How will I know the difference between real and fake streams?

We recommend that you always track progress on your Spotify Artist account to monitor your success—however with more advanced tools you can see a more detailed picture of what’s happening.

For example, some distributors have “device” analytics where you will see that the devices they populate on are mostly “Desktop” and/or “Mobile.” This is a sign of real user activity on Spotify so you can conclude that the streams are real and authentic. 

Fake streams on the other hand show an unrealistic amount of plays from the “Other” section of “Devices.” This “Other” area is one that Spotify and other platforms pay direct attention to because of their fictitious nature.