🔗 Share this article

The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its intention to claim a portion of earnings from a song it claims was created using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's distinctive voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, achieved massive traction on TikTok in October, in part due to its polished soul singing by an unnamed woman singer.

Despite its success and potential chart position in the UK and US, the song was later banned by leading music services after music organizations issued takedown notices, alleging it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the original version was generated with AI trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Broader Issue in Play

"This is not only about Jorja. This is larger than one artist or a single track," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM also expressed its belief that "each iterations of the track infringe on Jorja's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates."

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

Suggesting that her fans were potentially misled by Haven's original release, the label added: "Our industry cannot permit this to become the new normal."

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

The duo responsible for the song have publicly admitted using AI in its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were actually his own but were extensively manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a feminine quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they wrote and produced the music themselves and have even shared files of their source production sessions.

"It is no mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a creator and producer, I like experimenting with innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Impact

While their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major rankings, the replacement version managed to enter the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the entire episode as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with AI.

The label stated it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and substantially exceeding regulation".

"AI-generated content should be clearly labelled as such so that the audience may choose whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Creators Become 'Unintended Damage'

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

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

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

"If we are successful in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, showing that listeners are not always opposed to hearing computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the world's three biggest record labels, though those legal actions have since been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the voices, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the program.

Yet, it remains unclear how a large number of established musicians will agree to such uses of their work.

Just last week, a group of prominent artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or audio of quiet studios in opposition to potential changes to copyright law.

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