AIBRIEF
A coalition of major labels is asking chart operators to disqualify mass produced AI songs and require any AI involvement to be 'demonstrably lawful,' but the ask is non binding.
Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group, joined by BMG, Concord, HYBE, and Believe, are asking chart operators from Billboard to Spotify to disqualify any track that is primarily AI-generated or that may be tied to streaming fraud, The Hollywood Reporter first reported.
The coalition's principles, carried by Music Business Worldwide, would restrict chart eligibility to "primarily human-made" songs and require any AI involvement to be "demonstrably lawful." Variety and the Los Angeles Times report the same proposal.
The ask follows the major labels' copyright suits against Suno and Udio over alleged unlicensed training on label catalogs, and arrives after Spotify removed more than 75 million "spammy tracks" last year. Google's Lyria Pro 3 can now generate three-minute tracks with intros, choruses, and bridges, pushing the cost of producing a chart-eligible song toward zero.
The proposal is non-binding. Billboard, Spotify, and the other chart operators can ignore it, and "primarily human-made" has no operational test yet. RIAA and IFPI have separately proposed a labeling flag for AI-generated songs; Apple has introduced AI "Transparency Tags," but their application sits with labels and distributors.