Deezer vs. Fake Streams: AI at the Heart of the Music Battle

The Rise of Fake Streams and the AI Challenge in Music

In a context where content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) is multiplying and data manipulation of listening habits is becoming more frequent, the music streaming sector faces a major challenge: ensuring fair compensation for artists. Deezer, one of the key players in this market, is implementing advanced technologies to track and eliminate fake streams, thereby contributing to a healthier ecosystem.

Every day, billions of tracks are listened to on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer. At first glance, the process seems simple: a user clicks, a song starts, and the artist gets paid. However, behind the scenes, the reality is much more complex. Not all listens come from human listeners, and some tracks are not the product of human creators.

Fake Streams: An Invisible Threat

Fake streams refer to artificial listens created to inflate the statistics of a track. These fraudulent practices include the use of bots that play songs on repeat, large-scale click farms, and automated scripts that mimic authentic listening behavior. These mechanisms often revolve around entire catalogs of tracks, aiming to artificially boost streaming numbers to maximize revenue, without any real audience present.

The streaming business model is based on a simple principle: revenue from subscriptions and advertising is redistributed to rights holders based on the volume of listens. However, when these listens are artificially inflated, it undermines the entire system, leading to a loss of revenue for legitimate artists.

Last September, it was estimated that AI-generated tracks accounted for about 30% of total daily deliveries. For users, the impact is subtle but real, with less relevant recommendations and a sense that the music offered is driven more by optimization logic than by genuine artistic intent.

Deezer's Response to Music Fraud

The rise of generative AI has radically transformed the music landscape. Today, thanks to tools accessible to the general public, producing a track no longer requires spending hours in a studio. A simple prompt can generate, in record time, usable tracks, sometimes in very large quantities.

According to data provided by Deezer, the proportion of AI-related content continues to grow. Currently, the platform receives nearly 75,000 AI-generated tracks each day, which represents about 44% of daily uploads, equating to over 2 million AI-generated tracks uploaded each month.

Deezer's Measures to Combat Fraud

In response to this rapid evolution, Deezer has chosen to adopt a proactive approach. The platform uses a set of technological tools capable of deeply analyzing listening behaviors to identify signs of fraud. Specifically, Deezer's systems sift through billions of data points to spot anomalies such as inconsistent listening volumes, suspicious repetitions, and usage patterns that do not align with human behavior.

This analysis allows for the detection of characteristic patterns, such as short-duration loop plays or artificial spikes in activity. Deezer also strives to exclude AI-generated music from recommendations. In parallel, the platform has introduced a labeling system for AI-generated content, providing greater transparency regarding the nature of the tracks being streamed.

When content is deemed fraudulent, it is excluded from revenue calculations and thus does not generate any royalties. For Deezer, the goal is to eliminate any economic incentive for manipulation.

Towards Fairer Compensation

Beyond combating fraud, Deezer is also addressing the root of the problem, namely how revenues are distributed. With its so-called "artist-centric" (ACPS) model, implemented in 2023, the platform offers a significant evolution of the compensation model.

The idea is no longer just to count listens but to assess their value. A passive or automated listen does not carry the same weight as a voluntary, repeated, and engaged listen. This change aims to rebalance the distribution of revenue in favor of creators who generate a genuine audience. This approach, combined with fraud detection tools and the exclusion of AI content from recommendations, aims to sustainably improve the streaming model.

A Committed and Comprehensive Platform

While the fight against fraud has become a central issue, Deezer remains a platform designed for users. It stands out with several features:

• Flow: an intelligent mix of your favorite tracks and personalized discoveries.
• HiFi audio quality (FLAC): lossless listening for sound enthusiasts.
• Offline download: convenient for traveling without a connection.
• Tune My Music: simplified transfer of playlists from other services.
• Lyrics and translations: to follow and understand the tracks.
• Blind Test / Music Quiz: a fun dimension to share.
• Multi-device compatibility: smartphone, computer, TV, connected speakers.

The aim is to provide a complete experience, without compromising between innovation and listening pleasure. Deezer believes that streaming fraud is not just a technical issue, but also a matter of trust. Trust from artists, who must be able to live off their music, and also from users, who expect sincere recommendations.

By tackling fake streams and integrating the challenges related to AI, Deezer seeks to lay the groundwork for more transparent streaming.