ARIA is working on AI chart rules after an AI Madonna rework topped Australian radio

ARIA, the body behind Australia’s official music charts, confirmed on August 3, 2026 it is “working through” what an AI chart change could look like, The Music reports. The review follows the global framework the major labels proposed in July: generative AI recordings stay off official charts unless they use authorised infrastructure and show human-led artistry.

Australia is a live test case. An AI track didn’t sneak onto a niche playlist here. It became the most-played song on national radio.

The Josh Fawaz “Like A Prayer” rework forcing ARIA’s hand

Josh Fawaz released his AI rework of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” in April. By June it topped the Radio Monitor Hot 100, and it has stayed among the most-played songs on Australian radio since. Radio programmers embraced a track built with AI before the chart body had any rule for it.

That’s the gap ARIA now has to close. Its charts measure what Australia listens to, and what Australia listens to already includes AI.

How ARIA’s review fits the IFPI chart framework

ARIA isn’t starting from zero. The major labels and a group of indies proposed AI chart eligibility rules in July: AI-assisted tracks can chart, fully generated ones can’t, legit licensed tools only, and AI use must be labelled. IFPI has already rolled the framework out across the charts it manages directly.

ARIA also welcomed the global AI labelling standard in July, with CEO Annabelle Herd saying Australian listeners “deserve to know how the music they love has been made.” The organisation has been vocal on AI all year, including its pushback on Australian AI copyright reform. A chart rule is the logical next step, and ARIA is the first national chart body to say publicly it’s drafting one.

What ARIA’s AI chart rules mean if you release AI-assisted music

If you make music with AI in the workflow, the line being drawn matters. Under the labels’ framework, AI-assisted tracks with human-led artistry keep their chart eligibility. Fully generated tracks from unlicensed tools lose it, the same distinction SIQA draws on its dedicated AI music charts.

Expect labelling to carry the load. Charts can only exclude what they can identify, which makes the RIAA and IFPI labelling system the enforcement layer underneath every one of these chart policies.