How Fraud Is Addressed

Why We Apply Zero Tolerance

Fraud harms MeloLab, DSPs, and creators. It diverts royalties from legitimate rights holders and may damage platform integrity and distribution partnerships.

Every indication of fraud may be investigated, with proportionate action taken based on risk and available evidence.

How DSPs Respond

Most DSPs use a combination of automated systems and human review to inspect content, metadata, and consumption activity for unauthorized material, artificial streaming, and abuse.

When a violation is confirmed, a DSP may remove content, withhold related revenue, notify the distributor, and impose additional penalties. Spotify, for example, may charge a fee for tracks identified as having artificial streams.

MeloLab Prevention Measures

• Monitor historical statements, stream sources, and other signals for unusual activity, and alert rights holders to traffic risks reported by DSPs.
• Use audio fingerprinting and relevant databases to identify duplicate audio, blank recordings, noise, copyrighted material, and other unauthorized content.
• Identify duplicate submissions, misleading metadata, rights conflicts, and other irregular assets during quality control.

Response to Fraud

• Start the warning process for accounts connected to unauthorized or highly suspicious activity. Serious or repeated violations may result in account suspension.
• Take down tracks associated with suspected artificial streaming. DSPs may deduct the related revenue from royalties.
• Take down an account's entire catalog when repeated fraudulent activity is found.

Customer Responsibilities

• MeloLab may stop providing services to a Customer that violates the platform terms or this policy.
• DSPs may withhold or refuse to pay revenue connected to prohibited activity.
• Investigation costs, legal expenses, claims, and other handling costs caused by Customer conduct may be deducted from amounts otherwise payable.
• Any DSP penalty is the responsibility of the content provider associated with the affected content. If accrued revenue is insufficient, the content provider remains responsible for the balance.