Australia Says No to AI Songs in Its Music Charts
Songs must be made by people, not computers.
Australia has new rules for its music charts.
Songs made by AI cannot be in the charts now.
A song must be "substantially human made". This means people must write the song and sing it.
Artists can still use AI for some things, like mixing the sound.
The new rules come after a problem. A DJ used AI to make a new version of a Madonna song. It went to number 2 in Australia.
Sweden also stopped an AI song from its charts this year.
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Australia Bans AI-Made Songs from Its Music Charts
New rules say a song must be "substantially human made" to count.
Songs that are mostly or completely created by AI have been banned from Australia's official music charts.
From this week, a song must be "substantially human made" to be included. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which runs the charts, says the rules will "promote the human nature of artistry".
The change follows a controversy about a cover of Madonna's song Like A Prayer by an Australian DJ. The song reached number 2 in the Australian charts and has been streamed more than 48 million times on Spotify. The DJ later added AI credits to the song.
Under the new rules, humans must write the song and perform the main vocals and instruments. Artists can still use AI tools for some things, such as mastering a song or using a drum machine. Artists must say if they used AI when they send a song to the charts.
Australia is not the first country to do this. Earlier this year, a song was removed from Sweden's charts because it was made by AI.
Understood everything? Read this story at B1.
Australia Bans AI-Generated Songs from Its Official Music Charts
Releases must now be "substantially human made" after an AI-assisted Madonna cover reached number two.
Songs that are largely or wholly created by artificial intelligence have been banned from Australia's official music charts. From this week, every release must be "substantially human made" to be eligible.
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) said the new code would help "promote the human nature of artistry". It follows a controversy over a cover of Madonna's Like A Prayer by Australian DJ Josh Fawaz, which topped the ARIA dance singles chart, peaked at number two in the overall chart and has been streamed more than 48 million times on Spotify. Fawaz added generative AI credits to the track after a backlash.
Under the new rules, AI assistance is still allowed, but a human must have written the song and performed the lead vocal and the main instruments. AI can still be used for tasks such as mastering, drum machines and auto-tune. Artists will have to declare any AI use when they submit a song, and ARIA said it could adjust chart positions later if a track turns out to be largely AI-generated.
ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said that artists already use AI tools and that the charts should leave room for that, "but music generated wholesale by services built on artists' recordings is a different matter".
Australia is following a wider trend. A song was removed from Sweden's charts earlier this year for being AI-generated, and in July the international industry body IFPI said similar guidelines would be rolled out in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and South-East Asia.
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