This is pretty common in Australia. The PA support often gets more than individual band members.
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Tip the sound tech?
- Thread starter DrThumpenstein
- Start date
From the OP I gathered that it is not a gig for tips. If tips are collected, yes, share them.
Ah, yeah in that case I don't think I'd normally tip out of pocket.
Agreed. My local bagel shop has a tip option on the debit/credit machine.
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I'm seeing this some around here, in places like sports bars where service is not really part of the experience. When you pay your bill, also by some kind of app, they still expect a tip.
OP here. Thanks again for all the helpful and entertaining responses!
We played the gig last night and it was great. We were hired by the bar/restaurant, as was the tech. In fact, the tech owns the company that the venue hires for their sound management. He has 14 employees working all over the St Louis area. He chose our gig last night because he loves live music. He's been at it for 19 years and knows his stuff.
We couldn't have asked for a better sound technician. He was easy to work with, good sense of humor, solid equipment and wide knowledge. He jumped right in and started hooking us up and cracking jokes with us. He immediately put us at ease. He was flexible with our needs and made sure that we were all happy with our mixes, and checked with us through the night. He made us sound great in the house. Stayed out there with his iPad or at the board all night and paid attention to the show. We wanted to make a good impression, so we brought a huge crowd, and quite a few folks said we sounded better than we have ever sounded. We even had some good comments from a few of the local successful musicians who came out. Best night yet for the Dangerous Mushrooms!
So we gave him a little something for the effort. And he was obviously surprised, said we really didn't need to. I acknowledged that and told him that we were all in agreement, thanked him for how much he put us at ease and made us sound good. I told him that it was an important night for us and he helped us make a good impression. He accepted, smiled subtly, blushed deeply, and thanked us. We had a nice hang out in the parking lot after we closed the joint down. He said he enjoyed our show, and that he loved our energy. He also thanked us again and said it made him feel appreciated, because it was unexpected. (I'm thinking he'd have answered "Is that a thing?"
)
He later posted some nice comments about us to a social media page of a very talented local guitarist, so it has already come back to us. Plus, never too old to make new friends!
So I'm changing my vote from "Is that a thing?" to "Sometimes, if exceptional". And thanks again to everyone who chimed in!
We played the gig last night and it was great. We were hired by the bar/restaurant, as was the tech. In fact, the tech owns the company that the venue hires for their sound management. He has 14 employees working all over the St Louis area. He chose our gig last night because he loves live music. He's been at it for 19 years and knows his stuff.
We couldn't have asked for a better sound technician. He was easy to work with, good sense of humor, solid equipment and wide knowledge. He jumped right in and started hooking us up and cracking jokes with us. He immediately put us at ease. He was flexible with our needs and made sure that we were all happy with our mixes, and checked with us through the night. He made us sound great in the house. Stayed out there with his iPad or at the board all night and paid attention to the show. We wanted to make a good impression, so we brought a huge crowd, and quite a few folks said we sounded better than we have ever sounded. We even had some good comments from a few of the local successful musicians who came out. Best night yet for the Dangerous Mushrooms!
So we gave him a little something for the effort. And he was obviously surprised, said we really didn't need to. I acknowledged that and told him that we were all in agreement, thanked him for how much he put us at ease and made us sound good. I told him that it was an important night for us and he helped us make a good impression. He accepted, smiled subtly, blushed deeply, and thanked us. We had a nice hang out in the parking lot after we closed the joint down. He said he enjoyed our show, and that he loved our energy. He also thanked us again and said it made him feel appreciated, because it was unexpected. (I'm thinking he'd have answered "Is that a thing?"
)He later posted some nice comments about us to a social media page of a very talented local guitarist, so it has already come back to us. Plus, never too old to make new friends!
So I'm changing my vote from "Is that a thing?" to "Sometimes, if exceptional". And thanks again to everyone who chimed in!
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Yup, this is exactly why you tip a sound guy when you get a great 1. The contacts, et cetera I mean, $5 a man on a 4 pc to give a guy 20 bucks?
OP here. Thanks again for all the helpful and entertaining responses!
We played the gig last night and it was great. We were hired by the bar/restaurant, as was the tech. In fact, the tech owns the company that the venue hires for their sound management. He has 14 employees working all over the St Louis area. He chose our gig last night because he loves live music. He's been at it for 19 years and knows his stuff.
