Australia's music industry body bans fully AI-made songs from official charts

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has unveiled a new Code of Practice that excludes fully AI-generated tracks from the nation's official music charts, with the policy taking effect this Friday.

Under the new rules, songs that use generative AI merely as a supporting tool can still be counted, provided the track is "substantially human made" and raises no concerns about stream or chart manipulation. Tracks that fail to meet these standards will also be ineligible for ARIA Awards.

Industry rationale

ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said the charts must remain a transparent reflection of what Australians actually listen to, adding that rewarding unlicensed AI output on the charts would undermine the foundation of the recorded music industry ARIA represents. She called on all parties involved in deciding what music is played and promoted to Australian audiences — particularly radio broadcasters — to back human artistry and adopt similar restrictions in their own codes.

Part of a wider shift

ARIA's move aligns with a broader push across the global recording industry. The new policy echoes recommendations on AI use that the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) issued in July. Last month, a coalition of major labels — including Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — also called on charting organizations to bar what they termed AI-generated "slop" from their rankings.