Australia bans AI songs from official music charts
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The reading
The fight against the intrusion of artificial intelligence (AI) into music continues. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has banned songs that have been "wholly" created with AI from entering the country's official music charts. There has been a recent controversy over an AI version of the 1989 Madonna hit "Like a Prayer". The cover version of the tune made considerable use of AI technology. The song spent 16 weeks in the Australian top 20. It also created a backlash among music purists and the general public. ARIA declared that "wholly AI-generated" music will be banned from the charts, while "AI-assisted" music will still be eligible for inclusion.
ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said the music charts must protect artists and their livelihoods. She said there should be a legitimate use of AI, but not to the extent that it excludes human creativity. She commented on the new rules, saying: "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." Josh Fawaz, the artist who created the AI Madonna cover, acknowledged his use of AI on his version of the track. He defended his use of AI as a "tool" in creating music. He also called ARIA's new rules "a great move". He wrote: "I understand that AI in music isn't for everyone and that's fine."
Sources:
- https://www.aria.com.au/charts/news/aria-charts-set-eligibility-rules-for-recordings-made-with-ai
- https://apnews.com/article/australia-ai-generated-music-charts-ban-aria-9bfb0c91166ae4405a6df1a3c4891687
- https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/25/australias-music-charts-ban-ai-made-songs-amid-backlash-over-madonna-cover
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