Learn — By WATMM Desk —
AI rules for awards and charts: Grammys, Junos, ARIA, Billboard, the UK and more (tracker)
A living table of what the Grammys, the Junos, the Mercury Prize, ARIA, Spain, Finland, the IFPI-run charts, Billboard and the UK Official Charts say about music made with AI: who can enter, what you have to declare, and who decides. Each row cites the rule we read and the date we read it.
Key facts
- The Grammys and the Junos both bar works with no human authorship but allow some AI material; both leave the final call to the academy.
- ARIA requires a generative AI declaration with every release submitted to its chart survey, from the chart dated 31 Aug 2026.
- On the pages we read, Billboard, the UK Official Charts and the Mercury Prize publish no AI eligibility rule.
This is a living table of what music's big awards and official charts say about recordings made with AI. For each one it answers three questions: can AI-made work get in, what do you have to declare, and who makes the call. Every row cites the rule we read and the date we read it. Where we couldn't find a published rule, we say so instead of guessing.
For the long read on the Grammy wording, see the 2027 Grammys' AI rule in plain English. For the chart side, see who gets to chart and ARIA and Beatport's AI line. For the streaming services, see our streaming platforms tracker. This page is the reference table.
The table
| Award or chart | Can AI-made work get in? | What you declare or prove | Who decides | Source (read) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards (69th, 2027) | Only human creators can enter, be nominated or win. A work with "no human authorship" is out. Work with AI material is eligible if the human part is "meaningful and more than de minimis" and fits the category (music or lyrics for songwriting, the performance for performance categories) | The rulebook names no AI declaration. CEO Harvey Mason jr. says that in songwriting categories "a majority of the song must be written by a human" | The Academy | Rulebook, Rule One; Mason interview, 16 Jun 2026, 27 Oct 2026 |
| JUNO Awards (2027) | AI elements are allowed but "cannot be the sole or core component." Humans must be the "primary creative contributor(s)." No human authorship means not eligible | Applicants must be able to prove a human is the primary creative contributor. In technical categories, proof that the technical work is human effort | "Final decisions on AI eligibility is at the discretion of CARAS" | Criteria that cross all categories, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Mercury Prize (2026) | No AI rule in the entry terms | Nothing AI-specific | n/a | Terms of entry, 27 Oct 2026 |
| ARIA Charts (Australia) | Wholly AI-generated recordings are out, including an AI lead vocal or key instrumental. AI-assisted work (human song, lead vocal and primary instruments) and AI in production (mastering, stem separation) are in | A generative AI declaration with every release submitted to the survey, from the chart dated 31 Aug 2026 | ARIA. Disputes can go to the Chart & Marketing Committee, then the ARIA Board, which has the final word | ARIA FAQs, 27 Oct 2026 |
| IFPI-run charts (MENA, Southeast Asia, South Africa, eight in Latin America) | Out where there is "reason to believe" a recording fails any of six principles. The three core ones: authorised and lawful AI service, "substantially human made", no manipulation | AI use signalled to consumers on downstream services, under law or industry labelling standards | IFPI | IFPI, 30 Jul 2026, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Other IFPI network charts (e.g. Germany, France, Ireland, Korea's Circle Chart, New Zealand) | IFPI lists 24 national charts it is working with to apply the same principles. We haven't read each one's own rules | Not checked per country yet | Each national chart | IFPI, 30 Jul 2026, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Promusicae charts (Spain) | All six IFPI principles, formally approved by both boards | AI use signalled downstream | Promusicae and AGEDI | AGEDI, 24 Sep 2026, 27 Oct 2026 |
| Official Finnish Chart (Suomen Virallinen Lista) | Songs or albums made and/or produced entirely with AI are out. AI-created recordings are in only if "mainly human made" and the services used are properly licensed and legal. Out-of-rule recordings can be removed, even retroactively | The rules point to a separate AI guidance annex; no declaration form is named in the rules | The chart committee (Listakomitea), on the information it has; producers or artists can ask it to reconsider | Chart rules, section 7 (July 2026, in Finnish; our translation), 27 Oct 2026 |
| Billboard (US, plus Billboard Canada) | No exclusion rule published. Billboard says it will "tag and identify AI-created songs" on its charts and in coverage | Nothing formal | Billboard. Its data partner Luminate labels fully AI songs "AI Generated", but hasn't said whether those labels affect chart eligibility | Billboard Canada, 25 Aug 2026; Luminate, 25 Aug 2026, 27 Oct 2026 |
| UK Official Charts | No AI rule. The chart rules page and the singles chart rules (dated August 2023) don't mention AI, and the UK isn't on IFPI's list (Ireland is) | Nothing found | Official Charts Company | Chart rules page; Singles chart rules, Aug 2023; IFPI list, 27 Oct 2026 |
"No rule found" means we couldn't find a published one. It doesn't mean anything goes, and a body can still decide case by case.
