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Excuse me while I tip this guy


steve mac

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Whilst I don't use a tip jar, nothing against it though. I know a duo who do. However their idea is to use a small (like 3inch by 2 inch by 2 inch box hanging off a speaker with a cardboard sign of similar size with the word "Tips" on it. I went to watch them the other night and lots of holiday makers singing along and applauding as they left but leaving nothing, I guess cos they never even saw the tip box. I would like to suggest something a bit more noticeable perhaps with something humerous to help them out. Any ideas?

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I bought a fake gold metal plant pot about 10" wide and 5" tall, drilled a hole in the bottom of it and fixed it to a music stand and place it right in front of me or just slightly off to the side about 3-1/2 to 4 feet high. Works like a charm. I use tip- jars, even with the band, because places just don't pay like they did. I won't use them for festivals, weddings, or other events. Although I did have a guy at a wedding ask me where my tip jar was and when I told him I didn't bring it, he reached a out and stuffed a 20 in my shirt pocket while I was playing. LOL.

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If you are not getting paid or not getting paid much, what's wrong with just mentioning that tips are appreciated although I guess it depends on the venue. Especially if you are playing at a 'venue' (bar or the like), I thnk that people just assume you are getting paid by the venue.

I just play farmer's markets for tips. put my bucket out (attached to my mike stand) and usually do ok without having to announce anything but I guess people figure we are just doing it for fun anyway in that scenario.

 

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Just like my waitress doesn't speak of tips to me, I don't speak of tips to an audience. They know what the fishbowl with money in it is for. A witty sign never hurt anybody, but the inspiration has never hit for me to come up with one. Any additional money in it at the end of the night is gravy. Even with requests I don't really expect tips anymore. Prominent placement and easy access make the biggest difference in my experience.

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There's a venue in Portland, ME that doesn't pay their bands, but makes big deal about getting on mic and telling the crowd what their policy is and what the recommended tip for this group should be, then someone comes around with a "tip basket." It's essentially an optional cover charge. The one time my wife and I went, it seemed to work quite well for everyone concerned.

 

Why doesn't the manager at every venue get on mic once or twice a night and tell the crowd that tips for music are similar to tips for the waitress?

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I often do that, usually for the entire bar staff [which these days is typically one over-worked bartender]. I'll mention the bartender's name, say she/he is working hard to keep them well lubricated...as is the band working hard to keep them entertained....

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It depends on the gig for me.

 

Private parties, yacht clubs, country clubs, and so on - never.

 

Other gigs, it still depends. And when I do, it's a small, clear, seeded canister with a one dollar bill, and a small "Thank You" written with marking pen on the clear plastic. If someone wants to tip, they spot it or ask. If they don't want to tip, I don't think it's my place to beg for it or intimidate them. My own feelings, not necessarily right or wrong for others.

 

In most places that we play, if they tip other bands, they will come up and look for ours. I don't hide it, but don't make it attract attention. In our weekly casual commercial yacht basin gig I've made a couple of hundred with a little bucket.

 

If you look to the extreme left (stage right) of this photo, on top of the rack is my tip jar at our weekly gig (which BTW is the birthplace of the US Navy SEALS - and the stuff on the wall was left there by SEALS as they come for their annual muster).

 

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Impeccable timing Steve, I've been meaning to ask folks here about tips....

 

My personal overview - some of the places I play don't allow tip jars, but some of the places I play, the staff and or management will supply tip jars. In some of the places I play, I won't put a tip jar out but during the gig, a patron will come up to me with a brandy glass with a tip inside as if to say "hey stupid, you need a tip jar". So in answer to the question, something resembling a large or small brandy snifter is my preferred tip jar. I do seed it, usually with an American five.

