🔗 Share this article

The music company representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its desire to claim a portion of earnings from a song it asserts was produced using an AI "replica" of the performer's unique voice.

The song, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved massive popularity on social media in October, partly due to its polished soul singing by an unnamed female singer.

Despite its momentum and impending top 40 position in both UK and US, the track was later banned by leading music services after industry organizations sent copyright notices, alleging it breached intellectual property law by imitating another artist.

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

A Larger Principle in Play

"This is not only about one artist. It's larger than one artist or one song," the label wrote in a public announcement.

FAMM also stated its belief that "both versions of the song violate the artist's legal rights and unjustly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she collaborates."

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

Implying that her fans were potentially deceived by Haven's first release, the label added: "We cannot allow this to be the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Technology

The duo responsible for the track have publicly admitted utilizing AI in its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the original vocals were in fact his own but were heavily altered using music-generation software Suno, sometimes called the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the other member, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on social media that AI was used to "give our original vocal a female quality".

Donaghue and Walker maintain that they composed and created the song themselves and have even provided files of their original computer files.

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker said.

"Being a creator and maker, I enjoy using innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Broader Implications

While their first release of 'I Run' was blocked from official charts, the replacement recording did enter the UK Top 40 last week.

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

The label stated it had "a duty to speak up" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing legal oversight".

"Computer-created content should be transparently identified as such so that the public may choose whether they listen to it or not," the message added.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

Smith shared her label's position on her own Instagram profile.

The post warned that artists and songwriters were turning into "unintended casualties in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".

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

"If we are successful in establishing that AI assisted to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Continuing Growth of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the group Velvet Sundown gathered millions of streams before revealing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always opposed to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the industry's major biggest record labels, but those cases have since been settled.

Following this, Warner Music established a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner acts who opt in to the service.

Yet, it remains uncertain how a large number of well-known musicians will agree to such applications 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 quiet studios in protest to potential changes to intellectual property regulations.

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