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ARIA updated its Charts Code of Practice so recordings made with generative AI are eligible only if 'substantially human-made' and free of stream or chart manipulation concerns, applying the labelling standard published by the global music community on July 10. Effective with the chart dated August 31, published August 28 — the first national chart to implement the IFPI-backed eligibility principles - though not the first national chart with an AI rule: Finland's Official Chart adopted its own, stricter criteria in July 2026, before the IFPI principles existed.

The Korean Music Copyright Association voted at its eighth board meeting to rescind the amendments it had adopted on 2026-08-03, which had ended its blanket ban on registering AI-assisted works where a human 'substantially and primarily' participated. Works already registered face cancellation at the applicant's request and pending applications are suspended. The reversal followed a National Assembly press conference by Rep. Kim Jae-won on 2026-08-10 and an official letter from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on 2026-08-18 urging broader cultural-sector discussion first. The ban on wholly AI-generated works was never at issue.

Apple told industry partners that content providers will be required to include AI Transparency Tags wherever AI created a material portion of a release, covering artwork, track, composition and music video. The tags surface to listeners as 'Made With AI' labels later in 2026. Detection is left to labels and distributors; Apple deploys no independent detection.

Music IP Holdings, a UMG/Liquidax venture, licensed a portfolio of 24+ patents covering AI moderation, watermarking, licensed distribution and monetization to Udio and GRAI as first adopters, with 50+ further patents pending. Opens a patent-licensing control point over licensed AI music products, separate from the training-data copyright fight.

Independent publisher Round Hill Music filed separate copyright and DMCA circumvention complaints against Suno and Anthropic in N.D. Cal., citing works including 'Iris,' 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' and 'I Got You (I Feel Good).' Roughly 500 songs listed with an amendment promised to 10,000+; damages framed as potentially approaching or exceeding $1 billion per case. Round Hill has signaled it is pursuing a verdict rather than a licensing settlement.

Spotify said it will badge artist profiles whose identity is AI-generated, starting mid-September, and exclude them from editorial and algorithmic recommendations by default unless a listener follows them. Artists can self-disclose or be identified by Spotify's review team, with an appeals path.

Article 50 transparency obligations enter into force: AI-generated or manipulated content must carry machine-readable marks, with visible labels required for deepfakes. The Commission published final implementation guidelines and a Code of Practice on July 20. Generative systems already on the market have until December 2, 2026 to comply.

One day after a coalition of major and independent labels proposed common eligibility principles — recordings must be 'substantially human-made,' created with lawful AI, and free of stream manipulation — IFPI adopts them for the official charts it manages and begins rollout to 20+ national charts including ARIA, SNEP, Offizielle Deutsche Charts, and Circle Chart. ARIA is the first national chart to implement these principles, though Finland's Official Chart had already adopted its own AI eligibility rules two weeks earlier, independently of the IFPI framework.

Musiikkituottajat - IFPI Finland added a dedicated AI section (Section 7) plus a seven-condition annex to the rules of Suomen Virallinen Lista, the Official Finnish Chart. Wholly AI-made recordings are barred; AI-created recordings qualify only if predominantly human-made and produced with properly licensed, lawful services. The annex additionally requires that release not breach the AI service's own terms of use, that AI use be disclosed in distribution channels, and that submitters give accurate information - with misleading disclosure independently grounds for removal. Non-qualifying recordings can be removed retroactively and other chart positions corrected. The rules carry a July 2026 date and the document's file metadata shows creation on 2026-07-16, two weeks before IFPI announced its global principles. Surfaced in English only on 2026-08-30 via AfterDawn; no English-language music trade covered it.

The Western District of North Carolina grants dismissal with prejudice of musician Anders Manga's suit against Stability AI and AudioSparx parent Navarr Enterprises for failure to state a plausible claim, ending the case that tested opt-out mechanisms and intermediary liability. No appeal noted as of August 2026.

A proposed class action in the Northern District of Illinois alleges Google trained Lyria 3 on roughly 44 million clips (280,000 hours) of music scraped from YouTube, with copyright, DMCA, Lanham Act, and Illinois biometric-privacy claims. Google moved to dismiss in June 2026, arguing YouTube's terms of service grant a 'broad license' covering AI training — an argument with implications for every platform-owning AI developer.

Deezer licenses its AI music detection technology to French royalty agency Sacem in first commercial deal of its kind. System detects AI-generated music with 99.8% accuracy, flagged 13.4M tracks in 2025. Plans wider industry rollout during Grammy Week.

Darkwave musician Anders Manga files copyright lawsuit against Stability AI and AudioSparx, alleging his music was used for AI training despite repeated opt-out requests. Case challenges whether opt-out mechanisms and licensing intermediaries provide adequate creator protection.

Attack the Sound LLC sues China's Kunlun Tech in the Northern District of Illinois over its Mureka AI music generator, alleging unauthorized training on copyrighted recordings and voices, false copyright-management information, Illinois biometric voiceprint violations, and deceptive 'royalty-free' marketing. Only the second US copyright suit against a Chinese AI company.

Warner Music Group settles copyright lawsuit with Suno and announces partnership for 'next-generation licensed AI music.' Suno acquires Songkick from WMG as part of the deal. New licensed models to replace current ones in 2026.

Warner Music Group and Udio announce landmark settlement resolving copyright litigation. Udio will develop AI music platform trained on licensed and authorized music, launching 2026. Creates new revenue streams for artists.

Universal Music Group settles copyright lawsuit with Udio. Parties will develop new subscription AI service trained on licensed UMG catalog, launching 2026. Artists can opt-in to different aspects of the service.

Group of independent musicians including Attack the Sound files class action against Suno and Udio in Illinois. Alleges companies scraped lyrics from Genius, AZLyrics, and other databases without licenses in addition to sound recordings.

Anthony Justice and 5th Wheel Records file class action representing independent artists whose works were used for AI training without compensation. Argues major label lawsuits leave indie artists 'without a seat at the table.'

Suno releases updated terms clarifying AI training data usage and user rights amid ongoing litigation. Changes affect how users can use and claim ownership of generated content.

Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group file copyright infringement lawsuits against AI music generators Suno and Udio, alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted recordings for training. Seeking $150,000 per work infringed.

AI music startup Udio, founded by former Google DeepMind researchers, launches publicly with $10M seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. Immediately becomes major Suno competitor.

Spotify removes tens of thousands of AI-generated tracks from Boomy over concerns about artificial streaming fraud. Marks first major platform action against AI music distribution.