Apple’s intensified efforts to combat streaming manipulation on its music platform, Apple Music, have reportedly resulted in a 30% reduction in fraud. The company has been employing enhanced anti-fraud measures for over a year, as confirmed by an email sent to music industry partners in March.
Under these measures, Apple Music targets repeat offenders with “financial adjustments.” Streaming manipulation often involves artists using networks of bots to continuously stream their music to generate royalties. Apple’s anti-fraud policy includes not counting tracks of 30 seconds or less for royalties, leading some artists to create albums of 31-second songs.
In response, Apple is actively assisting labels and distributors in detecting fraud by providing daily reports on albums with streams held in review. The company removes manipulated streams, releases legitimate plays, and ensures royalties are redirected to valid plays before payment.
Apple claims that, following the implementation of these tools and policies, the rate of fraudulent plays on Apple Music has dropped to 0.3%.
In comparison, other streaming platforms like Deezer reported a 7% fraud rate, while Spotify claimed a rate of less than 1%. Apple’s firm stance against fraud includes a range of responses, such as financial adjustments, account closures, and termination of distribution agreements for record labels involved in fraud.
