The record label representing award-winning artist Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a share of royalties from a track it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "replica" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.
The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive traction on TikTok last October, in part due to its smooth R&B singing by an uncredited woman singer.
Although its momentum and impending chart position in the UK and US, the song was subsequently removed by leading music services after industry organizations issued takedown notices, alleging it breached copyright by impersonating another musician.
Even though 'I Run' has since been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the initial recording was made with AI trained on her body of recordings and is now seeking appropriate redress.
A Larger Principle at Stake
"This isn't just about one artist. It's larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a public announcement.
FAMM also stated its view that "both versions of the track violate the artist's rights and unjustly benefit from the creative output of all the writers with whom she collaborates."
Known for hits like 'Be Honest' and 'Little Things', Smith was crowned British Female Solo Artist at the annual Brit Awards in 2019.
Suggesting that her fans were potentially misled by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "We must not permit this to become the new normal."
Creators Acknowledge Employing AI Technology
The team behind the track have publicly confirmed utilizing AI in its creation.
Producer Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were in fact his own but were heavily manipulated using music-generation platform Suno, often called the "ChatGPT for music".
Meanwhile, the second member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, stated on his accounts that AI was used to "give our starting vocal a female quality".
Donaghue and Walker assert that they wrote and created the song themselves and have even provided evidence of their original production sessions.
"This is no secret that I used AI-assisted vocal editing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.
"As a songwriter and maker, I like using innovative technologies, techniques and staying on the forefront of industry trends," he continued.
"In order to set the facts straight, the people behind HAVEN are actual and human, and all we aim to do is make enjoyable music for other humans."
Legal Gray Areas and Broader Impact
Although their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the replacement version did enter the UK Top 40 recently.
FAMM has positioned the entire episode as a critical precedent for the music industry's changing relationship with artificial intelligence.
The label argued it had "a duty to speak up" and "stimulate wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing regulation".
"AI-generated material should be transparently identified as such so that the public may decide whether they consume it or not," the statement continued.
Artists as 'Unintended Damage'
Smith endorsed her label's position on her personal Instagram page.
The post warned that artists and songwriters were turning into "collateral damage in the race by policymakers and tech firms towards AI supremacy".
It also noted that the label would distribute any potential royalties with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.
"Should we are able in establishing that AI assisted to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would seek to assign each of Jorja's co-writers with a corresponding share," it explained.
The Ongoing Rise of Computer-Generated Music
The emergence of AI-generated music has been a source of both fascination and consternation for the music industry.
- In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of streams before disclosing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
- Last month, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, demonstrating that listeners are not always opposed to consuming computer-generated music.
- Suno was last year sued for alleged violations by the world's three largest record labels, but those legal actions have since been resolved.
Subsequently, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the firm, which will enable users to generate songs using the voices, names, and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in to the program.
However, it remains unclear how many established musicians will consent to such applications of their work.
Just last week, a group of prominent artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn, and Kate Bush issued a vinyl album featuring silent songs or recordings of empty studios in protest to proposed changes to copyright law.
They contend these changes would make it simpler for AI companies to develop models using protected work without obtaining a license.
