The IFPI, the international trade body that represents the recorded music business, has launched a new initiative through which participants commit to baseline practices to prevent, detect and respond to streaming fraud.

Dubbed the “Streaming Integrity Initiative,” or SII, it has so far been supported by Absolute Label Services, ADA, AWAL, CD Baby, CmdShft, Ditto Music, FUGA, GoDigital, HYBE, IDOL, IMPALA, InnerCat Music Group, Merlin, Redeye, Revelator, RouteNote, Secretly Distribution, Symphonic, Sony Music Group, The Orchard, Too Lost, Universal Music Group, Virgin Music Group and Warner Music Group. Notably, the largest DIY music distributor, Distrokid, has not yet signed on.

To be part of SII, participants sign on to five core commitments, including:

SII is the latest move by the recorded music industry to get a handle on the persistent issue of streaming fraud, or the manipulation of digital service providers (DSPs) to siphon royalties from plays that are not from genuine fans. Experts say that the problem is significant, costing artists and platforms hundreds of millions, or even billions, each year — and as AI makes it easier than ever to perform these schemes, it’s become a hot topic.

In recent years, Trust and Safety, a symposium run by by Music Business Association, was formed for the express purpose of educating the music establishment about the issue. Two years ago, a coalition of industry players formed the Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA) in the U.S. to band together distributors and streaming services and establish a way to share data and coordinate anti-fraud efforts. A representative for SII says that while the initiative liases closely with the MFFA, it is not directly connected.

SII is part of a wider campaign from the IFPI called End Streaming Fraud that aims to raise awareness for the issue. According to French streaming service Deezer, the problem is deeply tied to the rise of generative AI music online: The service reported earlier this year that up to 80% of streams on AI songs are artificial. The development of agentic AI also poses a threat, allowing bad actors to more easily scale illegal bot farms.

“Streaming fraud misleads fans and deprives legitimate artists and songwriters of income that should rightfully flow to them,” Victoria Oakley, CEO of IFPI, said in a statement. “This is theft, plain and simple. We welcome the leadership shown by the first distributors to publicly support the Streaming Integrity Initiative, and hope this leads to direct, effective and coordinated action to protect artists, songwriters and fans from streaming fraud.”

“Tackling illegitimate activity effectively requires every part of the industry to move together,” added Sarah McNabb, Merlin’s director of content integrity. “These commitments reflect Merlin’s own position and align closely with what Merlin already requires of its members. It’s encouraging to see so many of our members already putting their names to this announcement, and we’re glad to stand alongside IFPI in this initiative as it continues to grow.”

Helen Smith, IMPALA’s executive chair, said: “IMPALA’s Digital Music Plan adopted earlier this year set out our recommendations for growing the market and identified industry collaboration on a new scale as a top priority. With recommendations for DSPs and labels as well as distributors, working together on integrity, promoting human artistry and other key aspects across the whole chain is vital.”

Taylor Swift’s Law & Order: SVU dreams all came true Monday night (Sept. 14), as she and her cat Olivia Benson co-starred alongside the original Olivia Benson in a surprise Emmys sketch.

Hilariously, the premise of the sketch — which saw Emmys host Mariska Hargitay embodying the role she’s played for 27 seasons on the NBC crime drama — was whether or not Swift would be attending that night’s 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards.

Hargitay and her SVU co-stars — including rapper-turned-actor Ice-T as Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola — all gathered around an elaborate evidence board connected by pushpins and strings making increasingly outlandish connections between the night’s nominated television shows and Swift’s musical universe.

All of a sudden, Swift emerged wearing her best detective suit to let the group know: “Hey guys, this isn’t adding up.” After Ice-T let the “rookie” speak, Swift said the answer might be hiding in plain sight and rattled off four clues that are sure to send Swifties into a tizzy: “Saccharide. Aries. From the Vineyard. North or South.”

“This rookie’s weird,” Ice-T responded.

Swift regained her composure and came to this conclusion: Her category came up during the first two nights of the Emmys last weekend, so why would she attend Monday’s show? Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show was nominated for five Emmys this year, while Swift herself was up for one: outstanding variety special (pre-recorded), which ended up going to The Muppet Show.

Then came the real answer: Swift’s husband Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates were playing the Denver Broncos at the exact same time on Monday Night Football. “OK then she’s not gonna be there, ’cause her husband’s got a work thing,” chimes in Aimé Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Curry.

And that was the correct answer: Swift could be seen sharing a suite with Tom Cruise at the Chiefs’ home opening game on Monday night.

Below, watch the full surprise sketch: