🔗 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 track it asserts was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

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

Although its momentum and potential top 40 position in both UK and US, the song was later removed by leading music services after music organizations sent copyright notices, stating it breached copyright by imitating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has since been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the initial version was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Broader Issue in Play

"This isn't just about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or one song," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "each iterations of the track violate the artist's rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

Known for songs like 'Be Honest' and 'Little Things', Smith was named British Female Solo Artist at the prestigious Brit Awards in 2019.

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to become the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Technology

The team responsible for the track have openly admitted utilizing AI during its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original vocals were actually his own but were heavily altered using music-generation software Suno, often called the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the second member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a female tone".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and produced the song themselves and have even shared files of their original computer files.

"This is no mystery that I used AI-powered vocal editing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and producer, I like experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of what's happening," he continued.

"In order to set the facts clear, the people behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we want to do is make great music for fellow humans."

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the new recording did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant test case for the music industry's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

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

"AI-generated material should be clearly labelled as such so that the audience may choose whether they consume it or not," the statement added.

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her personal social media page.

The post warned that musicians and songwriters were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by governments and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

It further noted that the label would distribute any potential royalties with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"Should we are able in establishing that AI assisted to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Continuing Growth of AI Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a topic of both fascination and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was previously sued for alleged violations by the world's three biggest record labels, but those cases have now been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will allow users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

However, it is unclear how many established musicians will consent to such uses of their work.

Recently, a collective of prominent musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or recordings of empty studios in opposition to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They contend these amendments would make it easier for AI companies to develop systems using copyrighted work without obtaining a license.