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

Australia's music industry is drawing a line in the sand against artificial intelligence, announcing that tracks wholly generated by AI will be barred from official charts. This decisive action comes as generative technologies increasingly challenge the livelihoods of human artists.

The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) will implement the ban from Monday next week. The decision follows a period of intense debate, fueled in part by a variation of Madonna's hit "Like a Prayer" created by an Australian producer using AI-generated vocals and drums. This track spent 16 weeks in the Australian top 20, peaking at number two on the ARIA singles chart.

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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.

Under the new rules, tracks can only qualify for the charts if "humans wrote the song and performed the lead vocal and the primary instruments." Similar criteria will apply to eligibility for the prestigious ARIA awards. ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd emphasized the need to promote the "human nature of artistry" in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

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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.

"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," Herd stated. The industry also stressed that eligible music must be produced using legal AI services, addressing concerns about unauthorized use of artists' music to train AI tools.

These Australian guidelines align with international principles released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which advocate for tracks to be "substantially human made" to qualify for official charts. Experts acknowledge the emotional and complex nature of the debate surrounding AI in music, but applaud ARIA's move as a significant step toward valuing human creativity.

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It can be quite hard to avoid AI tools in the current landscape. There is a way to use it while you’re still steering the ship and making the main creative choices.