Apple Music found out how to deal with phony streams and the fraud fell by 30%،
Apple closely monitors Apple Music, and last year strengthened its protection against so-called streaming manipulation (via 9to5Mac).
Anti-fraud measures were so successful that fraud rates fell by 30%, according to a new report from Billboard.
Streaming fraud can take many forms, the most obvious being where a musician uses bots to stream their music 24/7 in order to obtain royalties. Apple says it has detected other examples as well!
“Apple Music quietly rolled out its own enhanced fraud protections — including hitting repeat offenders with “financial adjustments” — more than a year ago, according to an email obtained by Billboard that the platform sent to partners of the music industry in March. Apple Music’s internal metrics indicate the policy has already led to a 30% drop in streaming manipulation,” the Billboard report reads. Another type of fraud concerns albums of 31-second songs: Apple pays a fee per track, provided that a track of 30 seconds or less is not included in the offer. Some have created entire albums of 31-second songs just to exceed the 30-second limit.
“To help labels and distributors determine where fraud is occurring, Apple Music’s email says the platform has begun sending daily reports detailing “a content provider’s albums that are currently streaming “After each review,” the email continues, “we remove manipulated feeds and publish legitimate readings. At the end of each month, content providers also receive a report with all excluded feeds (Spotify has now also stepped up the reporting it provides to labels and distributors, according to a distribution company executive, “adding a new dimension to detecting repeat offenders.”),” the Billboard report cites the people responsible for Apple Music.
