. Here is how to list the placements in Spotify for Artists and check each one for bot-farm patterns.
Start from the flagged track
Take the track names from the distributor’s notice. You are looking for the playlists those tracks appeared on in the weeks around the dates in the message. Work on one track at a time so the lists do not blur together.
List the playlists in Spotify for Artists
In Spotify for Artists, open the track and look at the playlists it appears on. Two limits matter. A playlist only shows up once at least three unique listeners have played your track from it, and the view covers the trailing 12 months. A playlist that sent bot streams and nothing else may therefore be missing, and a placement removed some time ago may have dropped out of the window.
Copy the link for every playlist you find. Include the ones you did not pitch to yourself, because tracks get added by curators, by playlist networks and by promotion services you may have used months earlier.
Check each playlist for bot-farm patterns
Paste the links into the SpotCheck warning scan. It reads the public data for each playlist, such as follower count, how the playlist is built and how popular its tracks are, and says whether the playlist shows bot-farm patterns.
Read the result as a way to order your list. A playlist with a high score goes to the top of the pile. A playlist with a low score is less likely to be the source, though not ruled out, because the scan sees only public signals and Spotify’s own detection is not visible from outside.
- Large follower counts on tracks almost nobody plays.
- Follower growth that is flat, then near-vertical, then flat again.
- A curator running many near-identical playlists created around the same time.
- Heavy rotation of tracks in and out, which is how paid slots are recycled.
Act on the risky ones
For each playlist that shows bot-farm patterns, message the curator and ask them to remove your track, then keep a record of the request. If the curator does not answer, tell your distributor which placements you found and that you tried to have the track removed.
Spotify also has a Playlist Reporter tool in Spotify for Artists for reporting suspicious playlists. It is useful for the lists you cannot get removed another way.
What to keep for your distributor
Save the list of playlists, the scan results, the removal requests and the dates. A distributor reading a clear record of what you found and what you did has far more to work with than one that gets a single line saying the streams were not yours.
FAQ
Where do I find which playlists my track is on?
In Spotify for Artists, open the track and look at its playlists. A playlist appears once at least three unique listeners have played your track from it, and the view covers the last 12 months.
Will the scan tell me which playlist caused my flag?
No. It tells you which of your playlists show bot-farm patterns in public Spotify data, which is a good way to decide where to look first. It cannot see how Spotify made its own decision.
What if a playlist is missing from Spotify for Artists?
Placements with fewer than three unique listeners do not appear, and anything older than 12 months drops out of the view. If you suspect a placement that is missing, ask the curator or the promotion service you used for the playlist link.
Should I remove my track myself?
You cannot remove your track from someone else’s playlist. Ask the curator to do it and keep a record of the request. Spotify’s Playlist Reporter tool is there for lists you cannot get removed.
Validate before you pay
SpotCheck scores bot risk on any Spotify playlist, right on the page. Free to check — see plans.
Start a 7-day free Pro trialLast updated 2026-10-15.