Spotify removes roughly half a million streams from Malcolm Todd’s song “Earrings” after detecting suspected artificial streaming activity, reports say. The track, released in 2024, sharply rises to the top of Spotify’s daily U.S. chart following a sudden jump in streams. Multiple outlets link the spike to activity on prediction market platform Kalshi, where traders are accused of manipulating the song’s chart performance. Kalshi says it is investigating the claims, according to one report referenced by Digital Trends.
The reporting indicates Spotify’s action includes stream removals tied to the suspicious activity, suggesting the company is responding to potential “bot” or fraud-like behavior that inflates listening metrics. The allegations center on whether traders and/or coordinated accounts used incentives tied to outcomes on Kalshi to influence public streaming charts.
While Spotify’s removals signal a concern about the integrity of streaming data, the underlying claims about specific traders and the full scope of any alleged manipulation are still being investigated, with Kalshi examining the conduct and Spotify taking enforcement steps on the platform.
