What would you do? (AI - music business question)

[Lensing]

First I have to say that I´m 100% against GEN AI,
it is against everything I stand for and live for.
It has arch enemy status

I already asked all of my friends and relatives about this. I got mixed
reactions.

Here is the problem / question. I try to make it short and not too
complicated so it´s not too much to read.

As some of you know, I play in bands. One of my bands (I sing in that band)
got booked for a show. The person, I call him "promoter" from now on, saw
us at a show and talked to our bassplayer. The booking and communication
went through our bassplayer, not an agency.

The promoter asked him for the band picture, logo, band information (usual
stuff) for promotion of the concert. It´s a big venue etc.

2 weeks later the promoter uploaded a AI generated poster. Lots of typos,
really ugly. He also put our band picture into some AI picture transformation
software (I don´t know why he did that) and transformed us into some unrecognisable
really ugly people.

My first reaction was to immediately cancel the show. My 4 bandmembers disagreed
and tried to calm me down (which I didn´t understand). I told them that I will play the
show when he takes it down and uploads a new poster which I will design in my
free time. I made a new poster, had the bassplayer send it to him.

Now after 4 weeks I looked at the announcement in the presale ticket page and
the announcement on the venue homepage / instagram etc. and the promoter
used the old AI poster there.

I got mixed reactions from people when I told them and asked them how they
would react but I maybe influenced them by my reaction + the way I told it.

I answered the question for myself and already reacted, but I want to know
what you guys would have done

[AmysGames]

I agree with your bandmates that cancelling the show over an A.I. poster is overreacting. I would assume this promoter was well-intentioned, but didn't know any better. I would politely ask them not to use A.I. and to please change it.

Rejecting the human-made poster in favor of the A.I. one is where I would stop being so generous, because at that point it's obviously intentional. I'm still not sure I would cancel the whole show over it (I would hate to disappoint fans who were looking forward to the show), but I would definitely stop working with that person.

[Lensing]

Thanks a lot for the very thoughtful answer

[kyupol]

I'd go on and play as planned. Roll with it. But after the concert, I will have a real talk with promoter about my opinion with AI generated things.

[Leyelle]

I would have still played the show because I wouldn't want to let down the audience/the people who came to see us perform, but I wouldn't work with that person again

[jwabeasley]

It's hard enough to get a decent gig. I'd call the promoter and offer to redo the poster for free, which shows your displeasure at AI, gives you a chance at some graphic design work, and stays polite. He probably wouldn't take you up on it, but he might think twice before doing an AI poster the next time.

The way I see it, the promoter is a client for the band, and it's never worthwhile to insult your clients. There's often so much drama between bandmembers already that I wouldn't want to increase it unnecessarily.

Then you can have any friends or family members in attendance loudly say in his earshot that the band is so much better than that crappy poster made them seem!

[Lensing]

Thanks for the answers.

I don´t want to be shown on posters with an ugly, deformed, ridiculous face.
The promoter already knows that we don´t like the poster and keeps on using
it + he has the poster that he is supposed to use.