ARIA bans AI-generated music from Australian charts -…

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has introduced new eligibility rules to exclude wholly AI-generated music from Australia’s official music charts. Effective August 28, 2024, the policy mandates that tracks must be "substantially human made"—defined as work where human creative input is the primary driver—to qualify for chart placement. This shift aims to preserve the integrity of human artistry in an increasingly crowded market, while still allowing for the use of AI as a supplemental tool.

What happened

The policy change followed the success of a cover version of Madonna’s song "Like a Prayer," produced by Queensland resident Josh Fawaz. The track, which utilized AI for vocals and drums, achieved fourth place on two separate ARIA charts in July. It notably outperformed songs from Madonna’s latest album, ranking 14 spots ahead of a collaboration between Madonna and Kylie Minogue on the Top 20 Australian Dance Singles chart for the week of August 24.

Following this event, ARIA clarified that while artists may continue to use AI as a tool, recordings lacking a central human performance will be ineligible for chart recognition. Under the new guidelines, ARIA reserves the right to remove tracks, revoke physical awards, or withdraw accreditations for content that fails to meet these standards. The association has also adopted industry-backed labelling standards to distinguish between "AI-generated" and "AI-assisted" music. ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd has encouraged radio stations and other industry stakeholders to implement similar restrictions, citing concerns over chart manipulation and the lack of compensation for artists whose work is used to train AI models.