New rules demand human hands and voices stay at the heart of every hit.
Australia’s music industry just made a clear choice about what counts as a real song. From this Friday’s charts, fully or mostly AI-generated tracks will no longer qualify for the ARIA charts. Songs must be “substantially human made.”
The change arrives after a summer of awkward questions. Queensland DJ and producer Josh Fawaz’s upbeat cover of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” climbed radio playlists and the charts. It became one of the most-played tracks on commercial radio and sat inside the ARIA top five for weeks. After public pressure, the Spotify credits were updated to list generative AI for the vocals and drums. The track has now passed 48 million streams.
ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd put it plainly. The charts measure what Australia listens to, but they also celebrate human artistry. “A chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent,” she said. Artists already use AI tools every day. The difference, ARIA argues, is whether a human still wrote the song and performed the lead vocal and primary instruments.
What Still Counts
The new code does not ban technology. AI-assisted recordings remain eligible if humans stay in the driver’s seat. AI can still handle mastering, drum machines, effects, or minor backing elements. What is out is any track where generative AI creates the lead vocal, a key instrumental performance, or the bulk of the creative work.
ARIA will use the industry’s July labelling standard to separate “AI-generated” from “AI-assisted.” Rights holders must declare generative AI use when submitting releases. If questions arise later, ARIA can pull a track from the charts, adjust positions, withdraw accreditations, or revoke a No. 1 award. Ineligible recordings also cannot compete for ARIA Awards. Artists can challenge any decision.
Artists Welcome the Line
Electronic duo Peking Duk’s Adam Hyde backed the move. “There is so much good art in Australia and something like AI coming along and kind of sweeping the charts… it’s like, get it out,” he said. He and many others see the rule as protection for the human experience that makes music feel alive.
The rules take effect with the chart dated Monday 31 August, published this Friday 28 August. ARIA becomes the first national chart body to put firm AI eligibility rules in place, following principles set by the global industry body IFPI.
For listeners, the shift is simple. The songs that climb the charts will still need a human heartbeat somewhere near the centre. In a crowded streaming world, Australia has decided that matters.
AI Disclosure: This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and edited by the Glowls News editorial team before publication.