Australia Bans AI‑Generated Songs From Official Music Charts
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has made it clear that musical releases which are largely or wholly created by artificial intelligence will no longer qualify for inclusion on the country’s official music charts. From this week onward, every track must be "substantially human made" in order to be eligible.
ARIA said the decision would "promote the human nature of artistry" and was prompted by the rise of AI‑generated work such as Australian DJ Josh Fawaz’s cover of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” The remix topped the ARIA dance singles chart and peaked at number two on the all‑music chart, drawing scrutiny when it was later revealed that generative AI tools had been used to create the track.
The new rules allow AI assistance for songwriting and production, but a human artist must write the core music, supply the primary vocals, and play the main instruments. AI can still be employed for mastering, drum machines, and auto‑tune, but a song that is essentially a compilation of AI‑generated content will have its chart placement removed or adjusted retrospectively if discovered.
Australia is not alone in this move. Earlier this year Sweden banned an AI‑generated track from its charts, and in July the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced that AI guidelines would be rolled out in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia for their official charts. ARIA’s directive will also exclude music that raises concerns about stream or chart manipulation.
ARIA Chief Executive Annabelle Herd said the update was necessary for a "dynamic" industry that increasingly uses AI, but must still preserve the human element that forms the core of recorded music. She added that an unlicensed AI‑output chart would undermine the very foundation of the industry, and that artists who are found to have largely used AI could see their awards returned if the track tops the charts.
Artists will now be required to declare AI use when they submit a song for chart consideration. Many Australian artists support the new rules; the electronic duo Peking Duk, for example, released an AI‑assisted version of their 2014 hit “High” on Instagram, stating that the process removes the human experience from music. The band’s Adam Hyde remarked on Channel Nine’s Today show that AI‑generated music "is removing the human experience from life.”
In July, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged "the strongest possible protection" for Australian creatives, ensuring that songwriters and musicians can control how their work is used in AI training. The government will require that artists can choose whether or not their recordings are used in AI models, to avoid the perception of theft and secure proper payment for such use.
