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The record label representing award-winning singer Jorja Smith has stated its intention to receive a portion of royalties from a song it asserts was produced using an AI "replica" of the singer's unique vocal style.

The track, titled 'I Run' by British dance act Haven, achieved massive traction on social media last October, in part due to its polished R&B singing by an uncredited woman singer.

Despite its success and impending chart position in both UK and US, the song was later banned by major music services after industry bodies issued takedown requests, stating it breached copyright by impersonating another artist.

Even though 'I Run' has now been reissued with completely new singing, Smith's label, FAMM, maintains it believes the original version was made with AI programmed on her extensive recordings and is now seeking appropriate compensation.

A Larger Issue at Stake

"This is not only about Jorja. This is larger than a single performer or a single track," the label stated in a recent announcement.

FAMM also expressed its view that "each versions of the song violate Jorja's legal rights and unjustly benefit from the work of all the writers with whom she works."

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

Suggesting that her supporters were potentially deceived by Haven's original release, the label concluded: "We cannot allow this to be the new normal."

Creators Admit Using AI Technology

The team behind the track have openly confirmed utilizing AI during its creation.

Songwriter Harrison Walker explained that the original vocals were in fact his own but were heavily altered using AI music platform Suno, often called the "advanced tool for music".

Meanwhile, the second member, Waypoint, whose real name is Jacob Donaghue, confirmed on his accounts that AI was used to "apply our original vocal a female tone".

Donaghue and Walker assert that they composed and produced the song themselves and have even provided evidence of their source computer files.

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

"Being a songwriter and producer, I like using new tools, techniques and remaining on the cutting edge of what's happening," he continued.

"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 other humans."

Legal Gray Areas and Industry Implications

Although their original version of 'I Run' was suspended from major charts, the new version did break into the UK Top 40 recently.

FAMM has positioned the incident as a critical precedent for the music industry's evolving interaction with artificial intelligence.

The label stated it had "an obligation to voice concerns" and "encourage wider discussion", because AI is advancing at an "rapid rate and significantly exceeding legal oversight".

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

Creators Become 'Collateral Victims'

Smith shared her label's position on her own Instagram page.

The text warned that artists and creators were turning into "collateral damage in the competition by policymakers and tech firms towards AI dominance".

It further noted that the label would share any awarded songwriting credits with the writers behind Smith's catalogue.

"Should we are able in proving that AI assisted to write the lyrics and melody in 'I Run' and are awarded a portion of the song, we would aim to assign every one of Jorja's collaborators with a pro-rata share," it explained.

The Ongoing Growth of AI Music

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

• In the summer, the band Velvet Sundown gathered vast numbers of plays before revealing they used AI to help craft their musical style.
• Recently, an AI-generated "artist" known as Breaking Rust topped a US genre sales chart, showing that audiences are not necessarily averse to consuming computer-generated music.
• Suno was previously taken to court for copyright infringement by the world's major biggest record labels, though those cases 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 agree to the program.

However, it remains unclear how a large number of well-known musicians will consent to such uses of their identity.

Recently, a collective of prominent artists including 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 potential revisions to intellectual property regulations.

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