Australia’s music industry regulator has implemented new eligibility standards for its official charts, effective this week, that require all submissions to be substantially created by humans. The Australian Recording Industry Association announced the policy change to preserve what it characterizes as the human element of musical artistry.
The decision comes amid public debate triggered by an AI-assisted cover version of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” by Australian DJ Josh Fawaz. The track achieved significant commercial success, topping the ARIA dance singles chart and reaching number 2 on the overall national chart before accumulating more than 48 million streams on Spotify. Following backlash, Fawaz subsequently disclosed the generative AI credits involved in the production.
Under the revised guidelines, human performers must have written the song and performed lead vocals and primary instruments, though AI assistance remains permissible for specific production elements such as mastering, drum machines, and audio processing tools like auto-tune. The framework requires artists to declare any AI usage when submitting music for chart consideration. ARIA has reserved the right to retrospectively adjust chart positions if submissions are later determined to be largely AI-generated, and may request the return of Number One awards if manipulation is discovered.
The policy aligns with international standards developed by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which has similarly implemented AI guidelines across other regions this year. Sweden previously banned an AI-created song from its charts, and IFPI announced comparable directives for Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
ARIA leadership stated the measure reflects the organization’s commitment to supporting authentic human artistry in an increasingly crowded market. Several Australian musicians have publicly endorsed the change, including electronic act Peking Duk, which recently demonstrated the implications by posting an AI-assisted version of their own 2014 recording on social media to highlight current radio programming challenges.
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