AI Music in Australia: Paul Dempsey and Gordi Call for Mandatory Labelling of AI-Generated Tracks on Streaming Services
Australian Financial Review
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Details
- Date Published
- 12 June 2026
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 12 June 2026, 04:00 am
Description
Songs generated by artificial intelligence now account for just under half the songs on streaming services and are diverting royalties from human artists.
Summary
Australian musicians are advocating for mandatory labelling of AI-generated content as synthetic tracks now reportedly constitute nearly half of all new uploads to streaming platforms. This expansion of AI creative capabilities threatens the economic viability of human artists by diverting royalty streams toward algorithmically generated content. While the article highlights significant shifts in frontier AI outputs within the creative industries, it primarily addresses copyright and labor displacement rather than systemic catastrophic risks. The push for mandatory labelling reflects growing national policy interest in transparency frameworks for synthetic media within the Australian regulatory landscape.
Body
Life & LuxuryArts & CultureAIPrint articleMichael BaileyArts & Culture editorJun 12, 2026 – 11.55amPaul Dempsey has one of the most distinctive voices in Australian music, but he’s worried about being drowned out by a flood of artificially generated tracks amid reports that up to 44 per cent of songs being uploaded to music streaming services involve no human creativity.The Something For Kate frontman has joined a chorus of Australian musicians calling for the mandatory labelling of music by streaming services if they detect it has been created wholly or partially by artificial intelligence.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreAINew musicSpotifyCopyrightAFR WeekendFetching latest articles