Streaming fraud refers to the practice of artificially inflating music streaming numbers through methods like bots, click farms, or paid play schemes. Any strategy that creates a facade of popularity without reflecting genuine listener interest counts as streaming manipulation, including practices like having friends or fans continuously stream your music in a way that doesn’t reflect autonomous listenership. Platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music are constantly working to detect and prevent these activities, as they harm both the platform and legitimate artists. Roughly 3-4% of global streams are considered fraudulent, diverting over $300 million in revenue from honest artists to fraudulent accounts.