🔗 Share this article

The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to claim a portion of royalties from a track it claims was produced using an AI "replica" of the singer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, gained massive popularity on social media in October, in part due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Despite its momentum and impending top 40 entry in both UK and US, the track was subsequently removed by leading streaming platforms after industry bodies sent copyright requests, alleging it violated intellectual property law by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with different vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial recording was made with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Broader Issue in Play

"This isn't just about Jorja. It's larger than a single performer or a single track," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM further expressed its view that "both versions of the song infringe on the artist's rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

Known for songs 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 possibly misled by Haven's original track, the label added: "Our industry must not allow this to be the new normal."

Producers Admit Using AI Tools

The duo behind the track have publicly admitted utilizing AI in its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were actually his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a feminine tone".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and produced the song themselves and have even provided evidence of their original computer files.

"It is no secret that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a songwriter and maker, I like using new tools, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

"To set the facts straight, the people behind HAVEN are real and human, and all we aim to do is make great music for other humans."

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Impact

While their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from major rankings, the replacement recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a significant test case for the music industry's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "rapid rate and significantly outpacing legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith shared her label's statement on her personal Instagram page.

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

It also stated that the label would distribute any awarded songwriting credits with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"If we are able in proving that AI helped to write the words and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of algorithmically created music has been a topic of both fascination and anxiety for the music industry.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's major largest record labels, though those legal actions have since been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a collaboration with the company, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the service.

Yet, it is unclear how many well-known artists will consent to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a collective of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or audio of quiet studios in opposition to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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