Spotify, the global streaming powerhouse, has been hit with a collective lawsuit alleging that it has been complicit in a massive scheme of artificial streaming fraud, with superstar Drake identified as a primary beneficiary. The lawsuit was filed by rapper RBX, a cousin of Snoop Dogg, in a federal court in California, and it claims that billions of fraudulent streams are being generated every month, impacting authentic artists and rightsholders substantially.
According to the lawsuit, a significant chunk of Drake's 37 billion streams on Spotify between January 2022 and September 2025 is considered to be 'inauthentic,' orchestrated through a large network of bot accounts. The plaintiffs point to unusual VPN usage meant to obscure the geographic sources of these streams, explaining that at least 250,000 streams of Drake's track "No Face" were generated from Turkey over just four days in 2024 but were masked as coming from the UK.
The lawsuit further argues that streaming activity in certain areas recorded volumes beyond what their populations justify, even with streams apparently coming from regions with no residential addresses. Additionally, it highlights sudden spikes in streaming numbers months after certain tracks were released and Drake's decay rate in streaming numbers appearing slower compared to other streaming giants.
Particularly concerning are claims that Spotify has knowingly ignored these anomalies to maintain its engagement metrics for advertisers, as more users and streams translate to higher ad revenues. Mark Pifko of the Baron & Budd law firm states, "Each fraudulent stream pulls revenue away from legitimate artists, impacting thousands of creators and producers."
This lawsuit arrives shortly after Drake's failed lawsuit against Universal Music Group, where he accused his label of artificially inflating numbers for Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us." Although Drake's accusations were dismissed due to lack of evidence, the overarching issue persists globally with studies suggesting up to 10% of streams could be fraudulent worldwide, leading to annual losses of $2 to $3 billion for artists. Investigations into similar issues have already taken place in countries like Denmark, Brazil, and Turkey.
If successful, this lawsuit could mark a historic legal challenge against Spotify's core business model, demanding over $5 million in damages and seeking the court's enforcement for Spotify to identify and compensate victims of streaming fraud. Should the court accede, this would set a precedent in addressing artificial stream manipulation and potentially reshape the future of streaming platform transparency.