ARIA charts to exclude AI-generated music
Australia’s recording industry association ARIA will, from Friday, exclude tracks created predominantly or entirely by artificial intelligence from the country’s official music charts. At the same time, recordings in which AI was used as an auxiliary tool will be eligible for the rankings if they are predominantly human-made, ABC News reports.
New ARIA rules
ARIA, which maintains charts of Australia’s most popular music, has updated its chart rules code in line with the principles of the global recording industry. Under the new code, recordings made using generative AI can participate in the charts only if they are predominantly human-created and do not raise concerns about manipulation of streams or chart positions.
The code allows ARIA to remove recordings that do not meet the requirements, alter their chart positions and withdraw chart-related awards. Artists and their representatives will be able to appeal exclusion decisions.
ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said musicians are already using AI tools, but fully generated music created by services based on artists’ recordings is a separate issue. She called on those who decide what music is played and promoted to Australian audiences, including radio stations, to support human creativity and introduce similar rules.
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Like a Prayer cover
ARIA’s decision was made after discussion of Queensland DJ and producer Josh Fawaz’s cover of Madonna’s Like a Prayer. In July, the track became the most played song on Australian radio and reached fourth place in two ARIA charts.
Music industry representatives suggested that generative AI had been used to create the track. Fawaz said he had used AI “as a tool,” and later indicated in the track’s Spotify listing that the vocals and drums had been generated by AI.
IFPI principles and Spotify’s approach
ARIA relied on principles published in July by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). According to the federation, more than 20 official chart programs are introducing rules intended to distinguish human-created recordings from fully generated music.
An ARIA representative told ABC that the IFPI rules would likely prevent music in which AI created the lead vocals or key instrumental parts from entering the charts. Spotify, for its part, promised to label AI characters and not recommend them by default, but this labeling concerns the identity behind an artist profile rather than the method used to create an individual recording.
