Is A Tip Jar At A Gig OK? - With Poll

[jchrisk1]

I don't know. We use one if we think about it, it not a priority. I've had more people upset about us not having a tip jar, than I have people upset about having to see it on stage.
Last week we had a guy leave a nice tip, not necessarily for the band, but, because my guitarist is such a great guy. He told us later that he was depressed and feeling suicidal a few years ago, and that our guitarist had sat and talked with him for awhile and made him feel better, and made him want to live again. That's deep. And, not the first time I've seen this.
He wanted to show how he appreciated it.
I say let people tip if they want to. I don't like watching people put money back in their pockets because we have no tip jar. We use that money to tip the bartenders and wait staff anyway. It keeps it from coming out of our pay.

Edit:
I'm talking about regular bar gigs. We don't do this at festivals, private parties, etc...

 

[redwingxix]

Personally I'm not a fan of it ever, but it never bothers me when I see other bands do it and I always put some in when I see it. My main source of income isn't playing so I can understand why it's important in a lot of situations.

And yes, I know we are there to entertain the crowd, but I also don't feel like having a bunch of barflys (barflies?) feeling like we owe them a request or special attention if they throw a fiver into a jar.

 

[two fingers]

At a bar gig? Sure. Why not???


It's amazing to me how high musicians set the bar for "bar etiquette".

It's a BAR! People come to drink and hook up!

A tip jar immoral????


Nah. Go for it.

As for weddings, you go in there and show the bride a good night, you'll get tipped.

I have played probably 400 wedding receptions. It took me a while to figure it out.

There are two goals for a wedding band.

1) Provide the BRIDE an opportunity to party hard with HER college roommates one more time.

2) Provide the father of the bride an opportunity to break down and cry in front of his little girl.

You pull those two things off and you'll get tipped, my friend. Oh, yes. You'll get tipped.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Mixed reactions as usual, nothing surprising since we all come at this from our own place.

But as for our band, we don't put one out, ever. If we play for "free" it's for a benefit for a person with a serious illness or something like that. But if it's a paying gig we have already agreed on a fee and that's what we expect. To me, while you're playing it's your "job" for that venue for 4 hours. Who puts a tip jar out at work?

That being said, at certain places we play the venue puts one out, average after a gig $20-$40. Which is always a nice bonus. But then again, there was that time last weekend where the venue offered us $$ for an add'l hour of music and the tip jar they put out had just south of $200 in it. Unbelievable.

So, I didn't know how to vote, we don't put one out but it doesn't bother me if people do.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Who puts a tip jar out at work?

Waiters
Barbers
Baristas
Bartenders


Other than jobs like that?

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Waiters
Barbers
Baristas
Bartenders


Other than jobs like that?

Ok, yes, I missed a few. My mistake

 

[guy n. cognito]

Ok, yes, I missed a few. My mistake

There is no doubt about that.....it kinda makes the whole point moot.

 

[gln1955]

Waiters
Barbers
Baristas
Bartenders


Other than jobs like that?

i.e., people who don't get paid enough by their employer, no matter how good they are at their job.

 

[guy n. cognito]

i.e., people who don't get paid enough by their employer, no matter how good they are at their job.

Yeah...like musicians!!

 

[WI Short Scaler]

There is no doubt about that.....it kinda makes the whole point moot.

Um, not really. For example:
-I wouldn't put a tip jar outside my office door
-guitarist is a lawyer, he wouldn't put one on his desk
-lead vocalist is a OTR driver, doesn't have one on the hood of his 18 wheeler
-drummer in the band from my avatar is a dentist, not one next to the chair
-wife is a media aide at a local high school, no jar on the checkout desk
-neighbor is a pharma rep and I'm certain he doesn't take one
-daughter is an Xray tech, no tips for her
-son is a programmer for an insurance company, nothing on his desk
-future daughter in law works in a wildlife rehab center, no tip jar in the pens
-future son in law is a manufacturing welder, no tip jar at his work station

