Saint-Owen — One of Sanctaria’s largest record labels is facing allegations of artificially inflating streaming figures for several of its artists, following an investigation that identified suspicious listening activity across multiple music platforms. The investigation, published yesterday by independent music magazine The Frequency, examined streaming data for releases distributed by Vesper Records, a Saint-Owen-based label representing dozens of domestic and international performers. It found unusually concentrated listening activity on several albums, including repeated plays from accounts exhibiting near-identical listening patterns over extended periods.
The magazine’s investigation centred on promotional campaigns commissioned through an external agency, which had been contracted to increase online engagement for a number of the label’s releases. Internal correspondence reviewed by the publication suggested that senior marketing staff had been warned about questionable streaming activity but continued using the agency.
Vesper Records have denied deliberately manipulating streaming figures, insisting that it had engaged the external agency, named as Amplify Digital, to provide legitimate promotional services. A spokesperson said the label had suspended its relationship with the agency pending an internal review, adding that its artists had not been involved in selecting or supervising the disputed campaigns.
Independent musician Talia Rhodes, whose latest album narrowly missed the national top ten earlier this year, called for a wider investigation into the industry’s promotional practices. “If labels can buy their way up the charts, then those charts stop meaning anything,” Rhodes said. “Independent artists are competing against companies with enormous budgets, and we deserve to know whether the numbers are genuine.”
The allegations have also raised questions about royalty payments, as streaming revenue is distributed partly according to the volume of plays recorded. A spokesperson for StreamWave, one of Sanctaria’s leading music platforms, confirmed that it was examining the accounts identified in the investigation and would remove any streams found to breach its rules.
Neither Vesper Records nor Amplify Digital has been accused of criminal wrongdoing, and the extent to which the suspicious activity affected official chart positions remains unclear. However, the revelations have prompted renewed calls from independent labels and musicians for greater transparency in how streaming figures are verified.
LEE JONES, Entertainment Correspondent
