Only Human-Made AI Tracks Can Chart Under New Music Industry Coalition Rules

Industry Coalition Sets AI Chart Rules

A broad coalition of music companies—including major labels Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group alongside prominent indies like Believe, BMG, Concord, HYBE, and Dirty Hit—has proposed a unified framework governing how AI-assisted music can qualify for official charts.

The core boundary is straightforward: AI-assisted tracks remain eligible for chart inclusion, while fully AI-generated tracks are strictly banned. The coalition defines AI-assisted tracks as recordings that are “substantially human made”.

The 6 Core Requirements for Chart Eligibility

To qualify for official charts, AI-assisted releases must satisfy six specific criteria aimed at enforcing legal and operational standards:

Authorized Tools Only: AI software used in the creative process must be properly authorized and fully licensed by the music industry.
Substantially Human-Made: Human creativity must remain the primary foundation of the work.
No Stream Manipulation: Tracks must not be subjected to fraudulent stream boosting or manipulation tactics.
Legal Compliance: Releases must strictly comply with copyright law, related rights, and personality rights.
Platform Terms: Releases must not breach the user terms of the underlying AI generator (e.g., bypassing “walled garden” sharing restrictions).
Mandatory AI Labeling: Creators must formally declare and label the use of generative AI tools on downstream streaming services.

Enforcement and Broader Impact

Enforcing the “properly authorized” requirement will require artists and labels to explicitly identify which AI tools were used during production.

Because many global chart compilers are owned by or affiliated with record industry trade groups, these principles are expected to be widely adopted across official charts, as well as gold and platinum certification systems.