artist.tools is trusted by music industry professionals at

Find the right playlists,

avoid the wrong ones.

We track data on 100,000+ playlists, 10,000+ artists, and 100+ scam networks.

21K+

Playlists Checked For Bots

6K+

Artists Monitored for Bots/Fraud

4K+

Botted Playlists On File

3K+

Happy Musicians

We're big believers that playlists are a huge driver of success for artists in today's age.

Unfortunately, a growing number of artists are being misled or conned into thinking they've secured a spot on an authentic playlist, only to discover it's riddled with bots. Our data shows up to 64% of small artists looking for playlist placements have been placed in botted playlists. Crazy, right?

While the allure of instant visibility might be tempting, the repercussions of being associated with such deceptive practices aren't worth the risk. Let's explore the risks.

Reduced Algorithm & Editorial Support — Spotify's recommendation algorithms, such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar, rely on genuine user engagement to suggest tracks. Botted streams, lacking real engagement, hinder Spotify's ability to determine who to show your music to. Low engagement relative to high stream numbers can also be a red flag, causing the algorithm to sideline your music. From our experience, artists plagued with botted playlist placements/streams also get excluded from Editorial consideration.

Getting Banned on Spotify — One of the most severe repercussions of using botted playlists is facing Spotify's penalties. The platform employs sophisticated algorithms to detect bot activities. If found guilty, artists or playlist curators can face temporary suspensions or even permanent bans, effectively ending their Spotify journey... and from our experience, appeal emails often go unreviewed.

Royalties Getting Withheld — While botted streams might seem like a way to boost earnings, the reality is starkly different. Spotify's payout system is designed to reward genuine streams. If the platform detects bot activities, any potential earnings from these fake streams can be withheld. In some cases, Spotify might even reclaim previously paid royalties up to 3 months prior, leading to financial losses for the artist.

Skewed Analytics — Relying on botted playlists can distort an artist's understanding of their audience. With inflated numbers, genuine metrics like audience demographics, engagement rates, and song preferences become clouded. This skewed perspective will surely lead to misguided marketing decisions, hindering genuine growth opportunities.
We collect a lot of data to make our assessments and often human-review sketchy playlists that appear on our radar.

If our Spotify Bot Checker doesn't have enough data on a playlist, or you want to learn how to discern between an authentic and botted playlist yourself, here's how:

Unusual Growth Patterns — A sudden and massive surge or dip in followers or streams over a short period can be a red flag. Authentic playlists grow steadily, with occasional spikes due to popular tracks or mentions. However, if the growth seems too rapid to be organic, it might be worth running through artist.tools Spotify Bot Checker.

Low Engagement Rates — Bots can play songs, but they're rarely sophisticated enough to engage. If a track on a playlist has a high number of streams but minimal saves, shares, or follows, it's a potential indicator of bot activity. Another major red flag is if a playlist has a low number of listeners and a high number of streams.

Mismatched Demographics — If the majority of listeners come from regions unrelated to the artist's primary audience or if there's an unusual distribution of age or gender, be cautious. Bots often originate from specific locations, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, as this is where the world's major data centers are located.

Generic User Profiles — Bots often operate under generic or blank profiles, with randomly generated names like "7w24423kjhsdfkjh34kh". If a curator's profile has a bunch of these followers, that can be a sign of bot-driven activity. Authentic listeners typically have more personalized profiles, complete with playlists and favorite tracks.

Too Good To Be True — If a playlist curator promises guaranteed stream numbers or accepts any artist willing to pay, it's essential to tread carefully. Authentic playlist curators focus on the quality and fit of the music rather than making lofty promises.

Spotify Bot Checker

Paste your Spotify Artist URL for a bot analysis

Is CraftPlaylists Legit? No, they're not.

The digital realm offers a plethora of opportunities for artists to promote their music and reach a wider audience, with Spotify being a prime platform for such promotion. Among the many services that have sprouted to aid artists in this endeavor is CraftPlaylists.com. However, beneath the appealing facade, there lurk several red flags that raise questions about its legitimacy.

Who is CraftPlaylists?

CraftPlaylists.com presents itself as a conduit for artists to reach genuine Spotify listeners, boasting over 3,000 campaigns that have purportedly aided over 1,000 artists in reaching a combined 5 million Spotify listeners. They promise to help artists build a high-quality audience, achieve more song saves and playlist adds, and trigger attention from Spotify’s powerful algorithm.

You may have heard from "Hannah" via email with no prior contact. This cold email is an attempt to sell "organic" playlist placements, which are not actually legitimate.

Why are they botted?

Numerous red flags surround the operations of Craft Playlists, leading to a strong suspicion of botting activities. Here are some glaring indicators:

User Reports: We've received reports from users indicating that the playlists managed by Craft Playlists are botted.
Stream Origins: A significant number of streams generated through their service originate from major data center cities, which is a typical sign of botting.
Profile Deletion: The profiles managed by Craft Playlists are frequently deleted and removed by Spotify, indicating non-compliance with Spotify’s terms of service.
Bot Detection: Our advanced bot detection algorithm at artist.tools frequently flags the playlists managed by Craft Playlists as botted, further substantiating the botting claims.
Follower Fluctuations: The irregular spike up and down of followers on their playlists is a classic indicator of a botted playlist.

How do I get out?

If you have engaged with Craft Playlists and are now facing issues or suspect fraudulent activity, here's what you can do:

Report to Spotify: If you notice suspicious activity or have been added to dubious playlists, report the issue to Spotify. They have mechanisms in place to investigate and take necessary action against fraudulent playlist promotion services like Craft Playlists.
Respectfully Email Them: Attempt to email them at hannah@craftplaylists.com and request they remove your music. Keep it light and respectful. Do not accuse them of botting.

Other artists' experiences with CraftPlaylists should serve as a reminder to exercise caution when engaging with playlist promotion services, and to always read articles like "Craft Playlists Review" online before engaging in playlist promotion.

We recommend running any and all playlists you plan to do promotion with through our Bot Checker.

Is Craft Playlists Legit?

No, CraftPlaylists is not legit.

We've received dozens of artist reports regarding this website, and their playlists are frequently flagged by our bot detection algorithm.

You may have received emails from them in an attempt to sell "organic" playlist placements.

artist.tools is trusted by music industry professionals at

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No, CraftPlaylists is not legit. Read our thoughts on why we know CraftPlaylists to be a botted playlist network.

We collect and interpret data from Spotify and turn it into powerful insights that help music industry professionals make fast and confident marketing decisions.

Built by Aaron Whittington, artist.tools originated as a personal marketing solution. Somewhere along the way it snowballed into the industry go-to for all things Spotify data.

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