AI-generated songs banned from Australian charts

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has confirmed that AI-generated songs will be banned from Australian charts.

The changes have been outlined in the updated ARIA Charts Code of Practice, which will be published on Friday (August 28) and go into effect on Monday (August 31).

In the new amendments, ARIA outlines that songs made entirely by artificial intelligence will not be eligible for the ARIA Charts. Songs that are predominantly made by humans but use AI in a supportive role will remain eligible.

If a song is found to be entirely made using AI technology, it may be removed from the charts, have accreditations withdrawn, be taken out of consideration for an ARIA Award, and be required to return any previously-awarded ARIA Number One Award.

In any instance where an artist would like to dispute their song being labelled as entirely AI-generated, they will be able to provide evidence proving that it was predominantly made by a human and potentially have the decision overturned.

“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,” said Annabelle Herd, ARIA CEO. “Artists already use AI tools in their work, the Charts can and should evolve to keep room for that, but music generated wholesale by services built on artists’ recordings is a different matter.

“The ARIA Charts will always remain a transparent measurement of the music Australia consumes, but a chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent. We have worked closely with IFPI and a number of international industry bodies to understand how to best implement these changes in a way that is both clear and future-facing.

“This gives everyone who releases music in Australia a clear rule to work to. We call on all parties who have a role in deciding the music played and promoted to Australian audiences, particularly radio, to support human artistry and implement similar changes across their own codes.”

The move marks the latest effort to crack down on AI music, and comes amid a study finding that AI was detected in almost 40 per cent of music released worldwide last month alone. Another study before then found that 97 per cent of people “can’t tell the difference” between real and AI music.

Apple Music has made changes to its platform following the increasing prominence of AI music, and is now labelling music generated by artificial intelligence to provide more transparency for listeners.

Other platforms making a change include TIDAL, which is no longer paying royalties to any music made entirely by AI, Bandcamp banning all music made with AI, and SoundCloud clarifying its stance on AI after a wave of backlash from users.

Deezer has tried to combat the rise in music made entirely by artificial intelligence too, launching a tool to detect AI-generated music on playlists from 20 different streaming services. Last month, Deezer also shared that AI-generated music now surpasses 50 per cent of daily uploads on the platform – the first time that human-made music has been outnumbered by AI alternatives

Beatport has announced plans to ban songs that are fully or majority generated by AI too, and Spotify has announced a new labelling system so that users can quickly identify artists and content generated by AI. Those changes come following the streamer confirming that it was removing 75million “spammy tracks” and targeting impersonators last September.

Back in March, the UK government announced it would ditch “deeply damaging” plans to allow AI firms to use copyrighted works without permission. The move stemmed from Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Dua Lipa and Elton John leading a campaign, urging politicians to protect artists’ work from being ripped off, after the government previously put forward plans to change copyright rules and let AI firms “steal” copyrighted works without paying or seeking consent from creators.