In brief
The Australian Recording Industry Association has imposed new rules that bar tracks produced entirely or largely by AI from appearing on the national charts. From this week, only songs that feature substantial human songwriting, lead vocals and primary instrumentation are eligible. The move came after a DJ’s AI‑created cover of Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’ surged to the top of the dance singles chart and the broader rankings, sparking debate over AI’s role in music production. ARIA says the guidelines will highlight the human nature of artistry while allowing AI tools to support, not replace, creativity. Artists who use AI will need to declare its use, and the association reserves the right to adjust charts if a track is later found to be predominantly AI‑generated.
Australia’s music charts now exclude fully AI‑generated songs
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has announced a new rule that will bar tracks created entirely or largely by artificial intelligence from appearing on the official charts. From this week forward, only releases that are "substantially human made"—with a human songwriter, lead vocalist and primary instruments—will be eligible to rank. AI can still be used for production polish and mastering, but it cannot replace the core creative input.
The change comes after a stir over a DJ’s AI remix of Madonna’s "Like a Prayer" that had climbed to the top of the ARIA dance singles chart and near the top of the overall chart. The remix amassed over 48 million Spotify streams before the DJ added candid credit for AI used in the track. Critics argued the song’s popularity highlighted the potential for AI to dominate airwaves and shift the competitive balance toward technology.
ARIA’s chief executive, Annabelle Herd, said the update “reflects our intent to remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry” in a rapidly evolving music landscape. She added, “A chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent.”
Under the new guidelines, artists must declare any use of AI when submitting a track for chart consideration. If a release is later found to be largely AI‑generated, ARIA could retrospectively adjust its chart position or require the return of awards for reaching number one. Artists will have the right to challenge exclusions.
The move aligns with similar efforts abroad: Sweden recently banned an AI‑created song from its charts, and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is rolling out AI guidelines for Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. The new code also excludes music that raises concerns about streaming or chart manipulation.
Australian electronic act Peking Duk has publicly supported the policy. Their band member Adam Hyde warned that AI‑generated music “removing the human experience from life” could erode the cultural fabric of music. He quipped that recording one’s own song with an AI so that Australian radio would play it was a troubling trend.
The Australian government has also promised stronger protections for creatives. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged that artists could control whether and how their work is used to train AI models, stressing that unpaid use would constitute theft.
