The first global study on the manipulation of online eavesdropping has just been published. On the initiative of the National Music Center, it was carried out largely thanks to the sharing of data from several streaming platforms, including Spotify.
An unprecedented study
Published on January 16, 2023 speak National Music Center (CNM)this study on the manipulation of online eavesdropping on music streaming platforms is a world premiere.
Achieved by sharing data from several of these platforms (Deezer, Spotify and Qobuz among other things), this survey also responds to the criticism that streaming platforms have suffered in recent weeks after the broadcast of reports and the publication of articles denouncing the phenomenon of cheating and ” stream purchases ».
With the publication of this study (covering more than 10,000 titles the most listened to in France) the National Music Center hopes to provoke the action of the main players in the music industry in order to stem this phenomenon as much as possible.
And the issue is crucial since streaming platforms have largely established themselves today as benchmarks for sharing and listening to music for consumers after the structural crisis experienced by the music industry in the 2010s.
Cheating: A debate as old as the world?
Is cheating in the music industry unprecedented?
If the advent of streaming platforms makes this phenomenon appear in a new light, the manipulation of plays is not really a novelty.
Who has never seen someone leave a point of sale with dozens of CDs from an artist? Whether proven cheating or not, it seems difficult to conceive of this practice as fair.
Today, eavesdropping manipulation exists on the various streaming platforms, no one denies it. But the situation caused by this cheating is not really what we imagine. Indeed, again according to the CNM study, 80% of fraud cases relate to titles that are above the top 10,000.
Which means that there would be no or very little cheating among the stars of the current French music scene. Or that if there is cheating on their part, it would be more elaborate and therefore, less easily detectable by streaming platforms.
Cheating: A “truly false or falsely true?” debate »
The National Center for Music reports in its investigation that cases of cheating do not represent only between 1 and 3% of total plays. A small number compared to what we imagine.
But then is the debate really legitimate?
It seems so, for several reasons. First, for obvious reasons, the cheating in any field is illegal. Then, in this case, in the music industry, it creates a unfair competition at the economic level.
In concrete terms, this means that those who inflate their viewing figures simultaneously lower the part of the remuneration of the others over the same year. Finally, at a purely marketing level, the manipulation of plays disrupts algorithms and weakens audience engagement rates which causes the reduction of the capacity of recommendation of an artist.
Music players increasingly mobilized to prevent fraud
Today, and more and more, players in the music industry are aware of the challenges of the development of paid streaming, and mobilize to fight against the manipulation of eavesdropping. They are less and less to ignore or underestimate the place of cheating.
While until now, the number of plays of the artists acted as judge for the signatures in label, certain professionals of the industry announced that they will not rely any more only on this type of performance.
Could this be a sign of a lack of trust between players, or of a tipping point for the music industry towards a more sober and transparent operation?
The question remains open for the time being. In the meantime, the CNM proposes the development of a ” interprofessional charter for the prevention and fight against the manipulation of online eavesdropping “. The opportunity to define a precise definition of these practices and to make professionals aware of the legal risks associated with these manipulations.
A study will be carried out in 2024 to ensure the effectiveness of the monitoring committee for measures to prevent and combat such manipulation.
