Jorja Smith’s record label seeking royalties from AI ‘clone’ track

Jorja Smith’s record label is seeking shares of royalties of an AI-generated song it claims was created using a clone of the singer’s voice.

I Run by HAVEN went viral on TikTok in October, and was heading for a top spot in both the UK and US charts before being banned from streaming services after record industry bodies alleged it violated copyright laws by impersonating another artist.

The track has now been released with new vocals, however Smith’s label FAMM believes the track was created using her work and is asking for compensation.

Taking to Instagram, the label said: "Both versions of the track infringe on Jorja's rights and unfairly take advantage of the work of all the songwriters with whom she collaborates. We cannot allow this to become the new normal.”

Producer and songwriter Harrison Walker, the man behind HAVEN and I Run, has admitted to using AI to create the track. He said the original vocal was his own, but he used Suno – often referred to as the ChatGPT of music – to further manipulate the sound.

"It shouldn't be any secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform solely my voice for I Run," he explained. "As a songwriter and producer I enjoy using new tools, techniques and staying on the cutting edge of what's happening.

"To set the record straight, the artists behind HAVEN. are real and human, and all we want to do is make great music for other humans."

HAVEN prompted Suno to use “soulful vocal samples” when creating the track. Despite its original suspension, the newer version of I Run entered the UK Top 40 last week.

FAMM added: "We have a duty to speak up and encourage public discourse, because AI is proliferating at an alarming rate and substantially outpacing regulation. AI material should be clearly labelled as such so that the public may choose whether they consume AI material or not.”

Image credit: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 <Deed - Attribution 2.0 Generic - Creative Commons >, via Wikimedia Commons