Canada's music scene sees pushback against AI

Canada's music scene sees pushback against AI-generated artwork

Supporting artists and human creativity is crucial, say musicians

Gus' Pub might be the first music venue in Halifax banning AI-generated artwork for event promotion.

The longtime Nova Scotia business isn't alone. It is happening elsewhere in Canada.

In a social media post on Aug. 22, the venue that has operated for more than 60 years announced it will not share any AI-generated posters or flyers online or on-site.

"Support artists or DIY," the post said.

Gus' manager, C.J. Hill, who's also a musician, said staff and community members never felt comfortable with AI posters, arguing they all look the same and strip creativity from real artists.

"The problem with generative AI is that it's creating things from art that's already been established that someone else created," Hill said. "And then there's no artist involved, taking the soul out of the artwork itself."

While the post upset a few people, most feedback supported the pub's stance, Hill said.

Gus' move follows a similar decision in Toronto. Ground Control, an independent live music venue, posted its policy in June banning AI artwork for event promotions and encouraging support for human artists.

Backlash against AI-generated graphics grows in N.S.

Lloyd Warren, a DJ and owner of Ground Control, said he instituted the policy immediately after receiving his first submission of an AI-generated poster.

"I don't even understand why bands and DJs want to be associated with such generic slop," Warren said, adding that he will not book acts that insist on using AI flyers.

Both Hill and Warren emphasized the importance of protecting human creativity while offering practical solutions for performers who lack design skills or resources.

Hill created a simple template in the style of the No Name brand — a bright yellow background with bold black text — to encourage performers to make their own DIY posters. It turned out people liked it, he said.

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Meanwhile, Warren assembled a local network of artists who offer a flat rate of $100 to design event posters for performers. He pointed out that musicians wouldn't want to be replaced by AI bands, urging acts not to undermine visual artists by using synthetic graphics.

"If I want AI in something, I want AI to do my dishes or do my laundry," said Warren. "I don't want it to write me a song or a poem or make me a poster."

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Yuan Wang is a reporter with CBC Nova Scotia. Get in touch with her by emailing yuan.wang@cbc.ca.