AI-Generated Songs Banned From Music Charts in Australia

Songs largely or entirely made by artificial intelligence will be banned from Australia’s top music charts from this week, in a move to protect “the human nature of artistry”. 

New guidance from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) stipulates that music must be “substantially human made” in order to be included. 

The association’s code of practice update means music that uses “generative AI in a supporting role” is still allowed, but songs that use it “to generate the entirety or the primary portion of the creative elements” will be excluded.  

ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said the changes were a reflection of the association’s commitment to “remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry”. 

Herd said: “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.

“A chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent.”

Artists submitting songs for chart consideration must declare AI use, and ARIA confirmed that music later revealed to be largely AI-generated could result in an adjustment of chart position.

If a substantially AI-generated song won awards for reaching number one, ARIA may request those awards be returned. 

The move follows backlash over Aussie DJ Josh Fawaz’s cover of Madonna’s Like a Prayer, which topped the ARIA dance singles chart and garnered 48m Spotify streams. Its credits were later updated to include use of AI on vocals and drums. 

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) – the trade body behind the Brit Awards, the Mercury Prize and Official Charts – called on the UK government in May to make labelling AI-generated music a legal requirement and maintain existing copyright law to protect artists. 

In July, a coalition of industry and artists’ organisations – including the Recording Industry Association of America, IFPI, the Grammys, SAG-AFTRA and the Human Artistry Campaign – introduced voluntary new labels for recordings to distinguish between AI-generated and AI-assisted songs.

Among streaming platforms, Deezer reported 44% of its new music was made up of AI-generated tracks and Apple Music reported that over a third of all its tracks are “100% AI”. 

A survey conducted by Deezer and Ipsos last year found that 80% of listeners wanted entirely AI-generated music to be clearly labelled, and 97% of listeners couldn’t tell the difference between fully AI-generated and human-made songs. 

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has also rolled out a new set of principles on the eligibility of songs developed with generative AI for official music chart inclusion. 

Supported by Sony, Universal Music and Warner Music, the voluntary guidelines stipulate that the track must be “substantially human made”, among other criteria.