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Music Streaming Has a $2 Billion Fraud Problem That Goes Beyond AI
With user-generated content surging on music services, bogus tracks may now account for 10% of all streams
Staring at their computer screens, Kristoffer Rom and Tue Kjerstein couldn’t believe the numbers rolling in from Spotify.
A year and a half earlier, in 2018, their independent music label, Tambourhinoceros, had released a languid, synth-pop song, titled Hey Kids, by Molina, a Danish-Chilean singer. The initial reception was modest. But then, months later, it started taking off on TikTok and YouTube as creators embraced the song as a catchy, mood-setting score for all manner of emotive videos and animations.