Is it tacky/bad form...

[PauFerro]

I would check with the client. If they say no, it would be more than tacky, if they say yes, it's OK. For weddings and corporate events, say 'no'. For clubs, the jar is suitable with the club owner's/client's consent.

If the client has agreed to it, I mention it a couple times in the night.

We use a top hat for it to make it look more professional and less tacky.

 

[Maryvillebass]

No. In fact, don’t even have a tip jar. Negotiate what you can with the bar owner. Most everyone playing at a place with a tip jar has another job.... so just play, have fun, and be glad with the money you get.

 

[OldBassman]

Nothing wrong with getting paid including tips. I suppose some folks have to draw a line on what's cool and what's not. I remember some years ago at an outdoor festival I saw a guitar player in a blues band walking through the audience (wireless) with a small "tip" bucket hanging off his headstock actively and if I might say so, a tad bit aggressively soliciting tips. I thought it was funny actually. He got a lot of cash. Different strokes I guess. I would never do that.

 

[Lowbrow]

Not tacky - it's there for a reason.
Maybe your singer assumes it'll be his/her responsibility and just doesn't want to be the one to make the announcement.

 

[JRA]

i play at one joint which pays bands and passes around a tip jar/bucket: the server staff goes around 2-3 times during the show and invites the audience to contribute! similar to church...only better!

 

[zoonose]

Our frontman doesn't usually announce it, but we have a tip jar on the merch table. It's labelled "Just slide the tip in, see how it feels".

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I would check with the client. If they say no, it would be more than tacky, if they say yes, it's OK. For weddings and corporate events, say 'no'. For clubs, the jar is suitable with the club owner's/client's consent.

If the client has agreed to it, I mention it a couple times in the night.

We use a top hat for it to make it look more professional and less tacky.

Do you find that clients want to pay less if you're running a tip jar? It's the usual mentality in the restaurant biz - everyone is a tipped employee and the tips are applied as a credit to the employee getting to minimum wage. Effectively lessening the sub minimum, tipped minimum wage that comes out of the employer's bank account. So their thinking becomes - instead of paying you $400 for a night, how about $300 and you can run a tip jar.

 

[Sixgunn]

Our frontman doesn't usually announce it, but we have a tip jar on the merch table. It's labelled "Just slide the tip in, see how it feels".

That's a great one!!!

 

[gustobassman]

Tip Bucket - Depends on the gig... free show at a dive bar? Heck yes! Paid gig with cover charge? Probably not.

He rarely comes out, but ours is named our Phillip. That way I can say "Hey every one let me introduce you to Phillip. Phillip The Bucket".

 

[SteveHeissner]

We remind the audience to tip their bartenders and servers, not us. We don't play for, nor do we ask for tips, but that doesn't mean others should not.

 

[mojomike001]

Gigs are all different. If it’s a “tuxedo” sort of gig, probably no tip jar. On the other hand, my band played a show a couple of weeks ago where the bar owner himself jumped up on stage and hawked for tips for the band.

 

[klejst]

I voted throw baby carrots out in the crowd while rocking and the call it a day

 

[Bassosaurus]

If this isnt obvious, dont put a tip jar out at a fundraiser.

We display our fairly prominately but dont otherwise advertise it. We ckear it with the club first. We get paid well at private parties and dont put the bucket out.

 

[BrentD]

Just don’t count the money in front of the crowd...

Actually, if done right I think this could be hilarious. You could make a whole act around it. "Aww, geez! Will ya look at that?! Bill! [drummer] Dave! [bassist] You're gonna hafta hawk some stuff!" Then Bill takes his ride off the stand and Dave takes his bass and they leave the stage. The guitarist and singer play a couple of acoustic tunes while the other dudes just take a break. Then they return and claim the pawn shop didn't want what they were selling, so the crowd's going to have to take it. Full band resumes.

 

[fishdreams]

Around here, it is totally accepted to do so if there is no cover charge, which happens a lot because officially publishing an official cover charge puts certain insurance demands on your place of performance in NYC that a lot of places can't/won't afford.

There's often out-of-towners or tourists at shows around here - if you don't explain/announce it, they'll just assume it's all for free. And yes, you'll get the folks who with a difficult face keep rummaging through their change for a minute and half so they can throw in a few pennies and a dime. Just keep smiling

It's a bit of a grey area. You often have the 'suggested donation' thing at the door which essentially is an enforced tip jar run by the club itself. Other clubs are kind enough to a have staff member run the tip jar by the audience before the last tune of the set, and tell 'm straight up it's $10.

Now if there's a 'suggested donation' to get in (which is supposed to go to the musicians 100%), and then also a tip jar is put in the audience's face by the musicians, that I would consider bad taste.

 

[Sixgunn]

Actually, if done right I think this could be hilarious. You could make a whole act around it. "Aww, geez! Will ya look at that?! Bill! [drummer] Dave! [bassist] You're gonna hafta hawk some stuff!" Then Bill takes his ride off the stand and Dave takes his bass and they leave the stage. The guitarist and singer play a couple of acoustic tunes while the other dudes just take a break. Then they return and claim the pawn shop didn't want what they were selling, so the crowd's going to have to take it. Full band resumes.

That's actually quite clever!

 

[moon-bass]

There are a few places around here that have a place for "tip for musicians" on the bill. There's a place for the server's tip, then below a line to tip the musicians as well. I'd love to see more of that.

 

[Standalone]

Owner put a nice big tip jar on the stage for us at our last gig. We were getting paid ($80 is on the low side for us) and free beer and brewery food. No cover for patrons, and we got $40 even. Someone dropped a $20 in. We did not mention it, and focused on the music and a bit of friendly banter. We played the hell out of our sets and the money came in from an audience that appreciated us and our original music.

I think it depends on the local scene and the venue. Go with the flow.

 

[filmtex]

Ladies and Gentlemen I'd like to take a moment to introduce the band. We have Janis on lead vocals. Jimi is on guitar. John on drums. Me on bass. And we can't forget the most important member of the band, Phil. Phil the tip jar.

Totally acceptable at bar gigs with no cover charge.

We call our a "love bucket" as in, "feel free to show us a little love". I sometimes add, "Tips are really appreciated folks, I'm trying to put my son through the Navy!" One of the restaurant gigs I do about once a month usually sees tips almost doubling our pay. It's pretty standard around these parts to have a tip jar and casually mention it about once a set.YMMV

 

[TexasHeat]

This thread reminded me of a bar we played in back in the 90s. Any of you Austin guys remember Trophy's on SoCo? It was kind of a biker/dive bar where we played for free while cutting our teeth as a new cover band. We would pack the place in with our co-workers who blended oddly enough with the bikers in that unique Austin style.

The owner truly appreciated the crowd we brought and would personally walk the tip jar around the room. I saw where one of the bikers didn't tip an adequate amount and the owner grabbed a handful of the guy's shirt, picked him up and shook him until he gave more. Pretty funny.

So, my vote is to have a friend walk the tip jar around the room for you.