Australia’s official music charts will no longer accept songs created mostly or entirely by artificial intelligence, under new rules introduced by the Australi...
Australia’s official music charts will no longer accept songs created mostly or entirely by artificial intelligence, under new rules introduced by the Australian Recording Industry Association.
The updated rules will take effect from Friday and require chart-eligible releases to be substantially human-made. Music that uses artificial intelligence as a supporting tool will still be eligible, provided humans remain responsible for the lead vocal and primary instrumental performances.
ARIA, which operates Australia’s official music charts, said the changes were intended to promote human artistry as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly common in music production. The organisation has also introduced rules allowing it to exclude recordings that are substantially AI-generated or raise concerns about stream or chart manipulation.
Advertisement
Under the new definition, a recording is considered AI-generated when generative AI produces the entirety or the primary creative elements of the track. This can include an AI-generated lead vocal, a key instrumental performance or music produced entirely through prompts.
AI-assisted music will remain allowed on the charts. ARIA defines this category as music created substantially by humans that expresses human creativity, even when generative AI has been used for some expressive elements. Human performers must provide the lead vocal and primary instruments.
The new rules follow controversy surrounding Queensland DJ and producer Josh Fawaz’s cover of Madonna’s Like a Prayer. The song became the most-played track on Australian radio in July and reached number four on two ARIA charts.
The track attracted criticism from people in the music industry who questioned the use of generative AI in its production. Fawaz said he had used AI as a tool and later updated the song’s Spotify credits to identify AI-generated vocals and drums.
The controversy helped bring the question of AI-generated music and chart eligibility into sharper focus. ARIA said artists were already using AI tools in their work, but distinguished between music where AI assists a human creator and recordings generated largely through AI systems.
ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said the updated rules would give people releasing music in Australia a clear standard to follow. She also called on other organisations involved in deciding what music is played and promoted in Australia, particularly radio, to support human artistry and consider similar changes.
The new rules also give ARIA powers to act after a song has entered the charts. The organisation can remove an ineligible recording, change chart positions and revoke chart awards. Artists and their representatives will be able to challenge decisions excluding their music from the charts.
Artists submitting songs for chart consideration will also be required to declare their use of AI. This means ARIA will have information about whether artificial intelligence played a role in the production of a recording when determining its eligibility.
The changes are part of a wider move within the global music industry to identify how artificial intelligence is being used in recorded music. In July, ARIA welcomed a global AI labelling system that distinguishes between AI-generated and AI-assisted recordings.
Under that system, AI-generated recordings are those where generative AI creates the entirety or primary creative elements, while AI-assisted recordings remain substantially human-made. ARIA said the system was intended to give music listeners clearer information about how recordings were produced.
The debate over artificial intelligence in music has also extended beyond Australia. ARIA’s latest decision comes as the music industry continues to consider how charts and other systems should respond to recordings made with AI tools.
The Australian government’s broader approach to artificial intelligence has also included measures aimed at protecting creative workers. In July, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would provide strong protection for Australian artists and media and stated that writers, musicians, artists and journalists should retain ownership and control of their work.
Albanese said Australian creative works should not be used to train AI systems without the creator’s control. The government has said its proposed AI framework will address ownership and control of Australian creative work as part of its wider approach to artificial intelligence.
For musicians, the ARIA rules do not amount to a complete ban on artificial intelligence in music. Instead, the distinction is between AI-generated and AI-assisted recordings, with human involvement remaining central to eligibility for the official Australian charts.
The change also means that artists using AI will need to be transparent when submitting music for chart consideration. A recording that initially appears eligible could later be removed if it is found to have been largely generated by artificial intelligence.
ARIA’s decision comes at a time when AI tools are becoming increasingly available to musicians and producers. The organisation’s rules seek to maintain space for artists who use technology while excluding recordings in which artificial intelligence provides most of the creative work.
The first ARIA charts operating under the updated rules will be released on Friday. From that point, songs must meet the new human-authorship requirements to remain eligible for Australia’s official music charts.
