D4vd’s Apple Music page reportedly hacked amid murder charges

The fake tracks are exploiting a loophole in the way audio files are uploaded to streaming services.

Distributors are asked to provide the metadata for each individual song, which makes it possible for a bad actor to submit music using an existing artist’s name, or one with a very similar spelling.

Because the process is largely automated, fake tracks often remain online until a rights-owner spots them and alerts the platform.

Earlier this year, Sony Music told the BBC it had requested the removal of more than 135,000 songs by people impersonating its artists on streaming services.

Spotify has also acknowledged the problem, revealing last September that it had removed more than 75 million “spammy tracks” over the previous 12 months.

In response, it launched a tool called Artist Profile Protection in March, which allows certain musicians to review any new additions before they are added to their pages.

Even so, another fake D4vd song, titled Marcescence, was added to the star’s Spotify profile on 18 July. It remained live for eight hours before being removed.