#streaming fraud
3 stories
Stories tagged #streaming fraud on Sampled — sound, style, and scenes, all in one place.

What Happened in the $8 Million AI Streaming Fraud Case, and What Does It Mean for Artists?
Michael Smith got 18 months in prison for using bots to stream AI-generated songs billions of times. Here's what he did, why the sentence matters and how to protect your royalties.

Is Qobuz Now Labeling AI-Generated Music, and What Does It Mean for Artists?
Qobuz began tagging AI-generated albums in its app on September 24 and says 60% of streams on those tracks are fraudulent. Here's how the label works and why independent artists should care.

ISRCs on demand, The MLC re-upped, and a São Paulo verdict on fake streams: a June 2026 brief on the music industry’s back office
Three recent press releases — from IFPI and SoundExchange, from The MLC, and from IFPI’s anti-fraud Operation Authêntica — together describe how recordings get identified, how songwriters get paid, and how courts are treating paid streaming manipulation in 2026.