The LUCY Anti-Fraud Policy covers our approach to detecting and preventing stream manipulation, artificial streaming, and other fraudulent activities. Learn about our monitoring processes, warning system, enforcement actions, and account termination procedures. LUCY is committed to protecting legitimate artists and maintaining the integrity of streaming royalty payouts across all platforms we distribute to.
ONE Studios Ltd. operates a zero-tolerance policy toward stream manipulation, artificial streaming, and fraudulent activity on the LUCY platform. Stream fraud undermines the entire streaming ecosystem by diverting royalty payments away from legitimate artists. This Anti-Fraud Policy explains how we detect, prevent, and respond to fraudulent activity to protect the interests of honest creators distributing through LUCY.
Stream manipulation includes but is not limited to purchasing streams from third-party services, using bots or automated software to generate plays, employing click farms, streaming your own music on repeat using multiple accounts, and any other activity designed to artificially inflate streaming numbers. These activities violate the terms of all major streaming platforms and can result in permanent removal of your catalog.
LUCY uses a combination of automated monitoring systems and manual review to identify suspicious streaming patterns. Our systems analyze streaming data for anomalies such as unusually high play counts from a small number of accounts, streams concentrated in unusual geographic patterns, abnormal skip rates, and sudden spikes in activity that do not correlate with marketing or promotional efforts.
We also work directly with streaming platforms that share flagged data about potentially manipulated tracks. When a platform identifies suspicious activity on a release distributed through LUCY, we investigate promptly. Our fraud detection processes are continuously updated to keep pace with evolving manipulation techniques.
Streaming fraud harms legitimate artists by diluting the royalty pool. When platforms pay out royalties based on total stream counts, every fraudulent stream reduces the per-stream payout for honest creators. Fraud also damages the credibility of independent artists as a group, making platforms and playlist curators less willing to support independent releases.
Artists who are caught engaging in stream manipulation face consequences beyond LUCY enforcement. Streaming platforms may remove all of your music from their stores permanently, withhold pending royalty payments, and flag your distributor. This can affect your ability to distribute music through any platform in the future, not just LUCY.
When LUCY identifies confirmed stream manipulation, we take graduated enforcement action. A first offense typically results in a formal warning, removal of fraudulently earned royalties from your balance, and a notation on your account. If the streaming platform has already withheld royalties for the affected release, those funds will not be paid out.
Repeated offenses or large-scale manipulation result in immediate account termination and removal of your entire catalog from all streaming platforms. ONE Studios Ltd. reserves the right to withhold any pending royalty payments associated with fraudulent activity. If you believe your account has been flagged in error, you may submit an appeal to our support team with evidence supporting your case. Appeals are reviewed within 14 business days.