The major labels propose rules to keep AI slop off the charts

To be eligible for the charts, songs would have to be ‘substantially human made,’ whatever that means.

Image: The Verge / Shutterstock

Several record labels, including the big three — Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group — have proposed rules regarding chart eligibility for AI songs. In short, they wouldn’t be.

The proposal goes quite a bit further than a labeling proposal put forth by the RIAA, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), SAG-AFTRA, and others. That would create a set of standardized labels for AI-generated and AI-assisted music. The labels’ proposal would require songs be clearly labeled, but it would also keep them off international charts unless they met specific criteria, including being “substantially human made.”

To be eligible, the songs would also have to respect the terms of service of whatever AI service was used, the model would have to have the rights to any data it was trained on, and “not raise stream or chart manipulation concerns.” What sort of concerns and what constitutes “substatially human made” are currently vague. Sony Music, UMG, and Mom+Pop Music did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.

The IFPI has thrown its weight behind the labels’ proposal, though no charting organization has signaled any immediate plan to adopt the rules, the full list of which are: