What Are Spotify Stream Bots? And How Spotify Reacts After Spotting Them

Reading time: 5-7 minutes

In the competitive world of music streaming, artists are tempted by services promising quick growth in streams and followers. However, these artificial streaming methods can greatly damage your music career and violate platform policies. Here's everything you need to know about bot activity and better alternatives for growing your audience.

HOW ARE BOTS PURCHASED?

• Websites: the internet is flooded with third-party services that promise instant Spotify streams, followers, and playlist placements in exchange for money. These services are easily found through simple web searches and often advertise "real" streams, though they rely on fraudulent activities to deliver results. Despite claims to the contrary, these companies are relying on bots, AI and other deceptive activities to deliver the 'Real Spotify Plays' they promise.

Source: Identity Music, 2025 - https://identitymusic.com/fake-spotify-streams/

• Social Media Channels: Many of these bot streaming services actively advertise through social media platforms, email campaigns, and music industry forums, targeting independent artists who are struggling to gain traction. These advertisements often make unrealistic promises about overnight success and guaranteed results, preying on artists' desires for quick growth.

Source: Famegrowers, https://famegrowers.com/services 

WHY ARE BOTS HARMFUL RATHER THAN A GOOD WAY TO GROW LISTENERS AND STREAMS

To begin with, these are not real streams. Bot streams provide no genuine engagement from actual music fans. Streaming farms artificially inflate metrics without creating any real connection between artists and potential fans.

Source: Lunio, 2024 - https://lunio.ai/blog/streaming-fraud-music-platforms

Moreover, there’s an algorithm impact when getting these bot streams, as Spotify spots the fake profiles, sending out false signals to Spotify’s algorithm,  which consecutively ruins your artist profile. These fake interactions don't translate into gig/concert attendance or long-term fan relationships. Ultimately, inflated numbers appeal to users but have no real impact. While inflated stream counts might look impressive on paper, they actually harm your music's discoverability. These fake streams deprioritize your music on the platform, making it less likely for you to be recommended to real people 

Source: Cadence Weapon, 2024 - https://cadenceweapon.com/fake-streams-music-career/.

 Industry professionals can often detect artificial inflation, which can negatively impact booking opportunities, festival placements, and overall credibility in the music industry.

WHAT DOES SPOTIFY DO TO PREVENT THIS MALPRACTICE

Spotify Regular Cleanups Spotify employs sophisticated detection systems to identify artificial streaming patterns and regularly removes fake streams from artist accounts. The platform continuously monitors for unusual activity patterns that indicate bot usage, ensuring that genuine artists aren't disadvantaged by those using artificial methods.

If Spotify detects fake streams or followers, your account could be banned, jeopardizing your chance to be featured on organic playlists or even in search results (Source: FraudBlocker, 2024 - https://fraudblocker.com/spotify-stream-fraud-prevention/). The consequences can include track removal, account suspension, and permanent damage to your artist profile. (Source: Spotify for Artists - https://artists.spotify.com/help/article/artificial-streaming). 

WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD

• Playlist Submission: focus on legitimate playlist submission services that connect you with real curators who evaluate music based on quality and fit. You can check out the free plan at DailyPlaylists.com or get more personalized recommendations to submit on the Professional Plan. Offering transparent processes for getting your music heard by genuine playlist curators.

• Social Media interaction: building an authentic fanbase through social media engagement, live performances, and genuine connections with listeners is far more valuable than artificial streams. 

Focus on creating quality content, engaging with your audience regularly, and building relationships with other artists and industry professionals. This organic approach takes longer but creates sustainable career growth and real fan loyalty.

It’s important to remember that there are no shortcuts to building a successful music career. Focus on creating great music, engaging authentically with your audience, and using legitimate promotion services that comply with streaming platform guidelines.