🔗 Share this article

The record label representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a portion of earnings from a song it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's unique voice.

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

Despite its momentum and potential top 40 entry in both UK and US, the track was subsequently banned by leading music services after industry bodies sent takedown notices, stating it violated copyright by impersonating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the initial recording was generated with AI trained on her body of work and is now pursuing financial compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

"This isn't just about Jorja. It's bigger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "both iterations of the song infringe on Jorja's rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Implying that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's original release, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to become the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

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

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were heavily manipulated using AI music software Suno, sometimes called the "advanced tool for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and created the music themselves and have even provided files of their original computer files.

"It shouldn't be secret that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Broader Implications

Although their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the replacement recording managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant test case for the entertainment sector's evolving relationship with AI.

The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Unintended Victims'

Smith shared her label's position on her own Instagram page.

The post cautioned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"Should we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a topic of both interest and consternation for the music industry.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily averse to consuming AI-made music.
• Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the industry's major largest record labels, but those legal actions have now been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership 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 program.

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

Just last week, a collective of prominent musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to proposed changes to copyright law.

They contend these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to develop models using protected work without obtaining a permission.