Australia Bans AI-Generated Music From Official Charts
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) will no longer allow entirely AI-created tracks on its charts, citing the need to promote human artistry.
Australia's recorded music industry will bar tracks wholly generated by artificial intelligence from official charts, as generative technologies increasingly raise concerns about artists' livelihoods. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) announced the decision, which takes effect next week.
This move follows a variation of Madonna's "Like a Prayer," created using AI-generated vocals and drums by an Australian producer, which spent 16 weeks in the Australian top 20 charts, peaking at number two on the ARIA top 20 Australian singles chart in May. The track remained in fourth place as of Tuesday.
Under the new rules, tracks can be eligible for the charts only if "humans wrote the song and performed the lead vocal and the primary instruments," among other requirements. AI-generated music will also be ineligible for the industry's ARIA awards. Furthermore, eligible music must be produced using legal AI services, as some music has appeared on streaming platforms developed with AI tools trained on artists' music without authorization.
"These changes reflect our intent to remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry in what is — to say the least — a rapidly developing space," said ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd. "The ARIA Charts will always remain a transparent measurement of the music Australia consumes, but a chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent."
The Australian rules align with new principles released in July by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which represents the recording industry globally. The IFPI's international guidelines state that to qualify for official music charts, a track must be "substantially human made."
Alexis Weaver, a composer and lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, described the debate around AI in music as "exceptionally fraught and very emotional for a lot of musicians." Weaver applauded ARIA's decision as a "wonderful step forward," indicating ARIA's desire to "prioritize and value human creativity." Weaver also noted that while AI tools are becoming difficult to avoid, "There is a way to use it while you're still steering the ship and making the main creative choices."