We couldn't have asked for a better sound technician. He was easy to work with, good sense of humor, solid equipment and wide knowledge. He jumped right in and started hooking us up and cracking jokes with us. He immediately put us at ease. He was flexible with our needs and made sure that we were all happy with our mixes, and checked with us through the night. He made us sound great in the house. Stayed out there with his iPad or at the board all night and paid attention to the show. We wanted to make a good impression, so we brought a huge crowd, and quite a few folks said we sounded better than we have ever sounded. We even had some good comments from a few of the local successful musicians who came out. Best night yet for the Dangerous Mushrooms!
So we gave him a little something for the effort. And he was obviously surprised, said we really didn't need to. I acknowledged that and told him that we were all in agreement, thanked him for how much he put us at ease and made us sound good. I told him that it was an important night for us and he helped us make a good impression. He accepted, smiled subtly, blushed deeply, and thanked us. We had a nice hang out in the parking lot after we closed the joint down. He said he enjoyed our show, and that he loved our energy. He also thanked us again and said it made him feel appreciated appreciated, because it was unexpected. (I'm thinking he'd have answered "Is that a thing?"
He later posted some nice comments about us to a social media page of a very talented local guitarist, so it has already come back to us. Plus, never too old to make new friends!
So I'm changing my vote from "Is that a thing?" to "Sometimes, if exceptional". And thanks again to everyone who chimed in!
Weekend Warriors 'round here we have to provide our own PA (I was that band PA guy).
Must be nice to have that provided even just occasionally, just sayin'
Must be nice to have that provided even just occasionally, just sayin'
Yeah you got THAT right! Our experience was the same as yours until last night, and I felt spoiled! It sure feels like moving up in the world. Load in/out was never easier AND sound was never better AND we didn't have to mess with it. We're definitely going to work to get back there!Weekend Warriors 'round here we have to provide our own PA (I was that band PA guy).
Must be nice to have that provided even just occasionally, just sayin'
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I'd expect him to know his job so only if he was way way above expectations would i consider a tip.
Depends on the market in my opinion. In Dallas we would sometimes but infrequently. It was either someone in the local scene we knew who was copping some free drinks and a Benjamin for the evening OR it was some hopeless member of the staff that was at a minimum confident to try fiddling with the knobs (lookin at you prophet bar). In Colorado we have to provide our own so since we're footing the bill anyways, provided things went ok at least I'd be more apt to tipping if we had a better payout or in general to grease the wheels of working together.
Absolutely not. Tipping is an economic scourge already. Don't create an environment where techs press the suck button unless bribed otherwise. Buying the tech a round or two after the show if all goes very well, sure.
Do you have to be a union musician to play strip hotels?
I'm in Vegas on business 4-6 days a week, let me know where I can check your band out!
Around here the sound guy is usually the only one who gets paid.
I didn't read all of the posts.
I always tipped the house.
For years we worked with our own sound person. He got paid what we did. Even up. Part of the band.
Freebies..... no.
I always tipped the house.
For years we worked with our own sound person. He got paid what we did. Even up. Part of the band.
Freebies..... no.
For people who tip, I'm curious:
If it's some percent out of the tip jar, that's pretty easy to figure. But if you're tipping and it's not out of the jar, roughly how much are you tipping? TBH, I never thought of it, but I can see where people are coming from. I'd have no idea what would be insulting or too over the top.
If it's some percent out of the tip jar, that's pretty easy to figure. But if you're tipping and it's not out of the jar, roughly how much are you tipping? TBH, I never thought of it, but I can see where people are coming from. I'd have no idea what would be insulting or too over the top.
The guy at the gig in question was outstanding. Fun to work with, very attentive, added effects to the vocals at just the right time/amount, our regulars said it was the best we've ever sounded. It was a big gig for us and got us invited back to one of the best bar/restaurant groups in the StL. We gave him $50. He was surprised, initially declined, I insisted, and the smile when he realized how much we really appreciated his effort was priceless. Plus, I got his digits and he's given us some leads on some other places his sound company covers. And he posted some nice comments about us on socials. It was the best $50 the band has spent so far.
As I've mentioned before our normal life is providing our own PA with only one annual event with a sound system and tech provided.
But on 6/8 we played an outside event for around 700 people and we had hired a PA company to support us. The connection to him was provided by another TB'er from the area. He was great to work with, all went well, he seemed to enjoy working with us since we try to keep he setup simple. At the end of the gig the tip jar was very generous. Since the fee charged for add'l PA was more than reasonable we tipped him $50. He was surprised and thankful that we "shared the wealth."
The event booked us for next year already and we've lined up the same PA guy. If all things are equal we'll do it again.
