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The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a portion of earnings from a track it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The song, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, gained widespread popularity on TikTok last October, in part due to its smooth soul vocals by an unnamed female singer.

Despite its success and impending chart position in both UK and US, the track was later removed by major streaming platforms after industry bodies issued copyright requests, stating it violated copyright by impersonating another musician.

Although 'I Run' has now been re-released with different singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial recording was generated with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Broader Issue in Play

"This isn't just about Jorja. This is bigger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a public announcement.

FAMM also expressed its belief that "both iterations of the song infringe on the artist's rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

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

Creators Admit Employing AI Technology

The duo responsible for the track have openly confirmed using AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were actually his own but were extensively altered using music-generation platform Suno, sometimes referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the second member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on social media that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a female tone".

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

"It shouldn't be secret that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and maker, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and remaining on the forefront of industry trends," he added.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Implications

While their first version of 'I Run' was blocked from official rankings, the new recording managed to enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the entire episode 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 "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 choose whether they consume it or not," the message added.

Artists as 'Collateral Victims'

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

The text cautioned that musicians and creators were becoming "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

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

"If we are successful in establishing that AI helped to compose 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 pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Ongoing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their sound.
• Last month, an AI-generated "performer" called Breaking Rust led a US country sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not necessarily opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was last year taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's three biggest record labels, though those cases have now been resolved.

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

However, it is unclear how many 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 silent songs or audio of quiet studios in protest to potential revisions to copyright law.

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