Playlists are a powerful vehicle of growth for independent artists. When used well—especially when you understand how pitching works and which playlist categories to target—they can be a gateway to new fans, steady audience growth, and increased revenue. Getting on playlists is one of the major ways an independent gets to play on a leveled playing field with artists backed by labels.
But there is a dangerous category of playlists known as botted playlists. As the name indicates, they are generated and operated by bots, specifically to cheat streaming algorithms. This is where streaming platforms draw a hard line. These fraudulent playlists are created by unscrupulous individuals and fake promotional services who target desperate or uninformed artists by creating the illusion of popularity.
These fraudulent playlists are created by unscrupulous individuals and fake promotional services. They target desperate or uninformed artists, promising a guaranteed number of streams. The real trap is that these playlists generate illegitimate streams and royalties, so the illusion is easy to believe. But Spotify and other DPSs eventually detect the fraud and the artists take the fall.
Unfortunately, not every artist added to playlists is complicit. Many innocent artists get added to botted playlists without their knowledge and end up receiving strikes—or worse, outright bans—from DSPs for something they did not initiate. What makes this more painful is that it is often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to prove your innocence after penalties have already been applied. From the DSPs’ perspective, ignorance is not an excuse.
So before you become a wounded soldier in a war you didn’t start—losing revenue, visibility, and reputation—here are…
The Right Steps to Take to Protect Your Music
(Note that we’ll be using Spotify as our main reference due to its large market share, but steps apply to all DPS)
First Step: Detect Bot Playlisting Before the Platforms Do
Let us start with why this is important. It is simply because streaming platforms are already taking measures to combat bot activity. Using Spotify as an example, once the platform detects that your track has appeared on a botted playlist, their immediate actions may include withholding royalties, deleting the song, or restricting it from appearing in algorithmic and personalized playlists. In extreme cases—where more of your songs are spotted in botted playlists over time—your account can be terminated for consistent artificial streaming.
But if you discover the issue first, you have a better chance of proving that you were not involved.
You can spot bot playlist activity by monitoring your analytics through your “For Artists” dashboard on DSPs. On Spotify for Artists, there are clear warning signs. These include sudden and massive spikes in streams, unusually high listener-to-stream ratios, and a sharp surge of listeners from a single, unexpected city. Other indicators include playlists with large follower counts but little to no engagement such as saves, as well as perfectly consistent daily stream numbers that look mechanical rather than organic.
Once you identify that your track has been added to a botted playlist, the next step is documentation.
Before taking any action, gather proof that shows youare a victim of the fraudulent activity rather than a participant. Capture screenshots of the playlist name, the curator’s profile, and the playlist’s description or “About” section. Save screenshots from your Spotify for Artists analytics showing the abnormal spike in streams and the playlist as the traffic source. Also, copy and store the direct URL of the suspicious playlist.
This documentation becomes your defense if questions arise later.
Next: Report the Playlist to the DSP
After gathering evidence, report the playlist directly to Spotify. This step is important because it signals that you are acting in good faith and did not solicit the activity.
Use the official Spotify for Artists playlist reporting tools, then contact Spotify for Artists support through their chat system. Clearly explain that your track was added to a third-party playlist without your consent and that you suspect it is botted. Make sure to request and keep a case number. This gives you a reference point if your account is reviewed or penalized later.
Your distributor is a key player in protecting your catalog. Most distributors have internal systems for handling fraudulent streams and can advocate on your behalf if issues arise.
Contact their support team and provide all the evidence you’ve gathered, including screenshots, playlist links, and your Spotify case number. This creates a record on their end and strengthens your position if DSPs take further action.
The Proactive Approach Is the Safest
You might wonder whether it’s possible to prevent this from happening entirely. To be honest, the answer is NO. Scam curators are constantly creating new playlists, and your music can be added without your permission at any time.
That said, there are proactive habits that significantly reduce your risk.
The first is consistent analytics monitoring. Regularly check your “Audience” and “Top Cities” sections in Spotify for Artists. Single-location spikes—such as thousands of streams suddenly coming from one city—are often early warning signs. Catching these anomalies early matters. This is also why building a small team helps. An artist manager or digital specialist can monitor these dashboards consistently so issues don’t go unnoticed long enough for DSPs to act first.
Another important safeguard is avoiding “get-streams-quick” services. Do not pay for promotion services that promise guaranteed numbers of streams, as they are almost always bot-driven. And lastly, do not be tempted by the temporary gains of sudden spikes that you lose sight of the long-term consequences.
The music industry is already a difficult terrain, especially if you’re not under a big label. Artists fight on multiple fronts just to stay visible and sustainable. Botted playlists may seem like a small issue, but if left unchecked, they are the little foxes that damage the foundation of the music career you’re trying to build.
