🔗 Share this article

The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a share of earnings from a song it asserts was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the singer's distinctive voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved widespread popularity on social media in October, partly due to its polished soul vocals by an uncredited female vocalist.

Although its momentum and potential chart position in the UK and US, the song was later banned by leading music services after music bodies sent copyright requests, alleging it breached copyright by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original recording was generated with AI programmed on her body of work and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Broader Principle at Stake

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

FAMM further expressed its view that "each versions of the track violate Jorja's rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to be the standard practice."

Creators Acknowledge Using AI Tools

The team behind the track have openly admitted utilizing AI during its creation.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the initial vocals were actually his own but were extensively manipulated using music-generation software Suno, often referred to as the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a feminine quality".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and produced the song themselves and have even provided files of their source production sessions.

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

"Being a songwriter and producer, I like experimenting with new tools, methods and staying on the cutting edge of industry trends," he added.

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

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Impact

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

FAMM has positioned the incident as a critical precedent for the music industry's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing regulation".

"AI-generated content should be clearly identified as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the message continued.

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her own Instagram page.

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

It also noted that the label would share any awarded royalties with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"Should we are able in establishing that AI helped to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to allocate every one of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of streams before revealing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US country sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily averse to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously sued for alleged violations by the world's major largest record labels, though those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a collaboration with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

However, it is uncertain how many established artists will agree to such uses of their work.

Recently, a group of prominent artists including 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 potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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