IFPI and labels join to battle stream fraud

The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry — the global trade organization of the record industry — is announcing today a new initiative to combat streaming fraud. Named the Streaming Integrity Initiative (SII), the project establishes a set of baseline practices for industry players to help prevent, detect and respond to streaming fraud. More than a dozen labels are joining the movement, including two of the largest — Universal and Warner.

The group’s definition of streaming fraud is “manipulation of digital music services to generate revenue from plays that are not genuine.”

A five-point solution defines the responsibility undertaken by participants:

• Verify rights ownership and customer identities through robust rights verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes;
• Vet content using effective tools and processes to identify infringement, fraudulent activity and AI-related risks;
• Act by detecting, investigating and mitigating suspected fraud, including acting against repeat offenders;
• Share intelligence, where legally permissible, to help prevent bad actors from moving across services and platforms;
• Measure and continuously strengthen anti-fraud systems to address evolving threats.

This action is part of a larger movement started by the IFPI, called End Streaming Fraud — it is a PR campaign to raise awareness of the problem which affects the entire music ecosystem.

A website has been set up. We found it difficult to navigate, but it is HERE.