Royalties unpaid, unfairly withheld, or blocked without explanation: every day I help artists get what they're owed. In the first six months of 2025 alone, I helped recover over €60,000 for music projects damaged by distributors and platforms.
Spotify and the false accusations of artificial streaming: a nightmare for independents
In the last few months, dozens of artists have contacted me after having their tracks suddenly removed from Spotify. The reason? Alleged fraudulent streaming.
These removals happen without warning and, in most cases, affect artists who are completely innocent of unfair practices. The problem often arises from:
- Unsolicited insertions into suspicious playlists (sometimes created by third parties).
- Someone's use of unofficial services that promise rapid increases in plays.
- Abnormal streams of listeners from countries inconsistent with the artist's audience.
Beware of “miracolosi” services
Today, services that promise thousands of streams, followers, or playlist placements in exchange for a few euros are proliferating. But behind these promises often lie automated activities, click-farms, or bots that violate Spotify's terms.
The risk?
- Your music will be removed.
- Your royalties will be blocked.
- Your artist account may be restricted.
Never use shady or unofficial services. If you have any doubts, contact me first: I can help you understand which promotional channels are truly safe.
What happens when you are removed by Spotify
Those who suffer these removals often find themselves in a frustrating situation:
- No detailed explanation from Spotify or the distributor.
- Difficulty in proving non-culpability.
- Accrued royalties withheld or lost.
- Obligation to re-upload the song from scratch or with the same ISRC (if possible), hoping it doesn't happen again.
What you can do immediately
Here are some concrete strategies that I recommend and apply to my clients:
- Identify and report suspicious playlists I help you analyze the playlists in which you have been inserted without authorization and report them.
- Correctly re-upload the song I'll explain how to completely delete the previous publication and reactivate it, keeping the original ISRC code to save statistics and algorithms.
- Verify campaigns and promotional data I'll prepare a dossier with you to contest the removal, including evidence of organic promotion and real traffic (marquee, social, etc.).
- Contest blocks and withheld royalties I offer personalized legal assistance to communicate with distributors and platforms and defend your rights, even in the event of non-payment.
- Prevention and defensive strategy I'll support you in creating a clean and safe promotion strategy, with regular monitoring and advice to avoid future problems.
DISTRID: safe distribution for independent artists
With Mantovani America LLC we launched DISTRID, distributing your artists' music without putting their artist account at risk.
- We do not apply preemptive bans or automatic penalties.
- In case of anomalies, we notify the user first and analyze the situation together.
- You can upload your music transparently, maintaining control and intellectual property.
DISTRID is designed to protect artists and not to pass the responsibility for any irregularities onto them.
You are not alone
If you are an artist, label or band and have:
- suffered a removal from Spotify,
- had problems with unpaid royalties,
- doubts about suspicious activity in your streams,
Schedule a meeting with me now!
We will evaluate your situation together and build a safe path for your music career, with the legal, strategic and technical support you need to face today's challenges.
Schedule a Meeting!
