Working for Tips

[Robert Meadows]

Does anyone else out there acquire tips when playing your gigs? For me, the House Fee covers my overhead, and general expenses. Tips, whenever possible, handle non-business related items. I need tips. They are a very good thing.

Does anyone else suffer the frustration of wanting to play a great show, but wind up with a "kink" in the attitude when no one tips? I do. Admittedly, I try to forget about it, but some nights it's a real challenge. When someone asks me to play "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" or "Foreplay/Long Time", and then leaves no tip when I comply....GRRRRRrrr! It's not so much WHAT I play as it is knowing how to do it!

I would urge everyone to tip your servers, bar tenders, and valets very well whenever you are out for the evening. That includes also, HOUSE MUSICIANS!

Anyone know how to better deal with this kind of thing?

[Jeni Michelson, Vocal/Keys/Band Leader]

Excellent advice Jeff ...spoken like a pro :-)

Also...if the room is dark, you can buy a cheap pedestal light base for your jar, then they can see your jar. Reaching out a connecting w/audience works like a charm :-)

Hey sorry I couldn't get back with you Fri, I was on my way to a gig and I called a couple folks...everyone was working. Where you playing these days? hmmm?

[Bill Whitley]

I feel that playing for tips is a slippery slope to go down. If the club owner feels he can get away with paying musicians hardly nothing and relying on his patrons to pay the band then the days of actually getting any money for playing are over - I got paid more in the 70s than I get today. I just do it as an enjoyable hobby that I am addicted to after 45 years

[Little Brother Jones]

Hard truth is that if your not getting tipped all the responsibility falls back on you. Since you can't change the way people are, and they are all basically the same. The more rich customers are often the cheapest ones. I know lots of professionals and they actually tip, buy, contribute less. So no I dont get upset but I will say this. If they come up with requests and I know the song I just say "sure if you support me on that tip jar with some folding money". That allows you to not only urge more of them to tip but gives you the full release to just ignore their request.

One thing I do that helps. I gauge the crowd and I will offer a CD for $5 or 7$ tip in the jar. More than not I get a 10 or a 20 but even the cheapos that can't pass up a $5 CD send me back home with a much larger jar and many more dollars I did NOT leave on the table.

Frankly people are broke and we're lucky they are going out at all. The working class and poor people are ALWAYS the ones that tip the most, give the most, and they are all hurting. I say someone should use their foot to polish the ass of some of these people that drive up in a Porche and wont tip.

You can though push and put people on the spot. At some of our gigs I tip the waitress from my tip jar every week and she walks around the place with the jar prompting every table to tip me. My best number this year was 580.00 dollars tips on one SUNDAY in Atlanta playing two venues. Bottom line is I'm getting much better at talking to people, holding them with eye contact and choosing songs that always seem to make the tip jar wake up.

On another side note me and Peadboy played a country blues show at the Atlanta Country Club a year or two ago and I put a tip jar out front of the so called stage and those people looked at us like we were from another planet. The absolute most cheap people I ever saw. If being wealthy or having the good life means being around some of these people give me a shack in the bayou. Some places just are not worth fiddling with. My heart goes out to you though. All the best of luck trying to find the magic tricks to loosening those pockets. I realize your gigs might be a different situation than mine but hang in there.

One thing about the awesome advice above. There are gigs where the people literally have to pass the jar around else they cannot get to it. It's not always tacky but it is hard sometimes for people to swallow their pride and ask for support. You can do it with a sliver of class. And walk away with a lot more money with no negatives.

There is no way in hell someone is sticking their hand in my tip jar. That aint happening and one reason I use a replica brass pot that you cannot see whats inside. I always say thank you in some way too, even if mid verse. I somehow ack my thanks to them even if just a nod and smile. I really like the comment about walking by all tables with eye contact and thanking people for coming out. I've gotten some killer house parties that way. Take their photo and tag them on facebook and you suddenly have a lot more regulars, and in the long run some good friends to boot.

[Robert Meadows]

Here is my final dissertation on this discussion. Little Brother John, and the rest of you have put in some EXCELLENT points on acquiring tips. I've come to the inescapable conclusion that receiving tips in any form or fashion is RANDOM. It varies from venue to venue, and from event date to event date.

Last night was one of the most frustrating I have had yet in getting audience participation. It was a full house, wall to wall, and the people just had this "attitude"... you know... where they are almost laughing at you. It feels like they are spitefully ignoring you. No genre of music, no tempo, no volume level of any kind would have stirred these people to even notice me, let alone sing along or tip. The most response I got all night was ONE requested song, ONE person say "that was good," and ONE person gave me about four and a half individual claps of applause. ZERO TIPS.

On the other hand, I have had two very good previous weeks where I made at least fifty bucks each night. The people were singing loudly with me for a good two sets, and the applause could have easily rivaled that of any small venue concert! So, it's just a matter of us encouraging each other and keeping our chins up during the "down-periods." Thanks to all of you who have responded to this discussion! Your input has been indispensable! RBM

[George Martin]

I am going to buy a monkey

[Jeff Michaels]

With your tip money!...of course :)