Australia’s music charts ban AI-made songs amid backlash over Madonna cover

Published On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026.

Key points

• "Many large commercial AI music generation companies have assumed they can scrape training data without permission, and so are potentially predatory on artists, " Bown informed Al Jazeera.
• "More work needs to be done on the legal and intellectual property fronts to enable more trust and clarity in these tools, " Zavada informed Al Jazeera.
• AI-generated music will additionally not be considered for recognition at the annual ARIA Music Awards under the new rules.
• Josh Fawaz last month belatedly acknowledged using AI on the track after music fans and producers raised suspicions that it was not produced by a human.
• Fawaz, who has defended the employ of AI as a "tool" in his music, described ARIA's new rules as a "great move".

Australia's official music charts have banned tracks mostly created by artificial intelligence (AI) after a backlash over a cover of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" that relied heavily on the burgeoning technology.

While tracks that employ AI in a "supporting role" will still be eligible, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) stated on Tuesday, "Wholly AI-generated" music will be excluded from the charts under the changes.

AI-generated music will additionally not be considered for recognition at the annual ARIA Music Awards under the new rules. It are set to take effect on Friday.

ARIA remarked it would rely on a labelling system introduced by music industry groups last month to distinguish AI-generated tracks from those that apply AI to complement human creativity.

Under the labelling rules confirmed by a coalition of organisations including the Recording Industry Association of America, tracks may be labelled "AI-Generated" or "AI-Assisted" depending on the level of human involvement in the writing and recording process.

Tracks are classed as "AI-Generated" if AI was applied to create the "entirety or the primary portion of the creative elements of the recording" and "AI-Assisted" if the technology was employed only for "some expressive elements".

ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd remarked while the music charts should evolve to reflect the legitimate apply of AI, they should not recognise music generated "wholesale" by technology that relies on other artists' work.

"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, " Herd remarked in an official note.

ARIA, whose members include major music labels such as Sony Music Entertainment Australia and Universal Music Australia, publishes more than two dozen weekly music charts in Australia, including the top 50 singles and top 50 albums.

Notably, the industry association's decision comes after a Brisbane-based DJ's chart-topping cover of Madonna's 1989 hit Like a Prayer attracted a backlash over its employ of AI-generated vocals and drums.

In practice, the cover has racked up more than 48.5 million listens on music streaming platform Spotify and at present ranks number one on the ARIA Top 20 Australian Dance Singles Chart.

"I understand that AI in music isn't for everyone and that's fine. Good to see Aussie artists killing it globally!" Fawaz wrote in a social media post responding to the announcement.

Oliver Bown, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales who researches the relationship between technology and art, remarked the impact of AI on creative industries such as music demands urgent attention.

"I believe people can do great artistic work using AI respectfully, but there is also a predatory phenomenon whereby you can just go fishing for plays and profits, " he continued.

"Plenty of organisations have developed rules concerning AI employ and an increasing number see the need to ban full-AI works. I think this is the right thing to do."

Ivan Zavada, a senior lecturer in composition and music technology at the University of Sydney, remarked the changes have been widely viewed as a "necessary step" to protect "genuine human musical creativity and performance".

"AI will be an essential part of standard music production in the particularly near future. We are living a particularly exciting yet concerning transition period in the digital and electronic arts."

For now, australia's music charts ban AI-made songs amid backlash over Madonna cover remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.