AI cover of Madonna topped the chart in Australia - not everyone liked it
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has ruled that tracks created entirely by artificial intelligence will be disqualified from official charts. The decision comes after a cover of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" by a Brisbane DJ, which used AI-generated vocals and instruments, topped the charts and accumulated over 48 million streams.
Music created entirely by artificial intelligence will be excluded from Australia's music charts starting this week, the country's peak music industry body announced, following a heated controversy over an Australian DJ's cover of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" that topped local charts.
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which oversees the country's official charts, stated on Tuesday that tracks created entirely by artificial intelligence will no longer be eligible for inclusion in the charts, although recordings that use generative AI in a secondary role will remain eligible.
"Substantially made by a human"
According to ARIA, a recording developed using artificial intelligence will only be eligible if it is "substantially made by a human" and does not raise concerns about manipulation in streaming or charts. Conversely, tracks where "generative AI produced the creative elements of the track, or a central part of them" will be disqualified.
"The most obvious example of this is lead vocals or musical instruments that originate from a prompt and not a human," explained ARIA spokesperson Andrew Knowles. "When a human performance is at the center of the recording and artificial intelligence was used to a minimal extent over it, the recording remains eligible."
To distinguish between recordings created by artificial intelligence and those that used it, ARIA stated it would implement definitions from a labeling standard announced by the global music community in July. It was further stated that the organization reserves the right to remove recordings that raise concerns about manipulation, and that tracks produced by generative AI will also be disqualified from nominations for the prestigious ARIA awards.
16 weeks on the chart - the cover that sparked the storm
The decision comes after a version of "Like a Prayer" by Brisbane-based DJ and producer Josh Fawaz, which uses AI-generated vocals and drums, spent 16 weeks on the ARIA Top 20 Australian Singles chart. The controversial single, which climbed to second place in May and was still holding fourth place as of Tuesday, has accumulated over 48 million streams on Spotify and sparked a sharp debate over the use of generative AI.
Music producer Mitch Thomas was among the critics who attacked Fawaz online, calling him "the biggest problem in music right now" and claiming his music was "entirely created by AI." He hinted that the work sounds as if it were produced on the generative AI platform Suno.
Fawaz, for his part, rejected the criticism. Responding to a music producer on Instagram in June, he said that although he used AI "as a tool, it's not that deep," adding that he has been releasing music long before the AI era and that his focus is on providing his listeners with "good music."
