🔗 Share this article

The music company representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a share of earnings from a track it claims was produced using an AI "replica" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained massive popularity on TikTok in October, partly due to its polished R&B vocals by an unnamed woman singer.

Although its momentum and impending top 40 entry in both UK and US, the song was subsequently banned by leading streaming platforms after industry organizations issued takedown requests, alleging it breached intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it is convinced the original version was made with AI programmed on her extensive work and is now seeking appropriate redress.

A Broader Principle in Play

"The situation isn't just about Jorja. It's larger than one artist or a single track," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "both versions of the song violate the artist's rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "We must not permit this to become the standard practice."

Creators Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The duo responsible for the song have publicly confirmed using AI during its creation.

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

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a female tone".

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

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

"As a songwriter and maker, I enjoy experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he continued.

"To set the facts clear, the artists behind HAVEN are real and people, and all we aim to do is make enjoyable music for fellow humans."

Legal Gray Areas and Broader Implications

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

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a significant precedent for the music industry's evolving interaction with AI.

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

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

The text warned that artists and creators were turning into "unintended casualties in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

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

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before disclosing they used AI to aid craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust led a US country sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's major largest record labels, though those legal actions have now been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a collaboration with the firm, which will allow users to create songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner acts who agree to the service.

However, it remains unclear how a large number of established artists will agree to such uses of their identity.

Recently, a group of renowned musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing tracks of silence or recordings of empty studios in protest to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

They contend these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to train systems using copyrighted work without obtaining a license.