Madonna, an AI cover of "Like A Prayer" climbs the charts: Australia scrambles to respond

When a hit works, it works forever. Even in "artificial" form. The success of an AI-generated cover of Madonna's Madonna track "Like A Prayer" (listen below) has pushed the Australian record industry to introduce stricter rules. ARIA, the Australian Recording Industry Association, has decided to exclude from its official charts songs created entirely or predominantly through AI systems, with the aim of protecting the human element of artistic production.

The debate was sparked by a version of Madonna's famous track released by Australian DJ Josh Fawaz. To create it, the musician used tools like Suno, letting artificial intelligence generate the vocals and drums. The cover became a huge hit, climbing Australia's radio and sales charts and racking up over 48 million streams on Spotify.
The new rules don't ban the use of AI outright. Artists will still be able to use it as technical support during the creative process, but to qualify for the charts a song will need to be written by humans, while the lead vocal and core instruments must be performed by people.
"Artists are already using AI tools in their work; charts can and must evolve to make room for this new reality, but music generated entirely by services built on artists' recordings is a whole other issue," explained Annabelle Herd, ARIA's chief executive.

"Like A Prayer" is one of the most famous and defining songs of Madonna's career. Released in March 1989, it was the lead single and title track of her fourth studio album, "Like A Prayer".
The song blends pop, rock and gospel, with religious choirs and lyrics built on the ambiguity between carnal passion and spiritual experience. The video, directed by Mary Lambert, showed Madonna among burning crosses, stigmata and the statue of a Black saint coming to life. The story also tackled the theme of racism, depicting the wrongful accusation against a Black man after the assault of a woman.
The imagery sparked protests from religious organizations and the Vatican, prompting Pepsi to pull its advertising campaign featuring the singer. But despite the controversy, "Like A Prayer" hit number one in numerous countries and became one of Madonna's most successful singles.

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