VICELAND’s Black Market season 2 serves as one of the final television efforts from Michael K. Williams before his death in 2021. The late actor explores the underground market in all aspects, from drugs and weapons to underground fights and poaching. The latest episode explores the world of fake streams. It’s a practice that even the biggest artists with chart-topping singles have used in the past.
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Williams made his way to an underground streaming farm where he met with a masked individual who gave him the breakdown of his operation. The man said that high-profile labels and artists use his services to boost their numbers on streaming platforms while lesser-known artists will spike their streams to attract authentic listeners. 100,000 streams typically go for $1,500. “Just run the numbers up. Some people ask for 100K, 200K. Just get the appearance of their music to look good when they come to their page,” he said.
The masked man explained that his services are typically used through word of mouth, though he’s typically approached by a label or an A&R. Then, he cited French Montana and G-Eazy as examples of artists who’ve not only used the service but got caught. Last year, French Montana was alleged to have bought streams for his single, “Writing On The Wall” ft. Post Malone and Cardi B. G-Eazy’s similarly got caught up in a scandal involving streaming farms to bump up the numbers.
Check out the clip below.