Is the most popular song on Australian radio stations produced by AI?
Australian producer Josh Fawaz's cover of Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' has topped airplay charts, but experts suspect it was created using generative AI, sparking debate about royalties and artistic integrity.
An Australian producer has gone from a little-known artist to a viral sensation in months, with his hit song catapulting onto global charts and receiving thousands of radio spins. But music experts and other musicians are questioning whether he produced it. They claim Josh Fawaz’s most popular song, a cover of Madonna’s 'Like a Prayer' which reached #1 on the National Radio Airplay chart, could have been made using AI.
While producers often use software or pitch-shifting tools, or use AI to mix, master or enhance tracks, in an AI-created song, generative AI is the creator, requiring only a text prompt from a human. The song credits on 'Like a Prayer' list Fawaz as the 'performer' (vocalist) and his uncle, Fadi Fawaz, on synths and production.
But Sam Whiting, a senior research fellow at RMIT’s school of media and communication, says 'Like a Prayer' has hallmarks of AI music generators like Suno, such as being 'heavily compressed'. 'This is a very impressive vocal performance if it was delivered by a human, but if it’s not, that brings in really worrying questions around what we value any more in terms of human expression.'
Fawaz said on Instagram, 'I use AI as a tool. What I care about is providing my listeners with good music.' He began releasing music in the 2010s, but only gained commercial success after pivoting to covers this year, starting with 'Like a Prayer' in April and later his debut album 'Dance Like Nobody’s Watching'. Since its release, his version has had 35 million streams on Spotify and topped the iTunes Electronic chart worldwide; the album also climbed to #18 on the ARIA Australian artist albums chart.
On 1 July, a new commercial radio code of practice came into effect requiring transparency about AI-generated voices on air, but it doesn’t apply to music. Major radio networks ARN, NOVA Entertainment and Southern Cross Austereo did not respond to requests for comment.
Late last month, producer and DJ Needs No Sleep described AI-generated content as the 'biggest issue in music right now', noting that AI-produced music receives royalties each time it is streamed or played on the radio, and artists' work is used to train AI models. 'If this is the future of music production … then we really are cooked.'
Fawaz hit back on Instagram, claiming he used AI 'as a tool'. 'It’s not that deep,' he wrote. 'I’ve been releasing music way before AI was invented. What I care about is providing my listeners with good music. Maybe you should do the same.'
A spokesperson for APRA and AMCOS said Fawaz has been a member since 2021, and how 'Like a Prayer' was recorded wouldn’t impact royalty payments to the original human rights holders. 'The song is a remix/cover of a work by Madonna and Patrick Leonard. As the original human rights holders, they will be entitled to all performance royalties in the usual manner.'
Whiting said streaming culture and 'TikTok-ification' have primed listeners for AI-produced sounds. 'The reason AI music is not being more heavily interrogated is because streaming has conditioned us not to engage with music in a critical, proactive way. And commercial radio in Australia has decided to heavily promote this track without any scrutiny.'
