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Australia bans AI songs from charts
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The gist
Australia's ARIA banned wholly AI-generated songs from official charts, requiring releases to be "substantially human made".
The ban follows backlash over an AI-assisted Madonna cover that hit No. 1 on.
Background
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) updated its Charts Code of Practice to exclude wholly AI-generated tracks, effective from Friday. This follows controversy over DJ Josh Fawaz's AI-assisted cover of Madonna's 'Like A Prayer', which reached No. 1 on the ARIA dance singles chart and has been streamed over 48 million times on Spotify. The move aligns with global industry efforts to address AI's impact on music.
How it unfolded
- Jul 2026Josh Fawaz's AI-assisted cover of Madonna's 'Like A Prayer' became the most-played track on Australian radio and reached No. 4 on two ARIA charts.
- Aug 24, 2026ARIA announced new rules banning wholly AI-generated songs from official charts, effective from Friday.
- Aug 25, 2026ARIA officially announced the ban, with CEO Annabelle Herd stating the changes promote 'the human nature of artistry'.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said the changes 'promote the human nature of artistry' and that a chart rewarding unlicensed AI output would undercut the basis of recorded music.
- Artist
- Josh Fawaz called the new rules a 'great move', saying 'I understand that AI in music isn't for everyone and that's fine.'