Organization:Music Fights Fraud Alliance

From HandWiki
Music Fights Fraud Alliance
Music Fights Fraud Alliance
NicknameMFFA
Formation2023
FounderMichael Lewan
TypeNGO, 501(c)(3)
Location
  • USA
ProductsMusic
Methodsidentifying and disrupting fraudulent activities across streaming platforms
Websitehttps://musicfightsfraud.com/

Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA) is a global nonprofit organization established in June 2023 to combat streaming fraud within the music industry.[1] The alliance represents a collaborative effort among various stakeholders, including digital service providers, music distributors, rights holders, and technology partners, to address fraudulent activities such as bot-driven streaming, click farms, and other deceptive practices that undermine the integrity of digital music platforms.[2][3]

History

The MFFA was co-founded by TuneCore and its parent company Believe, alongside Downtown Music Holdings, CD Baby, DistroKid, UnitedMasters, Symphonic, EMPIRE, Vydia, and digital service providers Spotify and Amazon Music.[4]

This coalition was formed in response to the growing concern over artificial streaming, which has been estimated to result in significant revenue losses for legitimate artists and rights holders. The alliance aims to ensure a fair and transparent digital music ecosystem by detecting, preventing, mitigating, and enforcing anti-fraud measures.[5]

In February 2025, Michael Lewan was appointed as the first executive director of MFFA. Lewan, previously the managing director of State and Federal Advocacy at the Recording Academy, leads the organization's strategic initiatives and operations from Washington, D.C.[6]

Mission and objectives

MFFA's mission is to create a fair and transparent digital music ecosystem by addressing streaming fraud.[7] The alliance focuses on identifying and disrupting fraudulent activities across streaming platforms, promoting cross-platform collaboration and data sharing among industry stakeholders, advocating for policies that support fair compensation for artists and rights holders, and developing and implementing technological solutions to detect and prevent streaming fraud.[8]

Membership

MFFA comprises over 28 member organizations, including digital service providers such as Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, and Meta; distributors and rights holders like TuneCore, Believe, CD Baby, FUGA,[9] DistroKid, UnitedMasters, Symphonic, EMPIRE, Vydia, ONErpm, Revelator, STEM, Too Lost, Identity Music,[10] and Merlin;[11][12] and technology partners including ACRCloud, Trolley, Vobile, and Audible Magic. Membership is subject to approval, and the alliance continues to expand its network to include additional entities aligned with its mission.[13][5]

Initiatives and activities

In 2025, MFFA launched its Partner Program to foster collaboration among industry stakeholders. The inaugural partners ACRCloud, Trolley, Vobile, and Audible Magic, work closely with MFFA and its members to share knowledge and resources, contributing to anti-fraud initiatives and projects.[14] This program aims to create additional opportunities for the music industry to share resources and work together to create a healthier, more sustainable industry on behalf of legitimate artists around the world.[7]

The leadership also has been organizing multiple talks and speaking panes on SXSW and many other industry events.[15]

MFFA collaborates with the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), a nonprofit organization that facilitates multi-party cooperation to identify, mitigate, and disrupt cybercrime. This partnership enables MFFA members to access and share a shared database of identified fraud markers, enhancing their ability to detect and respond to fraudulent activities in real time.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Brea, Jorge (2025-04-17). "To Fight Streaming Fraud Effectively, Distributors & DSPs Must Work Together. Here's How (Guest Column)" (in en-US). https://www.billboard.com/pro/streaming-fraud-music-industry-how-fight-guest-column/. 
  2. ↑ Herstand, Ari (2024-04-09). "Takedown Fails: Artists Are Seeing Their Music Removed From DSPs for Streaming Fraud They Didn't Commit" (in en-US). https://variety.com/2024/music/news/spotify-artists-streaming-fraud-1235965379/. 
  3. ↑ "Their Songs Were Stolen by Phantom Artists. They Couldn’t Get Them Back. (Published 2024)" (in en). The New York Times. 2024-01-13. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/13/business/music-streaming-fraud-spotify.html. 
  4. ↑ Houghton, Bruce (2023-06-14). "Indie Distributors, Spotify & Amazon form Music Fights Fraud taskforce" (in en-US). https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2023/06/indie-distributors-spotify-amazon-form-music-fights-fraud-taskforce.html. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 O'Donnell, Meghan (2024-06-04). "How the Music Industry is Fighting the $2B Streaming Fraud Issue" (in en-US). https://trolley.com/learning-center/music-streaming-fraud-challenges-solutions-industry-insights/. 
  6. ↑ Hollabaugh, Lorie (2025-03-05). "Michael Lewan Named Executive Director Of Music Fights Fraud Alliance" (in en-US). https://musicrow.com/2025/03/michael-lewan-named-executive-director-of-music-fights-fraud-alliance/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Campaign launches to combat streaming fraud with widespread industry backing" (in en). https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/campaign-launches-to-combat-streaming-fraud-with-widespread-industry-backing/088052. 
  8. ↑ Knibbs, Kate. "'A Billion Streams and No Fans': Inside a $10 Million AI Music Fraud Case" (in en-US). Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. https://www.wired.com/story/ai-bots-streaming-music/. 
  9. ↑ Bayou, Agnes (2023-06-15). "IDOL" (in en). https://idol.io/music-actors-unite-against-fake-streams/. 
  10. ↑ "Identity Music Joins Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA)" (in en). https://identitymusic.com/blog/identity-music-joins-music-fights-fraud-alliance-mffa. 
  11. ↑ Entertainment, The Mayor’s Office of Media and. "Streaming Fraud: How It Works, Who It Hurts, and What the Industry Can Do" (in en). https://www.nymusicmonth.nyc/talks/2025/streaming-fraud-how-it-works-who-it-hurts-and-what-the-industry-can-do/. 
  12. ↑ Stassen, Murray (2025-02-26). "Michael Lewan named Executive Director of Music Fights Fraud Alliance; YouTube Music, ONErpm, Revelator, Too Lost and more join as members" (in en-US). https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/michael-lewan-named-executive-director-of-music-fights-fraud-alliance-youtube-music-onerpm-revelator-too-lost-and-more-join-as-members/. 
  13. ↑ Smith, Dylan (2025-05-01). "Merlin Officially Joins the Music Fights Fraud Alliance" (in en-US). https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2025/05/01/merlin-music-fights-fraud-alliance/. 
  14. ↑ "Fees & Penalties for Artificial Streaming" (in en-US). https://support.tunecore.com/hc/en-us/articles/22901710894356-Fees-Penalties-for-Artificial-Streaming. 
  15. ↑ "Music Fights Fraud: A Global Call for Action" (in en). https://schedule.sxsw.com/2025/events/PP141029. 
  16. ↑ "Music Biz Members EMPIRE, Spotify Music, Amazon Music & More Form Streaming Fraud Global Task Force" (in en-US). https://musicbiz.org/news/music-biz-members-empire-spotify-music-amazon-music-more-form-streaming-fraud-global-task-force/. 



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