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The music company representing Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its desire to claim a portion of royalties from a song it claims was produced using an artificial intelligence "clone" of the performer's unique voice.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved widespread traction on TikTok last October, partly due to its polished soul singing by an uncredited female vocalist.

Despite its success and potential chart entry in both UK and US, the song was later banned by leading music services after industry bodies issued copyright notices, alleging it violated copyright by impersonating another artist.

Although 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, insists it believes the original recording was made with AI trained on her body of work and is now pursuing appropriate compensation.

A Larger Principle in Play

"This isn't just about one artist. This is bigger than one artist or one song," the label stated in a recent announcement.

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

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

Suggesting that her fans were possibly misled by Haven's first release, the label concluded: "We must not permit this to become the new normal."

Producers Acknowledge Employing AI Technology

The duo responsible for the track have openly confirmed using AI in its production process.

Songwriter Harrison Walker clarified that the original voice were in fact his own but were extensively manipulated using AI music software Suno, often referred to as the "ChatGPT for music".

Meanwhile, the second producer, Waypoint, identified as Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our starting vocal a feminine quality".

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

"This is no mystery that I used AI-powered vocal processing to convert solely my voice for 'I Run'," Walker elaborated.

"Being a songwriter and producer, I like experimenting with new tools, techniques and staying on the cutting edge of industry trends," he continued.

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

Regulatory Gray Areas and Industry Implications

While their original release of 'I Run' was suspended from official charts, the new recording managed to break into the UK Top 40 recently.

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

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

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

Artists as 'Collateral Damage'

Smith endorsed her label's position on her personal Instagram page.

The text cautioned that musicians and creators were becoming "unintended casualties in the competition by policymakers and corporations towards AI supremacy".

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

"If we are successful in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and tune in 'I Run' and are granted a portion of the song, we would aim to allocate each of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it detailed.

The Continuing Rise of AI Music

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

• In June, the group Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to aid develop their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "performer" known as Breaking Rust led a US genre sales chart, showing that listeners are not necessarily averse to hearing AI-made music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for alleged violations by the industry's three biggest record labels, but those legal actions have since been resolved.

Following this, Warner Music entered into a partnership with the company, which will enable users to create songs using the vocal likenesses, names, and images of Warner artists who agree to the service.

Yet, it remains uncertain how a large number of well-known artists will agree to such applications of their work.

Recently, a collective of prominent musicians 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 opposition to proposed changes to copyright law.

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