# Authentic Bands Face Challenges in Removing Fraudulent Albums from Their Spotify Profiles
In the autumn of 2024, Spotify encountered an influx of counterfeit albums being uploaded to its platform, with some of these bogus releases showing up on the profiles of genuine artists. These phony albums, frequently lacking distinctive features, aim to mislead naive listeners into streaming them, masquerading as fresh releases from famous bands. This predicament has prompted numerous artists, including the UK psych rock group Gong, to quickly work on eliminating these imitation albums from their official Spotify profiles.
## The Scenario with Gong
A devotee of Gong, a band celebrated for its avant-garde and psychedelic rock sound, noticed something amiss while exploring the band’s Spotify profile. The fan had been avidly following Gong, particularly after their unexpected release in 2023 and their following tour. However, the “latest release” showcased on Spotify was not the album they anticipated. Rather, it was a counterfeit self-titled album, allegedly released in 2024.
The fan soon realized the album was not legitimate. Not only did the nondescript electronic music sound nothing like Gong’s unique style, but the album cover also lacked the band’s characteristic surreal, creative imagery. Instead, it displayed a generic font and a neon stock photo, starkly contrasting with Gong’s usual visual identity.
Gong member Dave Sturt confirmed the album was indeed a counterfeit and mentioned that the band was taking steps to have it eliminated. Nevertheless, as of the next day, the false album remained accessible online, along with hundreds of other fraudulent albums uploaded by a dubious label identified by former Spotify data scientist Glenn McDonald.
## The Extent of the Issue
McDonald, who was employed at Spotify for ten years, highlighted the problem on social media, mentioning that thousands of fake albums had been uploaded by labels such as “Ancient Lake Records,” “Beat Street Music,” and “Gupta Music.” These labels, which lack any genuine web presence, were responsible for the rapid upload of hundreds of garbage albums. For example, Beat Street Music introduced 240 albums in just one day, while Ancient Lake Records put up 471.
These phony albums don’t seem to aim specifically at well-known artists, according to McDonald. Instead, they are uploaded under a wide variety of one-word artist names, occasionally overlapping with actual band names. This has led to fake albums surfacing on the profiles of bands such as Gong, Swans, Yes, and Asia. McDonald asserted that this oversight is Spotify’s duty, as the platform should match artist names to profiles.
“Given the volume of output and the randomness of the names, I suspect that the owners of this content may not have even meant for it to end up on existing artist profiles,” McDonald remarked to Ars Technica. “If they merely submitted items with artist names, not IDs, then it’s the streaming service’s obligation to correlate those names to profiles, making it the streaming service’s fault for not recognizing that these are not from the genuine Yes, Asia, Gong, Swans, etc.”
## Spotify’s Reaction
A representative for Spotify recognized the problem and affirmed that the platform was probing into the flagged albums. The representative also mentioned that Spotify acts against malefactors trying to exploit the system, which may entail revoking stream counts and withholding royalties. Spotify asserts that it invests significantly in both automated and manual evaluations to identify and minimize the effects of fraudulent activities.
However, the procedure to eliminate these fake albums can be sluggish. Even after being informed of the issue by artists and fans, the counterfeit albums frequently stay online for several days or even weeks. This delay has irritated many artists, who believe Spotify should be more proactive in tackling the problem.
## A Widespread Streaming Fraud Issue
McDonald, who exited Spotify in March 2024, has been outspoken about the difficulties of addressing streaming fraud. In his book *You Have Not Yet Heard Your Favourite Song*, McDonald elaborates on how streaming services like Spotify confront fraudulent activities. He argues that streaming fraud is not an exceptionally profitable crime because streaming royalties accumulate in minuscule micro-transactions. Nevertheless, when amplified, streaming fraud can become a considerable problem.
McDonald stated that during his tenure at Spotify, he maintained dashboards to monitor for fraudulent activities prior to releases going live. However, with the recent wave of fake albums, he speculated that Spotify might have ceased utilizing those tools following his departure.
The emergence of generative AI has simplified the process of creating and uploading fake music, making the battle against streaming fraud even more complex. While Spotify has reinforced its fraud prevention teams, the platform still appears to struggle with timely detection and removal of counterfeit albums.
## The Consequences for Artists
For genuine artists like Gong, the existence of fake albums on their Spotify pages is more than a mere nuisance—it can directly affect their reputation and income. Fans who encounter these bogus albums may feel confused or misled, and the fraudulent streams can dilute the prominence of authentic releases.
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