Soul Vocalist the Artist's Record Company Takes a Firm Position Regarding Viral 'Artificial Intelligence Copy' Song

The record label representing Brit Award-winning artist Jorja Smith has declared its intention to claim a share of earnings from a song it claims was created using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by UK electronic duo Haven, achieved massive traction on social media last October, partly due to its smooth R&B singing by an uncredited female vocalist.

Despite its success and potential top 40 entry in both UK and US, the track was later banned by major music services after music bodies issued takedown requests, stating it violated copyright by imitating another musician.

Even though '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 trained on her extensive recordings and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Broader Issue in Play

"This isn't just about Jorja. It's larger than a single performer or one song," the label wrote in a recent announcement.

FAMM further expressed its belief that "both versions of the song violate the artist's rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the songwriters with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were possibly misled by Haven's original track, the label concluded: "Our industry must not allow this to become the standard practice."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The duo behind the song have openly admitted utilizing AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original voice were actually his own but were extensively altered using AI music platform Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

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

Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and created the music themselves and have even provided evidence of their original computer files.

"This is no secret that I used AI-powered vocal editing to convert exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a creator and maker, I like experimenting with innovative technologies, methods and staying on the cutting edge of what's happening," he added.

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

Regulatory Uncertainty and Industry Implications

Although their original version of 'I Run' was blocked from major charts, the new recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's changing relationship with AI.

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 legal oversight".

"Computer-created content should be transparently labelled as such so that the public may decide whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

The post warned that artists and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by governments 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 able in establishing that AI assisted to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a share of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Rise of Computer-Generated Music

The proliferation of algorithmically created music has been a topic of both interest and anxiety for the entertainment world.

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help develop their sound.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped a US genre digital song sales chart, demonstrating that audiences are not always averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously sued for copyright infringement by the world's three biggest record labels, though those cases have now been settled.

Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the program.

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

Recently, a collective of renowned artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush released a vinyl album containing silent songs or recordings of empty studios in protest to proposed revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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