Spotify promotion · Artist safety
Spotify Promotion Scams: Fake Streams & Suspicious Playlists
Most Spotify promotion scams sell one of two things: streams or playlist placements. Spotify’s position on both is the same. In its own words, it “strictly prohibits using any third party service that promises streams or playlist placement in exchange for money.” Here is how the common schemes work, how to check an offer, and what to do if your music ends up somewhere it should not be.
Published by BVSS FVM · October 7, 2026
What Spotify actually prohibits
Spotify defines an artificial stream as one that “doesn’t reflect genuine user listening intent,” including any attempt to manipulate streaming with automated processes such as bots or scripts. It says paid third-party services that guarantee streams are not legitimate, and that services promising guaranteed playlist placement in exchange for money break its terms.
Spotify lists what can happen when it confirms artificial streaming:
- Royalties tied to confirmed artificial streams can be withheld, and public stream counts corrected.
- The song may be removed from Spotify playlists.
- Distributors receive reports and may warn artists or, in serious or repeated cases, remove content or suspend accounts.
- In repeated or egregious cases, Spotify can remove the manipulated content.
- Labels and distributors can be charged a per-track fee when flagrant artificial streaming is detected.
The scams we see most often
These patterns line up with Spotify’s published guidance. A single offer often mixes several.
| Pattern | What it looks like | Why it is a problem |
|---|---|---|
| Stream packages | A price per thousand streams, or a promised number of plays | Spotify says services that sell streams are not legitimate and can get your music removed. |
| Paid playlist placement | A fee in exchange for a promised add to a playlist | Spotify says selling placement for money breaks its terms. |
| Paying to be “considered” | A fee for review with vague terms about what happens next | Spotify says to treat services that charge to be considered with high skepticism. Know exactly what you are paying for. |
| Fake editorial pitching | Someone offers to pitch you to Spotify’s editors for a fee | Pitching is free inside Spotify for Artists and is done by people with access to your profile. Nobody can sell you an editorial spot. |
| Account access requests | A service asks for your Spotify for Artists or distributor login to “set things up” | No legitimate curator or promoter needs your login. Never share it. |
| Fake Spotify emails | Messages claiming to be Spotify asking for passwords, payment or downloads | Spotify says it never asks for your password or payment details by email, and real emails come from an address ending in @spotify.com. |
| Follower surges | Cheap follower packages or follow-for-follow schemes | Spotify lists short-lived surges in follower growth as a warning sign of artificial activity. |
How to check an offer before you pay anything
Legitimate promotion can explain how real people will hear your music. Use these questions on any service, including us.
Ask what exactly you are paying for
Review time, advertising, PR outreach or a result? If the answer is a number of streams, followers or adds, walk away.
Ask how listeners will find the song
A real answer names a channel: a playlist with an audience that fits, an ad campaign, press, social content. “Our network” with no detail is not an answer.
Look at the playlists themselves
Open them on Spotify. Do the songs belong together? Is it clear who runs them? Is it updated? A playlist built for numbers rarely has a coherent sound.
Keep your accounts to yourself
Share links, never logins. Pitching to Spotify’s editors is something you or your team does inside Spotify for Artists.
Check the reviews and the method
Spotify’s advice for hiring a PR or marketing firm is to ask about its promotion methods directly and read reviews from artists who have worked with it.
Warning signs in your own data
Spotify lists these signals in Spotify for Artists as possible signs of artificial streaming. None of them proves anything on its own. A real playlist placement or a moment on social media can also cause a spike, so look at them together and in context.
- A sudden spike in streams for no apparent reason, followed by a drop-off.
- Streams from places where your music has not been active before.
- Most streams coming from sources you cannot explain, such as “Other.”
- Short-lived surges in follower growth.
If your song lands on a suspicious playlist
Spotify notes that some services use bots on music without the artist’s consent, so this can happen even if you never paid anyone. Act quickly and keep a record.
Find the playlist
In Spotify for Artists, go to Music then Playlists to see which playlists your music is on. A playlist appears once at least 3 of your listeners have played your music there.
Report it to Spotify
Use the playlist reporter form in Spotify for Artists. Spotify says it investigates before taking action.
Tell your distributor or label
Spotify’s advice is to share the unusual data with your distributor or label right away, because they can work with Spotify to resolve it.
Keep notes
Screenshots of the playlist and your stats, dates, and any messages with whoever added you. If you did not ask for the placement, a clear record helps.
What legitimate paid promotion looks like
Paying for promotion is not the problem; paying for a result that only manipulation can deliver is. Spotify’s own paid tools, including Marquee and Showcase display campaigns and Spotify Ads Manager, are legitimate ways to reach listeners. PR and marketing firms can be too, if their methods hold up to the questions above.
If you would rather not spend anything, there is a full free plan in free Spotify promotion, and the honest routes onto playlists are in how to get on Spotify playlists.
Sources
- Artificial streaming · Spotify for Artists · accessed 2026-10-07
- Artificial streaming and paid 3rd-party services that guarantee streams · Spotify for Artists Support · accessed 2026-10-07
- Is this Spotify email legit? · Spotify Support · accessed 2026-10-07
- Pitching music and videos to Spotify playlist editors · Spotify for Artists Support · accessed 2026-10-07
- Seeing playlists you’re added to · Spotify for Artists Support · accessed 2026-10-07
- Promoting music on Spotify · Spotify for Artists Support · accessed 2026-10-07
FAQ
Common questions.
Will Spotify penalize me if someone else used bots on my song?
Spotify says some services stream music without the artist’s consent. Its advice is to report the playlist and share the data with your distributor or label quickly so they can work with Spotify on it.
Are paid playlist submission sites scams?
Not necessarily, but Spotify says to treat services that charge to be considered for playlists with high skepticism. Make sure you know whether you are paying for review time or being sold a result.
Does Spotify catch every fake stream?
Spotify does not publish how it detects artificial streaming, so nobody outside Spotify can tell you what will or will not be caught. The safe assumption is that buying streams puts your music at risk.
How do I report a fake Spotify email?
Forward it to spoof@spotify.com and delete it. If you clicked a link or entered details, reset your password and update it anywhere you reused it.
Is submitting to BVSS FVM a paid service?
No. Submission to every BVSS FVM and CuratorOS playlist is free, and placement is never sold.
BVSS FVM playlist network
Hear the curation in practice.
Browse the active playlists or submit one Spotify track for human editorial consideration across the network.