Here at Mcarthur Records, we believe streams should come from real fans, not bots, not looping farms, not fraudulent playlists.
That’s why we built Mcarthur Digital’s Artificial Streaming Detection Tool into your dashboard. And today, we want to show you exactly how it works and why it’s one of the most important tools protecting artists' and labels' music.
What You're Looking At
In the screenshot above (taken from a live artist dashboard), you'll see the Artificial Streaming Detection section. It might look like just another analytics panel—but in reality, it's your early warning system against streaming fraud.
Let's break down what one artist recently discovered on their account:
| Metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Suspicious Streams | 289 |
| Affected Percentage | 100% |
| Matched Reports | 37 |
|---|---|
| Top DSP Flagged | Spotify |
| Affected Releases | 2 |
100% affected percentage. Read that again.
Every single expected stream on this release was artificial. Not one organic play. Without this tool, that artist would have celebrated 289 streams—only to have royalties clawed back months later.
How to Use the Tool
Inside your McArthur Digital dashboard, you can filter by:
- DSP (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)
- Territory
- Album Title
- Track Title
- Start / End Date
Simply set your date range, hit Apply Filters, and the system will immediately show you:
How many suspicious streams were detected
Which DSPs are affected
How many reports matched your releases
Whether any reports remain unmatched (waiting on your upload)
In this case, 0 unmatched reports means all fraudulent activity was successfully linked to specific tracks—no mystery, no guesswork.
Why Mcarthur Records Built This
Most distributors wait until after DSPs penalize you. Then they send a vague email about "streaming anomalies."
We do things differently.
Mcarthur Digital actively scans your catalog, compares internal reports with DSP data, and flags artificial streams before they become a royalty nightmare. You get:
Total expected streams (what you should have earned)
Total suspicious streams (what was fake)
Impact percentage (how badly fraud hurt you)
A Real-World Example
One artist saw 37 reports linked to their release. All 37 came from Spotify. All 289 streams were flagged as inauthentic.
That’s not a "maybe." That's a clear signal to investigate, contact the DSP, and potentially remove that release from problematic playlists.
Without this tool? That artist would have been flying blind.
Your Next Step
Log in to your Mcarthur Digital dashboard right now.
Go to Artificial Streaming Detection.
Set your date range.
Run the report.
If you see anything suspicious, contact our support team immediately. We'll help you file disputes with DSPs and protect your future royalties.
At Mcarthur Records Ltd, we don't just distribute your music. We defend it.
Stay real. Stay protected.
Mcarthur Digital – Artificial Streaming Detection v2.0