In this day and age, it’s no surprise that streaming numbers, charts, and playlists are constantly being manipulated. This phenomenon of cheating has been particularly prominent in the Kendrick-Drake beef, where bot accusations continue to cast doubt on the artist’s reputation in addition to direct monetary profits.
As a fairness-first platform, to address this issue, Apple Music has strengthened penalties for this type of fraudulent activity. Back in 2023, Apple Music claimed to have reduced these practices by 30% after imposing penalties a year ago.
A conversation between The Hollywood Reporter and Apple Music platform chief Oliver Schusser revealed that fines range from 5% to 25%. Now, after doubling the levy, the penalty ranges from 10% to 50%.
The report even breaks it down in simpler terms, stating that “…in layman’s terms, if you engage in streaming fraud of $1 million, you can be fined up to $500,000.” Of course, fraudulent streamers will not be eligible for monetization.
“This is a zero-sum game,” Shuther said. “I want to live in a world with zero fraud on the platform, and this is a very effective tool. Increasing penalties will take money away from cheaters and put it back into the system for those who don’t cheat.” The new sanctions seem to be a step in the right direction – what do you think?
