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Acting like a baller, tipping singles

Rayjay

Rayjay

OH! When drum stop, VERY BAD!!
Supporting Member
Sep 27, 2014
4,108
16,587
49
Lahaina, Maui, HI
#1
I see it week after week now. These people coming up to our tip jar, all slow, heads bobbing, giving us the eye like "you guys rock and I'm gonna leave you a hard earned tip!" Then you look and it's like $1 or $2. I'd never turn down the money and try to be gracious for the tip, but don't act like a big baller!! By the time we split that up we can each barely buy a gumball!
 
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#4
powmetalbassist said:
God bless Canada. We don't have this problem. The tippers have to put in the minimum of $5 in our jar or face the wrath of looking cheap when some coins rattle in the jar. (incidentally Strippers benefit from this as well).
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Dude we still get tons of toonies and loonies in our jar. In fact, because they're coins, the drunk patrons often feel the need to try trick shots to get them into the jar.

That said, we don't mind, because they're drunk and they try a LOT of trick shots. Then they get their friends involved in the game. Then we roll up the $50-60 in coins and take them to the bank.
 
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#6
I ask people this (as a group, not to pick on any one person):

How much do you tip your servers in the course of an evening? Did the performers provide you with at least as much entertainment value as your servers did? Then why not tip them the same? Whatever you've tipped your servers tonight for their service, why not tip the entertainers the same for theirs?

Don't take anything away from the servers - they've earned their tips! Have your entertainers not also earned theirs?
 
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#12
Because Im currently in a function band, we dont use a tip jar....but when I was predominately playing in bar bands, one thing I did was get a bucket, a paint stirrer, and one of those 5 dolla Nurf Basketball rings and made a goal for the tip bucket.......We got a lot more tips with this - granted, we also got a lot of loose change, some balled up napkins, and - of course - "misses" on stage, but - hey - it worked :D
 
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#14
Here's a pro tip for your tip cup- seed it with 5a and 10s, and push the singles towards the bottom. Make sure no change is visible and take it out between sets if you can (this is a bigger thing busking.) Since I started doing that, I'm getting more big bills and less bucks and quarters. That said, I don't really go crazy over tips at venue gigs anymore; as someone else noted, it's just a bonus over my set rate.
 
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#15
Dominic D said:
I'll never complain about the $1 tippers because we regularly end up with $50-100 in the jar by the end of the night. It all adds up.
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That's the thing about this particular gig / bar....we have walked away with over $300 in the tip jar at times; commonly it's $50-$100; there's always the gamble that its like last night: $7. To split 4 ways. The bar was packed and the dance floor was mobbed. We brought all those people into the empty bar when we started playing. At least there were people leaving tips at all. There were some really high-demand people last night, requesting deep cuts literally in between every song we did, and they didn't tip at all! IMHO that's kinda like asking if the bartender can make a Manhattan, then expecting it for free.
 
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#16
I watch for which songs get the most tips, then play those songs in every set!
Summertime is outdoor busking time for me and my surf band, and the tips really start rolling at times.
we don't pass the hat, but we have 1 tip box plus a merch money box by the serve yourself merch table.
Folks put money sometimes in both boxes, which is great.
 
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#18
beaglesandbass said:
If you're upset about some singles I can send you my paypal address for you to just divert the money to me.

It's free money.
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LOL!! Yeah, right! It's not free money! I'm working my ass off, playing 4 hours, killing my feet and my back, driving an hour both ways, lugging my heavy equipment around, and dealing with drunks all night. And someone is usually so drunk that they try to provoke a fight. And we are playing specific requests. After I worked a whole day at my "other" job too. Thanks for the generous offer but I think I'll decline. :D

And, lest we forget, it's also taxable income!
 
#19
Had a drunk throw 100 dollars down in an attempt to look like the big dog to his entourage. He then realized his error, but I saw his expression starting to change and with ninja like skill and deft leg to foot coordination I gently layed my shoe on top and did the ole gum on the shoe drag towards me. He scurried towards the rear of the bar to sulk. If ever in doubt NEVER throw down that kind of money to a band... Non musicians aren't aware of musical multitasking.....
 
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#20
Maybe we just look at it differently then. Whenever my band has a show I know beforehand how much I am getting from that show. Anything over that given by people in the crowd is considered free money to me since it's not money that was expected or budgeted. And you best believe I'm not reporting a couple bucks tip money to the IRS, they'll get enough in taxes when I include all the other band income lol
 
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