AI-generated songs have been banned from Australia’s official music charts under new ARIA eligibility rules.
From this week, music releases must be “substantially created by humans” to qualify for inclusion on the Australian charts.
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) said the updated rules aim to “promote the humanity of artistry” while allowing artists to continue using selected artificial intelligence tools.
The policy follows controversy over Australian DJ Josh Fawaz’s cover of Madonna’s Like A Prayer, which topped the ARIA Dance Singles Chart and reached number two on Australia’s overall music chart.
The track was widely played on commercial radio and received more than 48 million Spotify streams before Fawaz added a generative AI credit following public criticism.
ARIA said Australian musicians were competing for attention in the “most crowded market in history” and that it had “no interest in promoting or celebrating the success of AI-generated music that does not involve human artistry”.
Under the new Australian music chart rules, AI assistance will remain permitted, but human creators must write the songs and perform the lead vocals and principal instruments.
Artists can still use AI and related technology for production tasks such as mastering, as well as tools including drum machines and autotune.
The move follows similar action overseas. Earlier this year, a song was removed from the Swedish music charts after it was found to have been created using AI.
In July, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced that its AI music guidelines would be introduced across Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, including for official music charts.
ARIA’s updated code, which is based on the IFPI directive, also excludes music associated with concerns about stream manipulation or chart manipulation.
ARIA CEO Annabel Hurd said: “These changes reflect our intention to remain dynamic and promote the humanity of the arts in what is, to say the least, a rapidly evolving field.”
“Artists are already using AI tools in their work, and charts can and should evolve to make room for that. But music produced wholesale by services built on artists’ recordings is a different matter.”
She added: “Charts that reward unauthorized AI output will undermine the very foundation of recorded music that we exist to express.”
Artists must declare any use of AI when submitting songs for consideration on the Australian music charts.
ARIA said it could retroactively change a song’s chart position if a substantial portion of the music is later found to have been generated by AI. If the track reached number one, the organization could also request the return of awards issued for achieving the top position.
Artists and their representatives will have the right to challenge decisions to exclude a song from the charts.
Australian electronic artist Peking Duk is among the musicians supporting the discussion around AI and music.
Last month, the group shared an AI-assisted version of its 2014 hit High on Instagram with the caption: “When you re-record your song with AI, Australian radio will play it.”
Band member Adam Hyde told Channel Nine’s Today show that AI-generated music was “removing the human experience from life”.
In July last year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised the “strongest possible protection” for Australian creatives from the impact of AI.
Albanese said writers and musicians should be able to decide whether and how their work is used to train AI systems. He described it as “theft” if creators lost control of their work without receiving royalties.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk