Photo Credit: Markus Winkler
With an eye on making fake plays an issue of the past, the majors, Merlin, CD Baby, Too Lost, Hybe, and several others have joined the “Streaming Integrity Initiative,” which is designed to “prevent fraudulent content from reaching streaming platforms” in the first place. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry ( IFPI ) formally announced the Streaming Integrity Initiative (SII) today, describing the program as “a new industry commitment to combat streaming fraud and protect artists.”
Out of the gate, this commitment will see participating distributors redouble their efforts (with support on the label side) to “verify rights ownership and customer identities” and vet distributed content “to identify infringement, fraudulent activity and AI-related risks” alike.
Additionally, the distributors will work towards “detecting, investigating and mitigating suspected fraud, including acting against repeat offenders,” according to the announcement.
As many are now aware given the existence of an especially well-documented streaming fraud operation – and data underscoring the prevalence of fraud powered by AI slop – sharing information is an ess...