In a recent podcast interview with Sound Connection, Con Raso (Managing Director and Co-founder of Tuned Global) and Andrew Batey (Co-founder of Beatdapp) discussed one of the music industry’s most pressing issues: fraudulent streams. While Batey underscored just how extensive and criminally driven the problem is — citing that as much as 10% of streams could be fake — Raso highlighted the broader implications for legitimate businesses, especially smaller players and regional artists who often lose the most in a fraud-ridden system. Together, they painted a revealing picture of why tackling fraudulent streams head-on is vital not only for artists’ bottom lines but also for the industry’s credibility and future growth.
Fake streams are not merely the work of artists inflating their numbers. Andrew Batey explained that 80% of the fraud Beatdapp detects traces back to criminal organisations seeking to launder money. These are not “minor chart manipulations” — they are sophisticated operations exploiting streaming’s global reach. Con Raso sees fraud as a threat to the very foundation of his client's businesses, especially when considering that most music startups and emerging platforms rely on accurate metrics to secure funding and to pay out royalties fairly.
Both Raso and Batey stressed that curbing fraud benefits not just labels and major stars, but also the countless smaller and mid-tier artists who rely on streaming revenue. According to Batey, legitimate artists consistently earn more when fraudulent plays are eliminated because the total pool of royalties stops leaking to fake accounts. In some cases, entire catalogues or playlists consisting of “fake artists” — uploaded through dozens of distributors — are diverting money away from genuine creators.
Con Raso underscored another critical point: while the streaming industry is data-driven, all analytics and user-facing features depend on the quality of that data. If fraud skews listening numbers, music recommendations become less accurate, potentially driving real users away. By integrating fraud detection tools, platforms protect both revenue and user engagement.
Tuned Global is a full-stack cloud music tech platform for companies seeking to launch streaming services or integrate music experiences in Gaming, Medtech, Fitness, etc. Beyond basic hosting and licensing, we supply everything from analytics dashboards and APIs to user engagement features. Raso believes that adding fraud detection to this suite of offerings is a natural extension of Tuned Global’s commitment to quality. His team recognises that if they can help clients identify and block fraudulent traffic, it goes a long way toward keeping legitimate music catalogues clean, royalty payouts fair, and user engagement metrics trustworthy.
Raso also sees a broader industry value in addressing fraud as early as possible. Many new streaming services or music-tech ventures pursue high valuation rounds, where vanity metrics sometimes overshadow real engagement numbers. The moment those inflated figures get exposed by fraud detection, the platform’s credibility can take a hit — unless operators proactively integrate solutions like Beatdapp. As Raso puts it, “We really need to attack fraud for a whole bunch of great reasons.”
Beatdapp installs its solution “under the hood” of streaming platforms, analysing enormous amounts of data in real-time. Batey detailed how the system goes beyond simple stream counts, looking at user behaviour patterns, device metrics, and machine-learning-driven “flags” that expose suspicious activity at a granular level.
He noted that in many fraud cases, seemingly normal artists turn out to be fictional fronts created to launder money. These fake artists are often distributed through multiple pathways to avoid detection. By isolating and removing them, Beatdapp can drastically boost legitimate artists’ revenues, sometimes increasing payouts by over 20% once fraudulent streams are purged.
The conversation also touched on how widespread fraud affects catalogue valuations, distributor operations, and investor sentiment. Some music catalogues sold for high multiples might have been bolstered by fake streams, a sobering reality for investors who believed they were buying into genuine traction. Meanwhile, distributors — particularly those catering to “do-it-yourself” artists — risk significant clawbacks if investigations reveal a large volume of fake plays flowing through their systems.
Batey and Raso both foresee a future in which fraud detection becomes non-negotiable for streaming platforms. From a risk management angle alone, ignoring organised criminal exploitation of the streaming landscape could lead to dire consequences — not just in lost royalties, but potentially in legal or reputational damage for platforms that fail to vet their data.
Despite the heavy implications, Raso and Batey remain optimistic. By collaborating, Tuned Global and Beatdapp seek to simplify how new and existing platforms tackle fraud. Their partnership allows clients to press a virtual “on switch” for fraud detection without building an expensive, specialised system from scratch. Tuned Global manages millions of data points that are ready to be processed by Beatdapp systems if their clients agree. As a result, the barriers to cleaning up fraudulent streams become dramatically lower, benefitting all legitimate stakeholders in the process.
The takeaway is clear: though fraud is deeply embedded in the streaming world, it can be curbed with the right tools and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths about inflated metrics. Doing so not only safeguards the financial health of real artists and labels; it helps preserve the integrity of an industry that thrives on trust—trust in its data, trust in its payouts, and trust in the value music provides to listeners worldwide.
From organised crime rings siphoning royalties to investors unintentionally overpaying for fake catalogue traction, music streaming fraud has enormous repercussions. Yet, as Con Raso and Andrew Batey illustrate, practical solutions are already here. By integrating cutting-edge detection into Tuned Global’s platform, they offer a roadmap for entrepreneurs, distributors, and established labels alike: one where legitimate artistry is rewarded, criminals are sidelined, and the music industry continues evolving toward greater transparency and fairness.
Contact us to learn how Tuned Global can help you implement music streaming fraud detection.