In the past month, a rendition of Madonna’s popular song “Like a Prayer” gained significant airplay on Australian radio stations. However, due to new regulations established by the Australian music industry, this cover song might be excluded from the official music charts.
The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA), responsible for overseeing the country’s music charts, recently declared that tracks entirely generated by artificial intelligence will no longer be permitted on the charts. ARIA’s spokesperson, Andrew Knowles, specified that recordings must have a substantial human involvement to be considered for the ARIA charts.
According to ARIA, tracks where generative AI plays a significant role in creating the music elements, especially lead vocals or instruments, will not meet the eligibility criteria. The association also retains the authority to disqualify recordings suspected of manipulating streams or charts and mandates compliance with copyright laws. Any music produced by generative AI will not be qualified for the prestigious ARIA Awards.
ARIA’s CEO, Annabelle Herd, emphasized the importance of preserving the human aspect of artistic creation in light of the rapidly evolving music landscape. She stated that the ARIA charts aim to transparently reflect the music consumed in Australia, and rewarding AI-generated content would undermine the essence of the music industry.
The decision to restrict AI-generated music on the charts follows the success of Josh Fawaz’s AI-enhanced version of “Like a Prayer,” which caused controversy by staying on the ARIA’s Top 20 Australian Singles chart for 16 weeks. Despite reaching No. 2 on the chart and maintaining the fourth position, Fawaz faced criticism for allegedly relying entirely on AI for music production.
Music producer Mitch Thomas publicly criticized Fawaz, accusing him of using AI exclusively for music creation. Fawaz defended his work, asserting that AI is merely a tool in his creative process. The new guidelines will take effect soon, prohibiting entirely AI-generated tracks from the ARIA charts, while permitting AI-assisted music to remain eligible.
The ARIA confirmed that Fawaz’s rendition of “Like a Prayer” did not meet the eligibility criteria according to the information provided by the artist.