{"rewrite":{"id":"r_7eb9897214be3a54b2bd9ab0","clusterId":"c_14c4a0f303979fe0cea93829","slug":"spotify-removes-half-a-million-streams-from-malcolm-todd-song-after-kalshi-betting-fraud","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Spotify Removes Half a Million Streams From Malcolm Todd Song After Kalshi Betting Fraud","summary":"Spotify acknowledged bot-driven inflation of play counts for Malcolm Todd's song \"Earrings,\" removing about 500,000 streams. The song had been a betting subject on the prediction market Kalshi, and its sudden rise to number one on Spotify's daily chart prompted fraud allegations. Spotify said it will add checks before publishing charts.","whyItMatters":"The incident shows how prediction markets can create financial incentives for streaming fraud, forcing platforms to publicly correct their charts and tighten detection.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eSpotify removed roughly 500,000 streams from Malcolm Todd\u0026#39;s 2024 song \u0026#34;Earrings\u0026#34; after the company confirmed the play counts were inflated by bots. The song had become a betting target on the prediction market Kalshi, where traders wager on real-world events. On the day it hit number one on Spotify\u0026#39;s daily chart, play counts jumped 70% from the previous day. Prediction market expert Caleb Davis calculated the odds of that rise happening naturally at 1 in 7.7 septillion, pointing to artificial manipulation. Spotify said it does not pay royalties on fraudulently generated plays and plans to introduce additional checks before publishing future charts. Kalshi said it is investigating the matter.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Spotify pulled ~500k streams from Malcolm Todd's 'Earrings' after confirming bot-driven inflation. The song was a betting subject on Kalshi, and its chart spike was deemed nearly impossible by a prediction market expert. Spotify says it will add pre-chart checks.","twitterPost":"Spotify removed ~500k streams from Malcolm Todd's 'Earrings' after confirming bot-driven inflation tied to Kalshi betting. The song's chart spike was called statistically impossible. Spotify will add pre-chart checks.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Spotify removed roughly 500,000 streams from Malcolm Todd's song \"Earrings\" after confirming the play counts were inflated by bots. The song had been a betting subject on the prediction market Kalshi, and its sudden rise to number one on Spotify's daily chart prompted fraud allegations. Spotify said it will add checks before publishing future charts.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GIGAZINE\",\"url\":\"https://gigazine.net/news/20260703-kalshi-spotify-fraud/\",\"title\":\"Spotify Lowers Play Counts for Hit Songs Amid Alleged Fraud Related to Kalshi Betting\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4212,"outputTokens":570,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783051255,"createdAt":"2026-07-03T03:52:42.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-03T03:54:50.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-03T03:54:50.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_14c4a0f303979fe0cea93829","canonicalTitle":"Spotifyが予測市場Kalshiの賭博に関連した不正疑惑でヒット曲の再生回数を下方修正","representativeArticleId":"a_e33d415d1e3817250625c284","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"music\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-03T02:45:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-03T02:45:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-03T03:54:51.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GIGAZINE","url":"https://gigazine.net/news/20260703-kalshi-spotify-fraud/","title":"Spotifyが予測市場Kalshiの賭博に関連した不正疑惑でヒット曲の再生回数を下方修正"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"music","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Spotify removed about 500,000 streams from Malcolm Todd's 2024 song 'Earrings' after confirming bot-driven inflation.","The song was a betting subject on the prediction market Kalshi, where traders wager on real-world events.","On the day 'Earrings' hit number one on Spotify's daily chart, its play count jumped 70% from the previous day.","Prediction market expert Caleb Davis calculated the odds of that rise happening naturally at 1 in 7.7 septillion.","Spotify said it does not pay royalties on fraudulently generated plays and will add checks before publishing future charts."]}