Preventing Bot Attacks
🔑 What can you do to prevent bot attacks?
This is a preventable problem, and we’ve found effective solutions through testing. These 2 steps have proven successful in avoiding bot issues:
Step One:
Contact Your Distributor Before Your Next Release
How Your Distributor Can Help
The simplest fix for the bot attack problem is to focus on the most frequent offender of this scheme, which is a playlist company called MusicArray.
MusicArray has an easy hallmark to identify: When you’ve been bot attacked by being placed on one of their playlists, all of your streams will be coming from Helsinki, which is a city in Finland.
That’s because MusicArray’s bot servers are located in Helsinki. Interestingly enough, the bots that MusicArray employs to scrape Spotify (for new music releases) are also in Finland.
That means, when they’re searching for new songs to add to their bot playlists, they’re doing that from a Helsinki IP address. If your music doesn’t show up in Helsinki, the bot that crawls Spotify won’t be able to find your song.
And luckily, it’s easy to keep your music from showing up in Finland – all you have to do is ask your distributor not to distribute your new song to that country. This has worked for everyone I know who has tried it.
In theory, the same practice can be applied for any new bot-attack company that surfaces in the future, too. All you would need to do would be to exclude the main country the bot streams were coming from.
Note that this is only a preventative measure. It won’t help you if you’ve already been put on the playlist. For help with that, navigate to “Solutions” by hitting the button at the very bottom of this page.
For DistroKid Users, Concerned About MusicArray:
Click the link below to open your default email app. A pre-written, pre-addressed email will be ready. Simply replace the [placeholder text] with your specifics and send it.
DistroKid will typically respond within a few days to confirm that Finland has been excluded from your distribution for the upcoming release.
DistroKid Users:
🔗 Click the button below to load a pre-written, pre-addressed email to DistroKid, asking them to exclude Finland from you distribution.
For Non-DistroKid Users, Concerned About MusicArray:
Click the link below to open your default email app. A pre-written (but not addressed) email will be ready. Replace the [placeholder text] with your specifics, add your distributor’s email address, and send it.
☝🏻 While we’ve only confirmed results with DistroKid, other distributors may also comply by excluding Finland from your distribution. It’s worth checking how they handle this request.
Non-DistroKid Users:
🔗 Click the button below to load a pre-written, un-addressed email to your distributor, asking them to exclude Finland from you distribution.
For Artists Worried About Other Bot Attack Companies
If you can identify the country where bots or their servers are based, you can take similar action. Simply replace [Finland] with the relevant country in the email template.
After a bot attack, unusual streaming patterns—such as a significant number of streams from a country or city you haven’t engaged with before—can help you pinpoint where the attack originated. By excluding distribution to that region, the bots won’t have access to your release.
Step Two:
Monitor Artist Health
How Artist.Tools Can Help
Or, check out the readable online how-to guide instead:
💻 How-To Guide: Using Artist.Tools to Check for Bots.
Continue to Monitor & Check for Bots
Artist Tools offers free bot monitoring for artists. Just copy over the URL for your Spotify Artist Page and add it to the search bar on Artist.Tools. You’ll have a bright red banner that says “botted” next to your name (if you’ve been botted) or “bot free!” will appear in a bright green banner if you’re momentarily safe.
Free Monitoring on Artist.Tools
🔗 Click Below to Access Monitoring Tools & Bot Detection Courtesy of Artist.Tools
Artist Tools: Stay informed about suspicious activity & playlist engagement
Other Steps You Can Take:
Future Solutions:
Pushing for an Opt-Out Button
Excluding Finland Works (For Now)
While this solution is effective, it’s a temporary fix. The battle against bot attacks is ongoing, and new tactics may emerge. The long-term solution requires action from platforms with the power to protect artists—namely, Spotify.
How an Opt-Out Feature Could Help
Why We Need an Opt-Out Button for Suspicious Playlists
✍🏻 We need Spotify to create a feature in the Spotify for Artists platform that allows artists to opt out of large, suspicious user playlists.
This would give artists more control over playlist placements and safeguard their music from artificial streams that skew analytics and damage their brand.
How the Bot Attack Problem Typically Unfolds
Without the artist’s permission, pay-for-play companies add newly released songs to their large playlists, often containing tens of thousands of followers. The sudden spike in streams can prompt artists to investigate the source, where they find contact details in the playlist description.
The playlist company then requests a fee to keep the artist’s track on the playlist. This practice is harmful to artists, as the streams are often driven by bots or incentivized users, resulting in inflated numbers that hurt organic growth. This disrupts Spotify’s algorithm, making it harder for genuine fans to find the artist.
Spotify’s Response & Why It Needs to Change
Currently, Spotify penalizes artists whose songs are affected by bot attacks, even though these additions are beyond the artist’s control. It’s frustrating to face consequences for something we didn’t initiate.
If Spotify expects artists to manage these situations, they should give us the tools to do so. An Opt-Out button (for large user playlists) would empower artists to protect their data, growth, and reputation.
How You Can Advocate for an Opt-Out Button
If you agree that artists deserve more control over their playlists, consider sending an email to Spotify advocating for this change. Use the pre-formatted email button in the green box below to automatically load up a pre-written email, addressed to execs at Spotify. Clicking the button will load the email in your default email app. All you have to do is decide whether or not you want to sign your name (or, leave that part blank) and then hit send.
Advocate for the Opt-Out Feature:
Email Spotify About Opt-Out Button:
🔗 Click Below to Load the Pre-Filled Email to Spotify
(The email is addressed to major executives and development team leaders. Simply fill in your name or send anonymously).
Already on a Bot Playlist?
🔗 Click Below for Solutions