…and how you can avoid the AI trap with Mustard Flats
Just what we need another man's opinion on AI but as a 80-90s kid who was inspired by the MTV video revolution and club culture of the new millennium I saw first hand the benefits of a vibrant local music scene and how it effected the trajectory of my creative career. A time when hallucinations were reserved for sweaty graphic designers in bathroom stalls, fueled on pills and red bull rather than the waterways of pristine ecosystems. The art that came from this era has helped shape our city and I hope it continues to.
It was supposed to be easy. Just take to Chat GPT, don't need to withdraw the extra money. Tell mum we got a show promoted for free. The rise of AI posters in our local businesses and music scene is no surprise but to those doing it it’s not the answer and not for the reason you think.
Much of this discussion revolves around the ethics of AI use in creative industries. The fact that AI is stealing from artists and the environment to produce slick images at the click of a button. It puts real artists out of the job and uses lots of energy in the process. In many ways I agree with the sentiment that it is bad and a net negative for all involved however this is easy to say when you're 20 years into a creative career and have established a life supported by your art . Compared to a struggling musician starting their journey in the over saturated attention economy of 2026.
I don’t believe ‘calling out’ small independent artists and businesses that fall into the trap of AI art is very productive. The idea that people are malicious in their intent is ridiculous and they tend to fall into the camp of just trying to do their best. Usually at a stage where there is zero income, doing in for fun and telling our friends this torturous process we put ourselves through to get our work out there is actually our dream. We have the wrong enemy. But that still doesn’t mean AI is the answer to our woes, and I would argue it’s the worst thing you can do.
Why I think AI posters are shit? Look at their fundamental function. Marketing.
AI gig posters are marketing and when marketing you need to consider how the message is delivered and who it’s delivered to.
What is the strategy here?
When we are talking about a local music scene, the target audience is passionate people who are staunch supporters of small independent artists and love what its community of artists produces. They do not love what data centres and tech algorithms produce. And this goes for local businesses as well, your audience are your neighbours. AI posters are a fundamental misunderstanding of your audience.
They are a terrible marketing strategy. Think back to a spate of tech CEO giving graduation speeches in the US and touting the future of AI. The freshly gowned students booed. The ‘inspirational’ message telling students entering the job market we can’t wait to take over your job with AI didn't go down well. That message at an AI conference probably killed but at a university it went down like a student's resume at a fortune 500 company.
People are now developing a radar for AI design, and it is evoking a reaction of disgust. Why would you want that? The strategy needs to be changed not because it’s the “right thing” but because it’s simply not going to work in the long run.
Why do you even need a poster?
Music posters born in the 50’s during the rise of rock and roll and took inspiration from the original forms of live entertainment like boxing, the circus, vaudeville and the theatre. Post no AI bills might be the new rule of thumb.
Posters are billboards designed to be forced in front of your face. It is a medium of the streets and if you’re in the right place at the right time there is no avoiding it. As social media has come along their impact in the real world has diminished, smart phones have even captured our gaze when we walk.
AI design is popping up everywhere but predominantly we are seeing it, in the case of event promotion on social media. The last corner of the internet where we can beg to reach a few eyeballs and convince them to shuffle their feet to the local dive. However the days of Facebook Events are gone and platforms like TikTok, Instagram are now content streaming services not a place for your marketing (Unless you pay for ads but that’s another story and lack of money is why we are here in the first place.) Effectively we are all like TV channels, trying to build an audience and keep people watching. Mustard Flats included.
GarmesIt’s an entertainment platform, so entertain me. A photo, video or short story is going to be far more effective at showing the world what you and your event is all about. An AI poster which is essesially and ad breaks that flow for a viewer. Telling a story in a creative way is something we can sink our teeth into and get behind… and it’s often easier than you think.
One local example is what Canberra Garmes did launching their first store. “Opening a store at 19 with the boys” essentially a documentary series in short form.
AI is terrible at presenting information
Great design can be simple, unique and the most important thing is that it reflects what you and your event is all about. If that is a first time promoter with a debut band, bring that energy to the poster or the design. A text msg screen shot, a word doc or a hand scribbled set list.
We had BRAT summer, while not to dimmish the design work of Brent David Freaney. It’s simple to cut through with clean design.
A banana taped to a wall was cool for like 3 years. Just take a photo, print it at Officeworks, put it through the wash in your favourite pair of jeans and you have your first grudge poster.
AI has a lot of trouble with text and cramming all that information in one poster just means no one will read any of it. Simpler design actually helps us here, we don’t want AI trash hiding the key information into a sloppy mess of garbage. A small investment is a designer & photogaphy can create repeatable designs that can build brand recognition and be used again and again. Smart design can be cost effective and have great return on that investment.
Gutwrench RecordsSo what can you do?
Do less. I have worked with many artists over 20+ years of making videos and doing creative collateral for local independent artists and every time they have had success it has been because of the music and showing their perspective on the world authentically.
Not every artist is interested in having 360 control of every facet of what it takes to be an artist in 2026. Photography, design, fashion, video and management all come into play now and it’s very rare that someone has every one of those dialled. But no one expects you to, some of the best art comes out of scarcity, boundaries and limitations.
One22What can you do, with what you have, to tell the stories only you can.
(That is a quote from Neil Gaiman or Lena Dunham I think)
