🔗 Share this article

The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a share of earnings from a track it asserts was produced using an AI "clone" of the singer's distinctive voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, achieved massive traction on social media in October, in part due to its smooth R&B singing by an unnamed woman vocalist.

Although its momentum and impending top 40 entry in the UK and US, the track was later removed by major streaming platforms after industry organizations sent takedown notices, alleging it violated copyright by imitating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it is convinced the original recording was made with AI programmed on her body of recordings and is now seeking appropriate redress.

A Larger Principle at Stake

"This isn't just about Jorja. It's bigger than one artist or a single track," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM also stated its belief that "each iterations of the song infringe on the artist's rights and unfairly benefit from the work of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Implying that her supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's original release, the label added: "We must not permit this to become the new normal."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Tools

The team responsible for the track have publicly confirmed utilizing AI in its production process.

Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original vocals were actually his own but were extensively manipulated using AI music software Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a female quality".

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

"This is no secret that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"As a songwriter and producer, I enjoy experimenting with new tools, methods and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Impact

While their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the new version did enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical precedent for the entertainment sector's changing interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

"AI-generated material should be transparently labelled as such so that the public may decide whether they listen to it or not," the statement continued.

Artists as 'Unintended Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's statement on her own social media profile.

The text warned that artists and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by governments and tech firms towards AI dominance".

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

"Should we are able in establishing that AI assisted to write the words and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's collaborators with a corresponding share," it explained.

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown accumulated vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US country digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously sued for alleged violations by the industry's major largest record labels, but those legal actions have now been resolved.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner acts who agree to the service.

However, it is uncertain how many well-known musicians will consent to such uses of their work.

Recently, a group of prominent musicians including Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring tracks of silence or recordings of empty studios in protest to proposed changes to copyright law.

They argue these changes would make it easier for AI companies to train models using copyrighted work without securing a permission.