A coalition of major record labels and music companies, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music, has proposed new guidelines to restrict which AI-generated tracks can qualify for official music charts. The proposal, announced on Wednesday, calls for chart eligibility to be limited to songs that are "substantially human made," aiming to draw a clear line between human-led creativity and content produced by unauthorised or purely synthetic AI models.

The coalition, which also includes Believe, BMG, Concord, Dirty Hit, Glassnote Records, HYBE Corp., Mom+Pop Music and Partisan Records, set out four proposed criteria: that AI tools used must be properly authorised and lawful, that tracks be substantially human made, that they raise no concerns over stream or chart manipulation, and that any use of generative AI be disclosed on platforms. The move follows several of these same labels suing AI music platforms Suno and Udio over training data, and comes after AI-generated tracks have already appeared on niche Billboard charts such as Hot Gospel Songs and Hot R&B, though none have yet reached the Hot 100. It also follows an earlier initiative this month by industry bodies including the RIAA, IFPI, the Grammys and SAG-AFTRA to introduce AI labelling for music releases.