🔗 Share this article

The record label representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a share of royalties from a song it asserts was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's unique vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive popularity on social media last October, partly due to its smooth R&B singing by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its success and impending chart position in the UK and US, the track was later removed by major streaming platforms after music bodies issued takedown requests, alleging it violated intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original version was made with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now seeking appropriate redress.

A Larger Issue in Play

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. This is bigger than one artist or a single track," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also stated its view that "each versions of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

Known for hits like 'Be Honest' and 'Little Things', Smith was crowned British Female Solo Artist at the annual Brit Awards in 2019.

Suggesting that her supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "Our industry must not allow this to become the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Tools

The duo responsible for the song have openly confirmed using AI during its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a female tone".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and produced the music themselves and have even shared evidence of their original production sessions.

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-powered vocal editing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a songwriter and maker, I like using innovative technologies, methods and staying on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

"In order to set the record straight, the people behind HAVEN are real and people, and all we want to do is make great music for other humans."

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Implications

Although their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from major charts, the replacement recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical precedent for the music industry's evolving relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and substantially exceeding regulation".

"Computer-created material should be clearly identified as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Artists as 'Collateral Damage'

Smith shared her label's position on her own social media profile.

The post cautioned that musicians and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

It also stated that the label would share any potential royalties with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"Should we are successful in proving that AI helped to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to assign each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Growth of AI Music

The proliferation of AI-generated music has been a source of both interest and anxiety for the music industry.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of streams before revealing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year sued for copyright infringement by the world's major biggest record labels, though those legal actions have now been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a collaboration with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the program.

However, it is unclear how a large number of well-known artists will agree to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a group of renowned musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of empty studios in opposition to proposed revisions to copyright law.

They argue these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to develop models using protected work without obtaining a license.