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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Spotify Bot Checker
Paste your Spotify Artist URL for a bot analysis
Is The Playlist Bros Legit? No, they're not.
The Playlist Bros claim to be devoted to offering high-quality promotion to shoot your music career forward. On their official website, they assert to provide a high-engagement platform to reach millions of new fans. Their service is portrayed as a magic pill for growth and Spotify promotion. But is it a legit avenue for aspiring artists? The evidence suggests otherwise.
Why are they botted?
Numerous red flags surround the operations of The Playlist Bros, 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 The Playlist Bros 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 The Playlist Bros 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 The Playlist Bros 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 The Playlist Bros 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 The Playlist Bros.
Respectfully Email Them: Attempt to email them at pitch@theplaylistbros.com and request they remove your music. Keep it light and respectful. Do not accuse them of botting.
Other artists' experiences with The Playlist Bros should serve as a reminder to exercise caution when engaging with playlist promotion services, and to always read articles like "The Playlist Bros Review" online before engaging in playlist promotion.
We recommend running any and all playlists you plan to do promotion with through our Bot Checker.
Are The Playlist Bros Legit?
No, The Playlist Bros are not legit.
We've received dozens of artist reports regarding this website, and their playlists are frequently flagged by our bot detection algorithm.
They usually cold-email artists in an attempt to sell "organic" playlist placements.
artist.tools is trusted by music industry professionals at
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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