Spotify removes 500,000 streams from Malcolm Todd's 'Earrings'

Spotify deleted more than 500,000 streams from Malcolm Todd’s song “Earrings” after determining the numbers were manipulated by bots. The removal occurred in June, following a 70% overnight spike in listenership that propelled the track to the top of the Spotify USA charts. The Financial Times reported that this surge coincided with betting activity on the prediction market Kalshi, where users wagered that the song would become the most-streamed track of the month.

The incident highlights a growing pattern in which viral momentum on social platforms intersects with financial speculation. “Earrings,” originally released in 2024, had spent much of 2026 climbing the Billboard Hot 100. Representatives for Todd did not respond to requests for comment regarding the deletion or the market bets.

Spotify addressed the issue in a statement shared with NPR, noting that all streaming services face ever-changing stream manipulation. The company stated it employs best-in-class detection and mitigation practices and does not pay out royalties associated with manipulated streams. This comes as Deezer reported that AI-generated songs accounted for more than 50% of its daily uploads in June, though they represented less than 3% of total streams, with the majority of those deemed fraudulent.

Authenticity has become a central point of contention in the industry this year. James Blake, the British producer and singer, posted on Instagram earlier in the summer that the music system is rigged, claiming that album reviews, comment sections, and streaming numbers are increasingly manipulated for profit. He wrote, “If you're an artist, remember that in 2026 there's not a single part of the system that isn't faked.”

Other artists have faced similar scrutiny over manufactured hype. In March, co-founders of the digital marketing agency Chaotic Good Projects told Billboard that they create fake fan accounts to generate interest in their roster of artists. This strategy included work for the indie band Geese. Geese frontman Cameron Winter later told Rolling Stone that the band was taken aback by the viral story and the band’s explosion, saying, “We were just like, 'Oh, my God. The whole f***ing thing is fake.' We were having a meltdown.” Winter said the label explained it hired the agency to repost clips and push content to algorithms, not to create fake fans.

Ticketmaster also faced scrutiny after canceling thousands of Harry Styles residency tickets in April. The company identified scalpers who used fake identities to create multiple accounts and bypass limits. Global president Saumil Mehta stated in a statement that the tickets would be resold to real fans at face value. Producer Jack Antonoff responded to the announcement on X with the comment, “you caught you?”

The debate over authenticity extends to visual presentation as well. The Rolling Stones released the single “In the Stars” this summer, featuring a music video where Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood appear as younger versions of themselves. The deepfake versions were created by Deep Voodoo, an AI startup formed by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.