one of the most-played tracks on Australian radio<\/a> last month.<\/p>\nBut now, a cover of Madonna\u2019s hit Like a Prayer stands to be banned from official charts, thanks to new rules set by the Australian music industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA), which oversees the country\u2019s official music charts, announced it will now bar tracks that are wholly generated by artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
In a statement to CBC News, ARIA spokesperson Andrew Knowles said the association ruled that the recordings must be “substantially human-made” in order to qualify for the ARIA charts.<\/p>\n
However, tracks where “generative AI has produced the creative elements of a track or a primary part of them” will not be eligible.<\/p>\n
“The clearest example of that is a lead vocal or instrument that came from a prompt rather than a person,” added Knowles. “Where a human performance sits at the centre of the recording and AI has been used in a minor way on top of it, the recording remains eligible.” \u00a0<\/p>\n
ARIA says it will also have the right to remove recordings that have raised concerns about stream or chart manipulation, adding that the tracks must comply with “applicable laws, including those relating to copyright and related rights.” Tracks produced by generative AI will also be ineligible for the country\u2019s esteemed ARIA Awards.<\/p>\n
“These changes reflect our intent to remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry in what is \u2014 to say the least \u2014 a rapidly developing space,” said ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd in a statement.<\/p>\n
“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,” she added.<\/p>\n
WATCH | Josh Fawaz – Like a Prayer (official lyric video) :<\/p>\n
The crackdown comes after Brisbane DJ and producer Josh Fawaz\u2019s version of Like a Prayer \u2014which uses AI-generated vocals and drums \u2014 spent 16 weeks on ARIA\u2019s Top 20 Australian Singles chart.<\/p>\n
The controversial single, which peaked at No. 2 on the chart back in May and still held the fourth-place spot as of Tuesday, has stirred up intense debate and criticism over the use of generative AI.<\/p>\n
Music producer Mitch Thomas was among those slamming the artist online<\/a>, calling Fawaz “the biggest issue in music right now” and alleging that Fawaz’s music was “generated entirely with AI.” He suggested Fawaz\u2019s music sounded like it was produced using the gen AI platform Suno.<\/p>\nWATCH | AI in the music industry | Cost of Living :<\/p>\n
Fawaz snapped back in the comments of Thomas\u2019s video, telling him to “stop having a little sook” \u2014 Australian slang for sulking \u2014 adding that he only uses AI “as a tool, it\u2019s not that deep.”<\/p>\n
As for when the new rules are set to come into effect, wholly AI-generated tracks will be banned and stripped from the ARIA charts starting next Monday. However, some AI-assisted music will remain eligible, according to a statement released to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n
ARIA confirmed to CBC News that Fawaz\u2019s cover of Like a Prayer did not meet the eligibility requirements “based on information provided by the artist.”<\/p>\n
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