Prediction-market bets spur fake streams: Spotify wipes 500k plays from Earrings
Spotify removed 500,000 streams from Malcolm Todd’s hit Earrings after an internal probe found artificial listening tied to bettors on Kalshi and Polymarket; the artist isn’t believed to be involved, and Spotify says it detects and mitigates manipulated streams and doesn’t pay related royalties. The manipulation followed a spike in the chart driven by prediction-market activity (Kalshi had given Todd a 2.5% chance to top the chart), and there are ongoing reviews by Kalshi and Polymarket, with Spotify asking them to remove Spotify logos to avoid implying a partnership.