Music Promotion Scams: 8 Red Flags and How to Vet Any Service

This business runs on desperation. Artists want to look big fast, and a lot of sellers know it. We work in this world, so here is how to tell the difference.

The 6 scams you'll actually see

1. Pay-for-playlist or "guaranteed placement." You pay, you're "added." Often the playlist is fake or botted.
2. Bot streams or "guaranteed streams." Streams on repeat from scripts. Spotify strips them out.
3. Fake curators. Someone pretending to run a big playlist, asking for money or fees to "review."
4. Credential phishing. A message pretending to be Spotify, a label or a "verified curator" asking you to log in or share access.
5. Predatory deals. Contracts that take rights or a big cut of revenue for little work.
6. Fake sync or submission fees. "Pay to submit to supervisors" with no real supervisors on the other side.

8 red flags

1. Guaranteed numbers. Streams, followers, chart positions. Spotify says services that guarantee streams or placement violate its terms.
2. Price per 1,000 streams. Real listeners are not a commodity sold by the thousand.
3. Results in 24 to 48 hours. Real discovery takes weeks.
4. No named playlists or outlets. If they won't show where your song lands, there's a reason.
5. Cold DMs and emails. Spotify specifically says these services target artists through socials and email.
6. Pressure. Countdown timers and "last spots."
7. Vague methods. "Our proprietary network." Ask how, and listen for specifics.
8. No contract, receipt or contact. Payment by gift card or crypto only.

What Spotify says happens to you

• Artificial streams don't earn royalties, don't count toward public numbers or charts, and don't help recommendations.
• Your distributor may issue warnings, charge a penalty fee, suspend your account or remove music.
• Spotify can remove tracks entirely when a track appears to mainly exist to enable artificial streaming.
• Since April 1, 2024, Spotify charges labels and distributors per track when flagrant artificial streaming is detected.

Check your own data

Spotify lists these warning signs in Spotify for Artists:

• A sudden spike with no reason, then a drop.
• A spike from a country where your music wasn't active.
• Most streams from "Other" or unexplained sources.

If you see any of these, tell your distributor and share which services you used. Spotify says that helps their review.

The 10-minute vendor check

1. Search the company name plus "scam" or "reviews," and look outside their own site.
2. Ask for sample playlists or outlets. Open five of them.
3. Check followers against the curator's own following.
4. Check how songs were added: over time, or all at once.
5. Ask the 5 questions below.
6. Read the contract before you pay.

5 questions that expose a bad vendor

1. How exactly do you get the plays?
2. Will I see where my song lands?
3. Do you guarantee any number? (If yes, stop.)
4. Who are your last five clients I can verify?
5. What happens if it doesn't work?

What legit promotion looks like

• It's transparent about the process.
• It gives honest feedback, including "no."
• Results depend on audience fit, not guarantees.
• You can see real outlets, curators or creators.
• It leaves you with followers, not just a spike.

If you already got burned

1. Stop the service.
2. Screenshot everything: payments, messages, dashboards.
3. Tell your distributor before they contact you.
4. Report suspicious playlists to Spotify.
5. Dispute the payment if possible.