🔗 Share this article

The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its intention to receive a share of royalties from a song it asserts was created using an AI "replica" of the singer's distinctive vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved massive popularity on social media in October, in part due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Although its momentum and impending chart entry in the UK and US, the track was subsequently removed by leading streaming platforms after music bodies issued copyright requests, alleging it breached copyright by imitating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has now been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the original recording was generated with AI programmed on her body of work and is now seeking financial compensation.

A Broader Principle at Stake

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. It's larger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a recent statement.

FAMM also stated its view that "both versions of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Implying that her supporters were possibly misled by Haven's first release, the label added: "Our industry cannot permit this to be the standard practice."

Creators Acknowledge Using AI Tools

The duo responsible for the song have publicly admitted utilizing AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial vocals were in fact his own but were heavily altered using AI music platform Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and created the song themselves and have even provided evidence of their source production sessions.

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

"Being a creator and producer, I enjoy using new tools, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Impact

Although their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from official rankings, the replacement recording did break into the UK Top 40 last week.

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

The label stated it had "a duty to voice concerns" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly exceeding legal oversight".

"Computer-created material should be transparently labelled as such so that the public may decide whether they consume it or not," the message continued.

Artists as 'Collateral Victims'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her personal Instagram profile.

The text cautioned that musicians and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

It further stated that the label would distribute any awarded royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's catalogue.

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

The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The emergence of AI-generated music has been a topic of both fascination and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of plays before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, showing that audiences are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's major biggest record labels, but those legal actions have now been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the company, which will allow users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the program.

Yet, it remains uncertain how a large number of well-known musicians will consent to such uses of their identity.

Just last week, a collective of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album containing silent songs or recordings of quiet studios in opposition to proposed changes to copyright law.

They contend these amendments would make it simpler for AI companies to train systems using protected work without securing a license.