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The record label representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has declared its desire to receive a share of royalties from a track it asserts was produced using an AI "replica" of the performer's distinctive vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British electronic duo Haven, gained widespread popularity on TikTok in October, in part due to its polished soul vocals by an uncredited woman singer.

Although its momentum and potential chart position in both UK and US, the track was subsequently banned by leading streaming platforms after industry bodies issued copyright requests, alleging it breached copyright by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new vocals, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the initial recording was made with AI programmed on her body of work and is now pursuing financial redress.

A Broader Issue in Play

"This is not only about one artist. This is bigger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a recent statement.

FAMM also expressed its belief that "both iterations of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unfairly take advantage of the creative output of all the writers with whom she works."

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 supporters were possibly deceived by Haven's first track, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to become the new normal."

Creators Acknowledge Employing AI Tools

The duo responsible for the song have openly confirmed utilizing AI in its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the initial voice were in fact his own but were extensively altered using AI music platform Suno, sometimes called the "ChatGPT for music".

In addition, the other producer, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "give our original vocal a feminine quality".

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

"This shouldn't be mystery that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform exclusively my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"As a creator and producer, I like using innovative technologies, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he added.

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

Legal Uncertainty and Industry Implications

Although their original release of 'I Run' was blocked from major charts, the new recording did enter the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has framed the incident as a significant precedent for the entertainment sector's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label argued it had "an obligation to speak up" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is advancing at an "alarming rate and significantly outpacing regulation".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Damage'

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

The post warned that musicians and songwriters were becoming "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI dominance".

It also stated that the label would share any awarded songwriting credits with the collaborators behind Smith's music.

"If we are able in proving that AI helped to compose the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are awarded a share of the song, we would seek to allocate every one of Jorja's co-writers with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Continuing Growth of Computer-Generated Music

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

• In June, the band Velvet Sundown accumulated millions of plays before revealing they used AI to help develop their musical style.
• Last month, an AI-generated "artist" called Breaking Rust topped 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 major biggest record labels, though those legal actions have now been settled.

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

However, it is uncertain how a large number of established artists 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 silent songs or audio of empty studios in protest to potential revisions to copyright law.

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