AI-Generated Music Barred from Australian Charts After Madonna Cover Controversy

Australia's official music charts will exclude purely AI-generated music following a decision by the country's peak music trade group, ARIA. The move comes after a controversy involving an Australian DJ's cover of Madonna's "Like a Prayer," which used AI and reached high positions on local charts.

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) announced Tuesday that tracks created entirely by AI will be ineligible for the ARIA Charts. However, recordings that utilize generative AI in a supporting capacity will still be considered, provided they are "substantially human made" and do not present issues related to streaming or chart manipulation.

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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.

ARIA will adhere to definitions from a global music community labeling standard announced in July to differentiate AI-generated from AI-assisted recordings. This decision reflects growing concerns within the music industry about the rise of AI-generated music and its potential impact on human artists and the integrity of music charts.

Major record labels have been actively seeking new licensing agreements to safeguard their extensive music catalogs as AI music gains popularity. Consumers are increasingly finding it difficult to distinguish between human-composed and AI-generated songs. ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd stated that the charts must remain a transparent measure of music consumption and that rewarding unlicensed AI output would undermine the industry.

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I used AI as a tool, it's not that deep. I have been releasing music long before AI and my focus is to provide my listeners good music.