Spotify claims that the issues with payouts stem from three “drains on the royalty pool” that have reached a tipping point. To alleviate these drains — artificial streams, “bad actors” attempting to game the system with “noise” recordings, and small payments that aren’t reaching artists — Spotify’s new policies include charging labels and distributors per track when seemingly artificial streaming is detected and restructured monetization eligibility.
Source: How Much Does Spotify Pay Per Stream? — Let’s Ask Spotify