So, in the immediate circle of people close to me it would be unheard of. I just didn't take much time to think about what's outside that circle. I could provide more examples but you get the idea, no one in my circle works in the areas you listed. Nothing wrong with what I said or what you did but just no matches. So I don't believe the point is moot at all. We all agreed to a salary, a wage, or a fee and wouldn't assume putting out a tip jar.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Um, not really. For example:
-I wouldn't put a tip jar outside my office door
-guitarist is a lawyer, he wouldn't put one on his desk
-lead vocalist is a OTR driver, doesn't have one on the hood of his 18 wheeler
-drummer in the band from my avatar is a dentist, not one next to the chair
-wife is a media aide at a local high school, no jar on the checkout desk
-neighbor is a pharma rep and I'm certain he doesn't take one
-daughter is an Xray tech, no tips for her
-son is a programmer for an insurance company, nothing on his desk
-future daughter in law works in a wildlife rehab center, no tip jar in the pens
-future son in law is a manufacturing welder, no tip jar at his work station

So, in the immediate circle of people close to me it would be unheard of. I just didn't take much time to think about what's outside that circle. I could provide more examples but you get the idea, no one in my circle works in the areas you listed. Nothing wrong with what I said or what you did but just no matches. So I don't believe the point is moot at all. We all agreed to a salary, a wage, or a fee and wouldn't assume putting out a tip jar.

I wonder if any of those professionals you mentioned above would accept ....a bonus? I mean, they agreed to a salary...they certainly wouldn’t agree to accept more money for a job well done. Right??

Just because the “tips” don’t get put in a jar, doesn’t mean professionals don’t get them.

Let’s move on.

 

[City]

A musician buddy of mine posted this question on FB. I found a related discussion in this forum but thought a poll would be nice. This applies to cover bands and bands/artists playing originals. Be sure to vote!

As band pay continues to decline, I am seeing more and more tip jars. We don't use one, call me old school, but I just feel weird about it. Now if someone wants to here Angel Baby and flashes a $20.....I will accept.

 

[vvvmmm]

Well, like always, it depends ....


... on what I got to do for the money.

 

[wmhill]

we do it, but don't panhandle. If someone throws a few bucks in , cool and we thank them- but we don't get on the mic and solicit for bucks.

 

[twinjet]

A musician buddy of mine posted this question on FB. I found a related discussion in this forum but thought a poll would be nice. This applies to cover bands and bands/artists playing originals. Be sure to vote!

I do it based on the gig. I pulled a jazz duo gig for good money last Friday. In the setting, a casual, but nice alehouse, a tip jar would have felt wrong.

In a public market for small money, tips are always accepted.

 

[Nephilymbass]

A musician buddy of mine posted this question on FB. I found a related discussion in this forum but thought a poll would be nice. This applies to cover bands and bands/artists playing originals. Be sure to vote!

I’d say it’s always ok. The way of going about it is different though. For covers we usually set up a Guitar case with a sign for tips, for my originals band we take tips at the merch booth though not onstage. I used to be somewhat against it but these days even some national touring bands are doing gofundme and stuff to raise money so in my view it’s basically become normal from the top down.

 

[Pilgrim]

It's always OK unless you're playing for the President at an Inaugural Ball.

In that case, it would be gauche.

 

[MegaSwing]

My band puts out a tip jar at all public gigs. Out of the tip jar we typically give a taste to our server and any other player whom we invite to do songs with us–if they are around at the end of the gig. And we are not shy about promoting it. It's a system that works well for us.

 

[iammr2]

... So the band did get the tips, but they were applied as a credit towards the band’s fee that night.

If you bought that line of BS, I've got a bridge I can sell you...cheap!

 

[Meyatch]

54% always ok right now. That is shocking. If you can’t at least imagine the type of gig you wouldn’t put a tip jar out at, you need higher standards.


I assume there is some regional differences here. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a band set a tip jar out. But I don’t go out and see unknown bands, because I rarely have a night off.