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Manipulated tracks on music streaming services

The boom in royalties generated from music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music has attracted ‘bad actors’, who seek to manipulate data to falsely claim and receive payments from recording artists and composers. This is an issue that we take very seriously and we are actively taking measures to ensure correct payments are made to members.

This erroneous activity can include:

  • artificial or manipulated streaming that inflates track plays;
  • the upload and release of someone’s copyrighted recorded music and/or composition without permission; and
  • registering songs under false pretenses.

Putting a stop to this activity involves the digital platforms and services and the systems and processes they have in place to identify and address suspicious activity.

What should you do if you think your music is being used without your permission?

You can report copyright infringement direct with the major digital services and request a takedown of the content in question.

You should contact your record label, digital distributor and/or publisher when you first suspect an issue.

If you believe that any of your registered works with APRA AMCOS are being used without your permission, please contact our Writer Services team so that we can take measures to protect your work and royalties.

How else can you help us to help you?

Make sure you provide accurate metadata when you register a song. You can add details to an existing registration as well.

The ‘metadata’ is the unique information about your work that you provide in the registration process and helps us to accurately match your work with the data we receive from DSPs.

Important information to include in your registrations:

  • Performers
  • ISRC
  • Title
  • Composers
  • Duration

Once the work has an ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code – think of it as the composition equivalent of an ISRC), provide this to your aggregator. You can find it in the app and the Writer Portal with your registration.

When considering what digital aggregator to use, it is strongly recommended to use one that provides the ISWC and songwriter information to DSPs.

How to contact the major services

We have collated the following links for requesting take downs and/or reporting copyright infringement with the major services.

Amazon Music

Information found at Amazon’s Help & Service page.

If you believe that your intellectual property rights have been infringed, please submit your complaint using the online form. This form may be used to report all types of intellectual property claims including, but not limited to, copyright, trademark, and patent claims.

Written claims concerning copyright infringement must include the following information:

  • A physical or electronic signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest;
  • A description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed upon;
  • A description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the site;
  • Your address, telephone number, and e-mail address;
  • A statement by you that you have a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
  • A statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.

Post to:
Copyright Agent
Amazon.com Legal Department
P.O. Box 81226
Seattle, WA 98108

phone: (206) 266-4064

e-mail: [email protected]

Courier address:
Copyright Agent
Amazon.com Legal Department
2021 7th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
USA

Apple Music

Apple has active systems and processes in place to address the issue of manipulated streams and provides a number of tools to assist content providers.

Learn more about the tools available to content providers and read how artists can protect themselves.

Submission via: Apple’s online tool for takedown requests

Deezer

Start with: Submit a support request

  • Choose ‘Deezers music catalogue’ from the dropdown menu
  • Next, choose ‘How can we make it better’
  • And, select "Copyright Infringement" to complete your submission.

Soundcloud

Find out how to: Report Copyright Infringement on SoundCloud

Submit a notice via SoundCloud’s Copyright Infringement webform OR via email to [email protected] and include:

  • a statement that you have identified tracks on SoundCloud that infringe your copyright or the copyright of a third party on whose behalf you are entitled to act;
  • a description of the copyright work(s) that you claim have been infringed;
  • a description of the sound(s) that you claim are infringing and the SoundCloud URL(s) where such tracks can be located;
  • your full name, address and telephone number, a valid email address on which you can be contacted, and your SoundCloud username if you have one;
  • a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
  • a statement by you that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;

Spotify

Spotify has active systems and processes in place to address the issue of manipulated streams and encourages rightsholders to submit claims through its legal form where they identify an issue.

How To Make a Legal Claim Relating to Content on Spotify

Tidal

Visit Tidal’s T&Cs, go to #11 ‘Copyright Policy’ and be sure to read in full and follow the instructions for submitting a claim.

YouTube and YouTube Music

Via webform: Submit a copyright removal request - YouTube Help (google.com)

YouTube can also accept copyright removal requests by email, fax, and mail and include:

  1. Your Contact Information
  2. Description of your copyrighted work
  3. Specific URLs
  4. Agree to and include the following two statements;
  5. Your Signature

“I have a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.”

"The information in this notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, I am the owner, or an agent authorized to act on behalf of the owner, of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.”

Email: [email protected]

Fax: +1 650 872 8513

Mail:

DMCA Complaints
YouTube (Google LLC)
901 Cherry Ave.
San Bruno, CA 94066, USA

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