Australian Hit Song Altering Madonna Track Prompts AI Ban in Music Charts

Australian Recording Industry Association Bans AI-Generated Songs From August 28
Auxiliary AI Use Allowed...Madonna Track Controversy Was the Catalyst
Billboard Opts For Labeling…Debate Continues in Korea

Australia's leading music chart has decided to exclude music created by artificial intelligence (AI) from its rankings.

Australia's leading music chart has decided to exclude music created by artificial intelligence (AI) from its rankings. ARIA official website

On August 25 (local time), Yonhap News quoted AFP and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), reporting that "the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) announced it will implement a rule banning AI-generated music from entering its charts, starting August 28."

There are two criteria. To make it onto the charts, a song must be produced predominantly by humans, and there must be no intention to manipulate streaming algorithms or popularity ranks. Songs where AI created the entirety or the main part of the creative process will be excluded, but music that only uses AI as an auxiliary tool—without violating copyright laws—will remain eligible. Fully AI-generated tracks will also be excluded from ARIA Music Award nominations.

Spotify Hit With 48 Million Streams: Vocals and Drums Created by AI

Australian DJ Josh Fawaz. Facebook

The catalyst for moving up the regulation's implementation was a song that altered Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” This track, created by Australian DJ Josh Fawaz, became the most-played song on Australian radio last month and reached as high as No. 4 on two ARIA charts. On Spotify alone, it garnered more than 48 million streams.

After suspicions arose about the use of generative AI, Fawaz admitted that he had used AI for both the vocals and the drums. Following the controversy, Spotify added a note in its credits acknowledging the use of AI. An ARIA spokesperson told ABC, "Once the new rule is implemented, this song may lose its eligibility for chart entry."

Annabelle Herd, ARIA CEO, described this move as "a choice to protect human creativity." She stated, "This change reflects our intention to maintain dynamism and encourage the human essence of art. A chart that rewards unlicensed AI-generated material would undermine the very foundation of recorded music that we strive to represent." She added, "We urge radio broadcasters to support human artistry and to adopt similar changes to their own regulations."

More Than 20 Global Charts Respond...Copyright Recognition Debated in Korea

With an influx of songs made using generative AI, music charts around the world are taking action. A notable example is when “Walk My Walk” by AI artist Breaking Lust reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart last November. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), more than 20 music charts worldwide have begun implementing rules distinguishing between human-created and fully AI-generated tracks.

The directions, however, are diverging. Instead of removing AI-generated songs from its charts, Billboard decided to attach a label indicating AI involvement. Its partner data company, Luminate, plans to introduce these labels within the year. Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming service, has also decided to flag music by AI virtual artists and exclude them from recommendation lists.

The debate continues in Korea over how far to recognize AI music. On August 3, the Korea Music Copyright Association decided that if a person takes the lead in writing lyrics, composing, or arranging a song—even if AI was used in the process—copyright would be registered in that person's name. This marked the first instance in Korea of acknowledging copyright for music involving AI.

However, on August 25, the association's board withdrew this standard. The move came after criticism that, with no clear legal framework defining how far AI music should be recognized under copyright, the association had unilaterally set its own criteria. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also reportedly sent an official letter on August 18, stating that broader social discussion should come first. Association president Ishihar said, "There needs to be sufficient debate across the entire cultural sector, so that the result leads to a national standard everyone can accept."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.