In a recent Billboard discussion, Xania Monet's manager Romel Murphy and Black Music Action Coalition CEO Willie “Prophet” Stiggers debated whether AI-generated music should share charts with human-created works. The conversation highlighted 2025 as the first year AI tracks appeared on major platforms like Billboard, TikTok, and Spotify. They also addressed radio policies excluding AI content.
The debate, hosted by Kristin Robinson and published on December 19, 2025, comes amid the rising popularity of AI-generated music. This year marked a milestone, with tracks such as “A Million Colors” by Vinih Pray entering the TikTok Viral 50, “We Are Charlie Kirk” by Spalexma reaching the Spotify U.S. chart, Xania Monet’s “How Was I Supposed To Know” hitting the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, and Breaking Rust’s “Walk My Walk” landing on the Country Digital Song Sales chart.
Romel Murphy, president and founder of Daidream (a play on AI), manages Xania Monet, an AI artist created by Nikki Jones, who writes poetry and uses Suno to produce songs. With over 20 years in the music industry, Murphy was thrust into AI music unexpectedly. He advocates for AI tracks to compete on the same charts as human works, viewing streaming services and platforms like Billboard, TikTok, and Spotify as neutral fields based on popularity.
In contrast, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, co-founder, president, and CEO of the Black Music Action Coalition—formed in 2020 following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery—argues that “AI-generated artists shouldn’t be on the same charts as human beings.” The coalition, comprising influential producers, artists, managers, and lawyers, focuses on accountability in social and racial justice within the music industry.
The discussion also touched on hybrid tracks blending human and AI elements, raising questions about separation or integration. On radio, they referenced iHeartRadio’s “Guaranteed Human” policy, which bans most AI songs, personalities, and podcasts nationwide, recently removing Monet’s tracks from airwaves.
This exchange underscores broader challenges in the music business as AI blurs lines between creation methods, potentially reshaping chart methodologies and artist opportunities.
