Australia’s top music charts ban AI songs to protect human artists

Artificial intelligence-generated music will be barred from Australia's top music charts under new regulations designed to safeguard the "human essence of artistry," an industry body announced on Tuesday. Effective from Friday, music must be "primarily human-made" to qualify for the charts, according to the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

The group clarified that solely AI-generated tracks would not be eligible for the ARIA Charts. ARIA emphasized that their charts would disqualify songs "entirely or predominantly generated by AI." However, recordings utilizing AI in a secondary capacity would remain eligible.

The decision comes amid escalating concerns within the music sector regarding the proliferation of AI-generated music saturating media platforms. In July, a Madonna cover song topping the charts in Australia drew criticism for employing AI-generated vocals and drum tracks. Streaming giant Spotify has announced plans to introduce an "AI Persona" badge to clearly label AI-generated content produced by artificial intelligence rather than real individuals.

Approximately one-third of all new uploads to Apple Music are entirely crafted using AI, according to a platform executive who disclosed the figure to Billboard this year. Several prominent music industry organizations unveiled a labeling system for generative AI-created content they hope to see more widely adopted in the same month.

ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd commented, "These changes reflect our commitment to stay adaptable and uphold the human nature of artistry in this rapidly evolving landscape." She further stated, "The ARIA Charts will continue to serve as a transparent reflection of the music consumed in Australia, but a chart that endorses unlicensed AI output would undermine the core principles of the recorded music we are dedicated to representing."