Major record labels float new rules for AI music on the charts

All three major record companies, alongside an assortment of independent labels and distributors, have proposed a shared set of principles for when AI-generated recordings should be eligible for the music charts, Complete Music Update reported. At a basic level, the rules would let AI-assisted tracks compete but keep entirely AI-generated tracks off the charts, a distinction the group says will let charts "accommodate appropriate use of AI in the creative process whilst remaining an authentic celebration of human artistry." The labels define an AI-assisted track as one that is "substantially human made," a narrower bar than the voluntary AI labelling scheme already floated by the RIAA and IFPI.

Beyond that basic split, the proposal adds several other conditions before an AI-assisted track can chart. The recording has to comply with copyright law and personality rights, and it cannot be built on stream manipulation. Any AI tools used in the process have to be "properly authorised and lawful," meaning artists and labels could only use platforms fully licensed by the music industry, which CMU notes is currently a small share of what exists. The release also cannot breach the terms of the AI platform itself, a rule aimed at stopping AI-generated tracks from leaking out of the closed platforms where major labels want them contained.

The use of AI in a track's creation would also have to be disclosed, likely through the same voluntary labelling scheme the RIAA and IFPI have proposed, which would make that scheme considerably less voluntary for anyone hoping to chart. CMU flags real enforcement problems here too: proving a track is properly licensed means declaring not just that AI was used but which specific tools were involved, and there is not yet a clear public list of which AI platforms are considered legitimate, though initiatives like Fairly Trained are working on one.

Whether any of this sticks depends on the chart compilers themselves, many of whom are connected to or dependent on the same record industry trade groups and labels backing the proposal, which makes broad adoption likely if not guaranteed. The stakes reach beyond bragging rights: even a niche top ten still carries marketing value, and the same principles could extend to how tracks and albums get certified gold or platinum, giving labels another reason to want the rules applied consistently.

The backers so far include Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music alongside Believe, BMG, Concord, Dirty Hit, Glassnote Records, HYBE Corp, Mom+Pop Music and Partisan Records. The same week, a German court delivered its own verdict on AI and music rights, detailed in GEMA's copyright win over Suno.