Combating Automated Bot Plays on Spotify: Seeking Advice and Solutions

[tonyloco]

Hello everyone,

I'm an artist on Spotify and have recently encountered a growing issue that's negatively affecting my work and visibility on the platform. Since April 2023, I've experienced on three occasions that my profile has been impacted by companies using bots to generate automated plays trying to sell their services, appearing on the artists stats and "Discover On". This not only devalues the hard work put into reaching an authentic audience but also skews the listening data crucial for an artist's organic growth (I don't mention the psychological damage of this practice for the artists).

I found out that they follow a regular pattern with three/four days of several streams from Helsinki, Finland.

I would like to ask the community:

1. Have you had similar experiences?
2. How have you dealt with or countered this situation?
3. Are there any tools or best practices recommended by Spotify to prevent or mitigate the impact of these unfair practices?

My goal is to find effective solutions to protect the integrity of my work and that of other artists who might be in the same situation, specially in early stages of a career. Any advice, personal experiences, or pointers to useful resources will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and support.