The End of Fake Streams – Spotify Tightens Its Detection Systems

Spotify invests heavily in detecting fake streams. The platform removes artificial plays created by bots or paid-boosting services, since they distort royalties and harm real artists.

In 2025, Spotify strengthened its AI-fraud detection systems and removed over 75 million fake or spammy tracks. When artificial streams are detected, they’re excluded from royalties, charts, and recommendations, and tracks may even be delisted.

A new class-action lawsuit this year again highlights the growing problem of bot-generated streams and Spotify’s continued push for fair, transparent streaming for all artists.