News : Spotify Hits Back at Claims of Fake Streams in Ongoing Lawsuit

Cole Blake November 04, 2025
image

Spotify has officially responded to the class-action lawsuit accusing the platform of ignoring what’s being described as “mass-scale fraudulent streaming.” In a statement shared with Complex, the company firmly denied any claims that it benefits from artificial streams.

“We cannot comment on pending litigation. However, Spotify in no way benefits from the industry-wide challenge of artificial streaming. We heavily invest in constantly improving, top-tier systems to fight against it and protect artist payments through strong measures like removing fake streams, withholding royalties, and applying penalties,” the company said.

The statement continued, “Our systems are working: In a case from last year, one bad actor was indicted for stealing $10,000,000 from streaming services—only $60,000 of that came from Spotify, proving how effective we are at limiting the impact of artificial streaming on our platform.”

The lawsuit lists rapper RBX as the main plaintiff, both individually and “on behalf of other members of the general public similarly situated.”

It also mentions Drake, accusing him of allegedly earning profits from “billions” of fake streams due to Spotify’s lack of action. The lawsuit claims that Spotify “knows or should know” about substantial evidence showing the Toronto rapper’s catalog benefited from bot activity. Even so, Drake isn’t named as a defendant in the case, and no other artists accused of similar gains are listed. Drake has not made any public comments regarding the claims.

“Every month, under Spotify’s watchful eye, billions of fraudulent streams are generated through fake, illegitimate, or illegal methods,” the lawsuit alleges, adding that these actions cause “massive financial harm to legitimate artists, songwriters, producers, and other rightsholders.”

The plaintiffs are asking for a jury trial and seeking both compensatory and punitive damages. They allege that rights holders have lost “hundreds of millions of dollars” due to Spotify’s alleged involvement.

Meanwhile, Drake is focused on his next album, Iceman, which he’s hinted could arrive sometime in 2025. He’s already released several singles that are expected to appear on the project.

RELATED ARTICLES

Download Festival 2026 Announces Full Set Times Across All Stages

It’ll see headline sets from Limp Bizkit, Guns N’ Roses and Linkin Park

April 30, 2026 0 comment

Cleetis Mack From Digital Underground Passes Away

Cleetis Mack joined up with Digital Underground six years after Shock G, Chopmaster J, and Kenny-K founded the group.

April 29, 2026 0 comment

Megan Thee Stallion seen in tears at “Moulin Rouge!” after Klay Thompson split

Hours before the performance, the rapper alleged that the Dallas Mavericks player had cheated on her.

April 27, 2026 0 comment

Neil Young’s new album features three songs he wrote 63 years ago

He also confirmed that the record is complete and "ready to go"

April 24, 2026 0 comment

Dave Mason of Traffic has passed away

April 22, 2026 0 comment

Harry Styles Drops New Studio Session Video “Harry Live From Funkhaus”

The singer played three tracks from his new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.

April 21, 2026 0 comment

The Strokes Close Coachella Performance With Visuals Targeting CIA And US Government

It follows their performance last weekend which saw them subtly take aim at Jeff Bezos

April 20, 2026 0 comment

Young Thug shows off colorful style at Coachella

Young Thug performed tons of his biggest hits while on stage at Coachella, including "Check," "Havana," and more.

April 14, 2026 0 comment

Leave a comment