Justin Bieber has been labelled "desperate" after encouraging his fans to play his new single 'Yummy' on repeat while they sleep in order to boost him to the top of the charts.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Bieber shared a how-to guide of the ways in which fans could artificially boost the number of plays on Spotify and iTunes.
According to The Verge, the post was originally created by a fan account before being reshared by Beiber. Among the tips listed is the suggestion to "create a playlist with 'Yummy' on repeat and stream it".
"Don't mute it!" the graphic reads. "Play at a low volume, let it play while you sleep".
The graphic points out that if listeners are outside the US, they should install a VPN for streaming as only plays from American listeners count towards the Billboard charts.
To maximise Bieber's position on iTunes, the guide suggests buying the song on Apple's music platform, as well as buying the song "multiple times on Justin's website".
"I've... never seen anyone so desperate in my life," one tweet commenting on Bieber's post read.
"This is what the industry looks like in 2020 lol this shit is so sad," said another.
Bieber has also been criticised for creating multiple YouTube videos for his new song, including a lyric video, a music video and two other animated clips. YouTube views are another metric that counts towards artists standing on the Billboard charts.
