Australia’s music industry bans AI-generated tracks from official charts

Australia's recorded music industry has decided to exclude wholly-AI generated tracks from their official charts, amid concerns that such technologies could undermine artists' incomes. This move was prompted by an Australian producer's creation of a variation of Madonna's hit "Like a Prayer," which used AI-generated vocals and drums and has remained in the top 20 for 16 weeks.

The track peaked at number two on the Australian Record Industry Association's (ARIA) top 20 singles chart last May and still holds the fourth position as of Tuesday. The ARIA Charts will no longer accept AI-generated tracks from next week, but tracks that have some human involvement, like having humans write the song and provide the lead vocal and primary instruments, will still be eligible.

AI-generated music will also be barred from the prestigious ARIA awards. ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd stated that these changes aim to uphold the human essence of artistry in a rapidly evolving industry. She emphasized that the ARIA Charts should remain a transparent gauge of the music Australians consume, as allowing unlicensed AI output would undermine the industry's purpose.