Spotify is accused in a new class-action lawsuit of allowing billions in fraudulent streams, with Drake singled out as the person whose data was tampered with.
On Sunday (November 2), rapper RBX filed a lawsuit against the music streaming service in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of himself and “on behalf of all other similarly situated members of the public.” The lawsuit alleges that Spotify allowed massive fraud to occur on its platform, resulting in billions of fake streams being obtained through illegal methods.
“Data analysis shows that songs targeting the ‘most streamed artist of all time’ have generated billions of fraudulent streams,” the filing reads. “Aubrey Drake Graham, known professionally as ‘Drake.’ While the fraudulent streams of Drake songs may be an example, it is not an isolated one.”
RBX insists that the majority of Drake’s 37 billion streams from January 2022 to September 2025 “are not authentic and appear to be the work of a vast network of bot accounts.”
In his complaint, he pointed out that research shows that Spotify listeners listen to an average of 10 songs a day. However, he claims that in some cases, Drake “users” listen to nothing but Drake’s music 23 hours a day. He also noted that many of the Drake’s streams are “concentrated in areas where populations cannot support stream flows.”
RBX is requesting a jury trial and a determination of damages.
In response to the new lawsuit, a Spotify spokesperson released the following statement to XXL.
“We are unable to comment on pending litigation,” the statement read. “However, Spotify in no way benefits from the industry-wide challenge of artificial streaming. We invest heavily in continuously improving best-in-class systems to combat this challenge, and safeguard artists’ pay with strong protections such as removing fake streams, withholding royalties, and collecting fines. Our systems are working: In one case last year, a bad actor was indicted for stealing $10,000,000 from the streaming service, only $60,000 of which The dollars coming from Spotify are a testament to how effective we are at limiting the impact of artificial streaming on our platform.”
XXL has reached out to Drake’s team for comment.
