The Australian Recording Industry Association () has introduced new chart rules aimed at keeping human creativity at the centre of the country’s official music rankings.
AI-made songs barred from Australia’s music charts
From this week, releases will need to be “substantially human made” to qualify for the ARIA charts. Artists can still use tools in the creation process. But under the new code, a human must have written the song and performed the lead vocal and primary instruments.
The rules do not amount to a blanket ban on technology. AI can still be used for tasks such as mastering, while established production tools including drum machines and auto tune will remain permitted.
The move comes after a recent controversy surrounding Australian DJ Josh Fawaz’s cover of Madonna’s Like A Prayer. The track topped the ARIA dance singles chart and climbed to number two on the country’s overall chart, while becoming a regular fixture on commercial radio playlists. It has also been streamed more than 48 million times on alone.
Fawaz later added credits to the release following a backlash.
ARIA said Australian artists were already competing for attention “in the most crowded market in history” and that the organisation was “not interested in promoting or celebrating the success of AI-generated music that does not contain human artistry”.
ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said, “These changes reflect our intent to remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry in what is, to say the least, a rapidly developing space. Artists already use AI tools in their work, the charts can and should evolve to keep room for that, but music generated wholesale by services built on artists’ recordings is a different matter.”
She added, “A chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent.”
Artists submitting music for chart consideration will now have to declare how AI was used in a release. ARIA said it could retrospectively alter chart positions if it later emerged that a song was largely AI-generated. In cases where such a release had reached number one, the organisation could also ask for awards handed out to mark the achievement to be returned.
Artists and their representatives will be able to challenge a decision to exclude a release.
The changes follow growing scrutiny of AI’s role in music and other creative industries. Earlier this year, an AI-created song was excluded from ‘s music charts. In July, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said AI guidelines would be introduced across official charts in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and .
ARIA’s updated code, which is based on the IFPI directive, also covers music that raises “stream or chart manipulation concerns”.
Australian electronic act Peking Duk is among those backing the new approach. Last month, the group shared an AI-assisted version of its 2014 hit High on Instagram, captioned, “When you re-record your own song with AI so radio will play it.”
Band member Adam Hyde later told Channel Nine’s Today show that AI-generated music was “removing the human experience from life”.
The debate has also reached Australia’s political leadership. In July, Prime Minister promised “the strongest possible protection” from AI for Australian creatives, saying writers and musicians should retain control over whether and how their work is used to train AI systems.
Albanese said it would be “theft” if creatives lost that control and were not paid for the use of their work.
ARIA’s new rules are now in effect, with artists required to disclose AI use when submitting releases for consideration on the official charts.