Three things the table shows
Awards judge people; charts judge recordings. The Grammys and the Junos ask whether a human made the part being honoured. The charts ask whether the recording as a whole is human enough, lawful and honestly counted. So the same track could be eligible to chart and still be unable to win a songwriting Grammy for an AI-written lyric, or the other way round.
The bar is different in each place, and only one is close to a number. "More than de minimis" (Grammy rulebook), "primary creative contributor" (Junos), "substantially human made" (IFPI, ARIA, Spain) and "a majority of the song" (Mason's own words) are four different tests. Our reading: the Grammy rulebook sets the lowest written bar and Mason's interview the highest. None gives a percentage.
The two biggest English-language charts haven't drawn a line. Billboard is labelling, not excluding, and the UK Official Charts Company's published rules still date from August 2023, before any of this, and don't mention AI. Even Finland, a far smaller market, now has a written AI section. ARIA, a smaller market, went first, with a declaration form and a written appeal path.
What we think
If you use AI anywhere in a release, the practical rule is the same everywhere: keep evidence of the human work before anyone asks. Two of these bodies (the Junos and ARIA) already ask for proof or a declaration, and the Grammys can ask you for more information. Dated drafts, session files and stems are cheap to keep and hard to fake later.
We also think the authorised-and-lawful test in the IFPI principles matters more than the "human" test. It makes eligibility depend partly on which tool you used, not only on what you did. A human-led track with one part from an unlicensed generator could fail it. Until the big US and UK charts publish rules, the stricter IFPI test is the one to plan for if you want to chart anywhere outside the US.
How we keep this table
We re-read each rule on every refresh, update the date in the row and add a line to the changelog. Next on our list: the national charts on IFPI's list (starting with Germany, France and Ireland), Finland's separate AI guidance annex, and other awards such as the ARIA Music Awards and the BRITs. Spot a change before we do? Tell us and we'll check it.
Sources
- 69th Grammy Awards Rulebook, Recording Academy (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Harvey Mason jr. on the 2027 Grammys, Recording Academy (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Criteria That Cross All Categories, The JUNO Awards (CARAS) (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Terms & Conditions of Entry, Mercury Prize (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- ARIA chart changes FAQs, ARIA (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- IFPI rolls out global principles for the eligibility of recordings developed using AI in official music charts worldwide, IFPI (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Promusicae and AGEDI adopt principles for AI recordings in Spain's official charts, AGEDI (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Billboard on AI-generated music and transparency, Billboard Canada (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Luminate AI music identification, Luminate (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Suomen Virallisen Listan säännöt (July 2026), Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Chart rules, Official Charts Company (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
- Official UK Singles Chart Rules (August 2023), Official Charts Company (primary source). Accessed 27 Oct 2026.
Researched with AI assistance, written and checked by WATMM Desk.
Change log
- : First version: ten awards and charts, all sources read 26 Oct 2026.
- : Weekly refresh: every row re-read 27 Oct 2026, no rule changes found. Finland row now cites the chart rules themselves (section 7) instead of a news report. UK row now cites the Official Charts rules page and singles chart rules (Aug 2023), which say nothing about AI.