A federal judge has handed Spotify a major victory, dismissing a class-action lawsuit alleging the music streaming giant ignores bots that artificially inflate streaming numbers for popular artists like Drake.
A Case of Faked Streams?
RBX, the real name of rapper Eric Collins, filed the lawsuit in 2022, claiming Spotify enabled bots to generate billions of fake streams for artists including Drake. The class-action suit sought damages from Spotify, arguing the company knew about the fake streams but chose to ignore them.
The lawsuit alleged that Spotify’s algorithms allowed bots to create fake user accounts, which then streamed songs by popular artists like Drake millions of times. The bots supposedly earned rewards and badges for streaming, even though they weren’t real listeners.
A Judge’s Verdict
US District Judge Vince Chhabria dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that RBX’s claims were too vague and lacked concrete proof of Spotify’s knowledge of the fake streams.
Chhabria wrote that the lawsuit’s “allegations of widespread and systemic fraud” were “inadequately supported” and that “plaintiff has not shown any concrete evidence” of Spotify’s role in the alleged scheme.
What this means
For fans of music streaming, the ruling likely doesn’t change much. Spotify’s algorithms will continue to track and reward real listeners, even as the platform faces ongoing challenges from bots and other forms of online abuse.
For Spotify, the dismissive ruling is a welcome relief as the company continues to navigate the complex world of online music consumption.
The lawsuit may not be over just yet: RBX has 14 days to appeal Chhabria’s decision. But for now, the ruling is a victory for Spotify, which can focus on expanding its services and improving its algorithms, rather than fighting a high-stakes lawsuit.
