How to spot fake Spotify playlists before you pitch

Why a fake playlist hurts you

A fake playlist looks like a real one. It has a name, a cover and thousands of followers. But the followers are bot accounts, and the plays come from scripts. Spotify calls this artificial streaming: "a stream that doesn't reflect genuine user listening intent" (Spotify for Artists).

The cost falls on the artist, even when the artist did nothing wrong. Spotify lists these results of confirmed artificial streaming:

• The artificial streams earn no royalties.
• Spotify corrects the public stream count.
• Spotify may remove the song from its playlists.
• In repeated or serious cases, Spotify may remove the music from Spotify.

There is also a fee. In November 2023, Spotify announced that it would charge labels and distributors "per track when flagrant artificial streaming is detected" (Spotify for Artists blog). The charge started on 1 April 2024. Spotify says your distributor may then warn you, charge you a penalty fee, remove your music or suspend your account (Spotify for Artists).

A fake playlist also wastes your pitch. Bot listeners do not save songs or follow artists. So the algorithm learns nothing useful from them.

The five signs of a fake playlist

No single sign proves a playlist is fake. Hypebot's study of a real bot checker makes this point: each signal can have an innocent cause, so checkers weigh all of them together (Hypebot, 18 June 2026). Use the five signs below the same way.

The examples in the table come from Hypebot's article. It also warns that fraudsters now use "drip-feed bots" that add followers slowly, to hide sign 2. That is why sign 3 matters: bots can fake followers more easily than real listening.

CD Baby adds two checks from the curator's side (CD Baby DIY Musician, 18 August 2026). Look for generic user names and fake followers on the curator's profile. And look for playlists that copy the names or covers of official playlists.

A five-minute check, step by step

Run this check on every playlist before you pitch it. Use the Spotify desktop app, because it shows the "Date added" column.

1. Open the playlist. Note the follower count.
2. Open the curator's profile. Note their followers and their other playlists. Many large lists with near-identical follower counts is a warning sign.
3. Sort the playlist by "Date added". Look for large batches added at the same time.
4. Open 3 to 5 songs from the list. Compare how often they are played with the playlist's follower count.
5. Read the description. Look for "promo", "DM", "guaranteed" or payment handles.
6. Ask one more question: do the songs fit the playlist's name and mood? A list that claims a niche but mixes random genres needs more research.
7. Run a bot checker as a second opinion. SubmitFinder, Playlist Pilot and Artist.Tools offer one. Treat the score as an estimate, not proof.

Count the signs that look wrong. One odd sign is common. Three or more is a good reason to skip the playlist.

Watch your own stats

Sometimes a bot playlist adds your song without asking. You find out from your own numbers. Spotify names these warning signs on its artificial streaming page:

• "A sudden spike in streams for no apparent reason, followed by a drop off."
• A spike of streams from places where your music was not popular before.
• Most of your streams coming from unclear sources, such as "Other".
• "A sudden and short-lived increase in follower growth."

Check the source of streams view in Spotify for Artists once a week after release (Spotify: source of streams). Then open the Playlists list. If one unknown playlist sends a large share of your streams, check it with the five signs.

If a fake playlist added your song

Act quickly and keep records. Early action gives you the best chance of a fair outcome.

1. Save the evidence. Copy the playlist link and take screenshots of the playlist and of your stats.
2. Report the playlist to Spotify. Use the playlist report form in Spotify for Artists. RouteNote describes this form in its guide (RouteNote, 6 November 2024).
3. Tell your distributor. Send the playlist link, the dates and your screenshots.
4. Stop any paid promotion that may have caused the add. Keep the receipts and the service's terms.
5. Keep monitoring. Check your stats each week until the spike is gone.

Paid services: where the line is

Spotify draws the line clearly. Services that "advertise streams in return for payment" break its terms. So do services that offer "guaranteed placement on playlists on Spotify in exchange for money" (Spotify for Artists).

Services that charge for a curator to listen and reply sell a different thing: attention, with no promised result. In our service directory, each listing shows whether the service promises a reply, and we mark services that sell stream targets with a warning. Read the complaints on each page before you pay.

A short rule covers most cases. Pay for a listen. Never pay for an add, a number of streams or a number of followers.