 

My concern with tip jars is that I find them distracting. My eyes are often drawn to them, thinking to myself that hey, I'm pandering to the crowd, why aren't they tipping? In fact I did play a gig the other day where I really was quite obsequious. I think I had about ten folks come up and tip me and say how much they liked my music, but at the end of the night I only had about forty bucks in tips. I would rather play what I want and get five bucks, but here's the rub - tips can add up so do they matter?

 

Because of my increased focus on solo gigs, with tips of five bucks here and twenty bucks there, I'm starting to do the math. If one played (for instance) a hundred solo gigs a year, and made an average of only five bucks a gig, that's five hundred dollars. If you averaged ten bucks a gig that's a thousand dollars and so on. If you were gigging four or five times a week, and played tunes like Hotel California and Wagon Wheel every gig, your tips might be a significant part of your income.

 

Should I eschew my disdain or at least ambivalence towards tip jars, and join the ranks? I don't know but I'm interested to see what others do. Of course there's also the question of the tax man - that muddies the waters as well.

 

 

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I think it's fair game to put out a jar, box, whatever, but I balk at verbal encouragement from the artist to the patrons. I remember once going to a "dueling pianos" bar in The New York New York and the pair of them were obnoxious. One guy started playing a dumb tune and the other shouted out that he would continue playing the same the over and over until they got fifty bucks from the crowd. Sure enough five minutes later it was still going on with the mouthy one getting more and more aggressive. We weren't the only one who walked out.

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The one downside of the tip jar is that the waitstaff and bartenders depend on tips for their income, and they know what my wage is. I wonder at times if deep down they roll their eyes and think "Oh, he doesn't make enough already?" They've never implied anything like that, but my self-conscious side wonders. I try to make myself feel better by tipping generously.

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I hope they wouldn't feel that way, unless they're like everyone else and fails to consider load-in, load-out, (and again at home) plus practise, rehearsal and equipment. Oh, and that you have a special skill you've been working on all your life.

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ah, one of the reasons I shy away from those shows. We used to play BB Kings 2 doors down from Howl at the Moon at Universal. Both rooms would be packed, but the turnover rate at Howl was triple or worse, meaning people walked out frequently. I know a few guys who have tried the dueling piano gig, most don't last.

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Spot on pogo. When I show up at a gig, I am hauling in gear, setting it up, etc., all stuff I have paid for from...other gigs. So beyond the base pay, tips help defray repair and maintenance. Strings, tubes, cables, solder...don't grown on trees. Plus I do give the staff mentions throughout the night...which is more than they usually give me.

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I don't depend on tips for my pay. But they are a nice extra.

 

If I don't put the tip jar out, it can be awkward if someone wants to tip. So I put it out but with no big advertisement.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I think putting a big sign or otherwise attracting attention to it seems like begging.

 

Here is my favorite story about tipping.

 

About 20 years ago, the New York transplants here in Florida took to the "Theme From New York, New York" as their ex-pat anthem.

 

So we are playing in a club, and a guy comes up and gives Leilani $5 to play NYNY. We play it.

 

About 10 minuites later he comes up and says, "That was great", gives her another 5 and asks if we could play it again. We wait a few songs and play it again.

 

Third time happens, and we start thinking about the rest of the crowd. Take the 5, stall and play it a third time.

 

Then he comes up again.We don't generally like to make our audience members uncomfortable, but we also don't want to alienate the rest of the audience. So Leilani says, on the mic, "I have 5 dollars to play New York New York again. Do I hear 10 dollars not to play it?" in her best auctioneer voice.

 

She judged the guy correctly because he laughed along with the joke, and never asked again. Next week he was back, we played it without him asking for it, and when he left he gave us a 10.

 

Notes

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The layout of the room makes a difference. If patrons have to walk past the musician to get to the exit they'll more likely tip. If they're seated close to the musician they're more likely to tip (especially if you do more than play songs). I've never put a sign on a tip jar myself. Just seed with a couple of fives and a few ones in a clear jar. I hate it when I forget to bring a tip jar to a bar/restaurant gig!

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