The global recognition and popularity of the African music industry have increased dramatically in recent years. The widespread listenership of music from the African continent is due to the use of music streaming platforms which has become a crucial component of this achievement.
These streaming platforms are quickly replacing other music consumption methods giving access to a vast selection of music from around the world.
As a result of the clear increase in the use of digital streaming platforms and the increasing influence of the charting systems on these Digital Service Providers (DSPs), there has also been a lot of competitive measures put in place to ensure the success of an artiste’s work, thus the term “streaming farms”.
Although many people will be hearing it for the first time, such “farms” were widely used in the US, UK, and European markets. This article therefore explores how the services of music streaming farms have influenced the careers of musicians and their contributions to the industry.
What are streaming farms?
These “streaming farms” are well known for creating computer programs called “bots,” or people impersonating online users, that are made to execute human tasks like music streaming on a huge scale and are able to impersonate human subscribers. The usage of streaming farms as a marketing tactic in the music industry has grown quickly, especially among some musicians.
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Why do music artistes use streaming farms?
As long as musicians, labels, and marketing firms continue to use bots or other methods to produce streams and build digital bubbles around songs, streaming farms will likely continue to be most liked in some African countries.
Some Afrobeats artistes claimed that others had accumulated phony streams to receive increased royalties and other perks. These digital channels have completely changed how music is listened to, shared, and marketed, giving Afrobeats musicians previously unheard-of, prospects for exposure and commercial success.
Even though competition can be beneficial as the music industry develops, using these streaming farms may not be the best strategy. It might be accurate to claim that the industry could suffer from the unfavorable repercussions of the overuse of these farms.
Due to investors’ access to capital and technology, however, and the fact that streaming farms have developed into a respectable business concept that is slightly easier to set up, the playing field will always need to be leveled.
Who wouldn’t want to get paid to play music all the time, really? Regardless, the introduction of streaming farms is a temporary fix that may or may not have long-term advantages. Promoting fair play, openness, and ethical behavior is crucial if we want to make sure that music has a bright future.
The purpose of music streaming farms is to illegitimately boost the number of times a song is listened to. They entail using a number of mobile devices, computers, or bots to boost a track’s number of streams on a streaming site.
The release benefits from this include chart placements, improved visibility, or even bragging rights. Nevertheless, it is regarded as fraudulent and may lead to account suspensions, the removal of music from streaming services, or legal action.