aceAI-generated cover of Like a Prayer achieving No 1 radio airplay and commercial streaming success
Source article: Is the most popular song played on Australian radio stations the product of generative AI?
An Australian producer has gone from little-known artist to viral sensation in a matter of months, with his hit song catapulting on to global charts and receiving thousands of radio spins. There’s just one problem: music experts and other musicians are questioning whether he produced it. They claim Josh Fawaz’s most popular song, a cover of Madonna’s Like a Prayer which reached the No 1 spot on the National Radio Airplay chart, could have been made using AI. While producers often use software including Ableton L…
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On 13 July 2026 The Guardian reported that Australian producer Josh Fawaz's cover of Madonna's Like a Prayer reached No 1 on the National Radio Airplay chart and amassed 35m Spotify streams, prompting claims from researchers and DJs that the vocal and production show hallmarks of generative AI tools like Suno. Fawaz, credited as performer, said on Instagram he uses AI as a tool to provide good music, while his management did not respond to questions.
The case matters because radio spins and streams generate royalties and chart positions that affect livelihoods, and current Australian radio transparency rules do not apply to music. It highlights unresolved questions about how to value human performance, how to disclose AI creation, and whether copyright law should allow scraping of Australian music to train models, with major networks yet to state policies.
- Australian producer Josh Fawaz's cover of Madonna's Like a Prayer reached No 1 on the National Radio Airplay chart and logged 35m Spotify streams.
- Music experts claim the track has hallmarks of AI generators like Suno, such as being "heavily compressed".
- Fawaz said "I use AI as a tool" and that he cares about "providing my listeners with good music".
- A new commercial radio code requiring transparency about AI-generated voices does not apply to music, and major networks did not provide AI policies.
- Other artists argue AI music receives royalties for streams and radio plays while human artists' work is used to train models.
Producer used generative AI as a tool to create a cover that provided listeners with good music and achieved 35m Spotify streams and No 1 on the National Radio Airplay chart.
AI-generated cover topping radio airplay raises worrying questions about valuing human expression and diverts streaming and radio royalties while training on artists' work.
The rundown
The Guardian reported on 13 July 2026 that Josh Fawaz went from little-known to viral after his cover of Like a Prayer hit No 1 on the National Radio Airplay chart, with 35m Spotify streams and an 18-track covers album reaching No 18 on the Aria Australian artist albums chart. Credits list Fawaz as performer and his uncle Fadi Fawaz on synths and production, but RMIT researcher Sam Whiting and other musicians pointed to signs of Suno-style generation.
Fawaz responded on Instagram that "I use AI as a tool" and that it is "not that deep", while neither he nor his management Hallwood answered Guardian questions. The piece notes a 1 July commercial radio code requiring transparency for AI voices does not cover music, that ARN, Nova and Southern Cross Austereo did not respond on AI policies, and that big tech lobbying to water down Australian copyright to scrape local output has alarmed musicians.
Sources
- JournalismThe Guardian2026-07-13
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