What audiences hate about live musicians

[bass12]

I'm probably in the minority here but the whole tipping thing to me is a strange behaviour. Are you getting paid by the venue? Payment for services rendered comes with the proviso that the services are of a high enough standard for the price - that's what the payment is for isn't it?
Do you take a job with the intention of not doing it well? Do the job well, get paid adequately for your work. There should never be an obligation to tip. If you want to tip then do it.
I started out in 1966 and have never once asked for or expected a tip. There have been on rare occasions, a few given but never expected.

With most venues today you can pretty safely assume that the band is underpaid. I have a weekly gig at a restaurant. What we get paid is decent - by 1990s standards. So tips can make a big difference in helping get us make what we probably “should” be making if you take inflation into account.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

"I didn't watch the video but here's my opinion"

TalkBass in a nutshell.

I watched half of it and thought "This could have been a simple list". I will say that at any given show, I understand about every 3rd or 4th word spoken by the singer. Other than "Thanks for coming out, we are ___________" you are wasting my time.

 

[friskinator]

Soundchecking in front of the crowd. I've had to do it more times than I'd like to admit, and it sucks for everyone.

 

[Pocket Dave]

After more than 50 years of gigging, I agree with every point in the video. I've spent enough time on both sides of the stage to see a fair amount of what works and what doesn't.

As for tipping, I can only speak for my market.

When I started, bars paid a decent guarantee and charged a cover. Tip jars weren't part of the equation.

Today, many bars pay about the same money they did decades ago without adjusting for inflation. Most don't charge a cover because the place down the street doesn't either. The tip jar isn't a bonus anymore. It's part of the band's pay. It can be the difference between each player going home with $100-$150 or $150-$250.

The unwritten rules are pretty simple.

• Higher-value private events - weddings, corporate gigs, private parties. Never.
• If the venue charges a cover, put the jar out if they'll allow it. Don't talk about it.
• If there's no cover, put it out and make sure people notice it. If you mention it, be entertaining. Don't guilt people. Don't keep bringing it up. And don't be boring.

One guy I worked with told crowds, "We've got kids in prison who need cigarettes and candy bars."​

​

A BL I work with now, a retired high school coach and cattle rancher, tells the crowd, "It's not a tip jar. I quit taking tips when I gave up stripping ten years ago. It's a gas money contribution vessel so we can all get our a**'s home."​

​

Both lines, good for laughs and a full tip jar.​

 

[dune]

And once again I am reminded why I so so so so soooo don't miss being in a band.

Other than a few laughs on occasion, that's the main thing I get from reading anything here in "Band Management" - stay retired. Well, I did get one rather massively enlightening bit: I used to read the posts here and think: "Man, I'm so fortunate to have been in a band for most of my career that didn't have any 'problem children' or 'misfit toys.'" I can't remember exactly what it was that triggered the "Aha moment", but it was probably a mirror.

 

[5StringBlues]

After more than 50 years of gigging, I agree with every point in the video. I've spent enough time on both sides of the stage to see a fair amount of what works and what doesn't.

As for tipping, I can only speak for my market.

When I started, bars paid a decent guarantee and charged a cover. Tip jars weren't part of the equation.

Today, many bars pay about the same money they did decades ago without adjusting for inflation. Most don't charge a cover because the place down the street doesn't either. The tip jar isn't a bonus anymore. It's part of the band's pay. It can be the difference between each player going home with $100-$150 or $150-$250.

The unwritten rules are pretty simple.

• Higher-value private events - weddings, corporate gigs, private parties. Never.
• If the venue charges a cover, put the jar out if they'll allow it. Don't talk about it.
• If there's no cover, put it out and make sure people notice it. If you mention it, be entertaining. Don't guilt people. Don't keep bringing it up. And don't be boring.

One guy I worked with told crowds, "We've got kids in prison who need cigarettes and candy bars."​

​

A BL I work with now, a retired high school coach and cattle rancher, tells the crowd, "It's not a tip jar. I quit taking tips when I gave up stripping ten years ago. It's a gas money contribution vessel so we can all get our a**'s home."​

​

Both lines, good for laughs and a full tip jar.​

I always tell them the drummer has three wives and a kid to support .

 

[Prof.Dr.Metz]

Soundchecking in front of the crowd. I've had to do it more times than I'd like to admit, and it sucks for everyone.

I always hated having to do that.

 

[Hot Rats]

After more than 50 years of gigging, I agree with every point in the video. I've spent enough time on both sides of the stage to see a fair amount of what works and what doesn't.

As for tipping, I can only speak for my market.

When I started, bars paid a decent guarantee and charged a cover. Tip jars weren't part of the equation.

Today, many bars pay about the same money they did decades ago without adjusting for inflation. Most don't charge a cover because the place down the street doesn't either. The tip jar isn't a bonus anymore. It's part of the band's pay. It can be the difference between each player going home with $100-$150 or $150-$250.

The unwritten rules are pretty simple.

• Higher-value private events - weddings, corporate gigs, private parties. Never.
• If the venue charges a cover, put the jar out if they'll allow it. Don't talk about it.
• If there's no cover, put it out and make sure people notice it. If you mention it, be entertaining. Don't guilt people. Don't keep bringing it up. And don't be boring.

One guy I worked with told crowds, "We've got kids in prison who need cigarettes and candy bars."​

​

A BL I work with now, a retired high school coach and cattle rancher, tells the crowd, "It's not a tip jar. I quit taking tips when I gave up stripping ten years ago. It's a gas money contribution vessel so we can all get our a**'s home."​

​

Both lines, good for laughs and a full tip jar.​

Our band leaders says "we got a tip jar here, these gas prices are killin' us...etc" It gets a laugh....

 

[Deleted member 341607]

…..a picture of Charles Bukowski in the tip jar. I thought that was hilarious and kept it since none of my bandmates knew who he was. lol

I was at a small bookstore chatting with the gal that was ringing me up. She was super pleasant and nice…. Until she picked the Bukowski! Don’t think she’s a fan….

 

[fdeck]

One funny experience, related to what audiences hate. After one of my gigs, an audience member came up to compliment my playing, but she also told me that I seemed to be completely self absorbed. Now this goes against how I think I play, since I'm usually looking out into the audience, making eye contact, interacting with the other players. But I realized she only noticed me during my solos, and indeed, I'm pretty deeply absorbed when I solo, usually trying to manage my technique and figure out what to play next.

And it's not really necessary. I know where my notes are, they're in the same place where I left them. So I'll think about that a little bit more in the future. It might be the first time anybody ever noticed.

 

[crguti]

i don't know, but the most ridiculous thing I have hear is a cover band selling merchandising.

 

[IanStephenson]

i don't know, but the most ridiculous thing I have hear is a cover band selling merchandising.

Don;t knock it till you tried it... I'm in a tribute band that's still small, but starting to build a following. We weren't sure if people would buy Merch for a cover band. We got a few t-shirts to see if there would be any interest: at any given gig between 10% and 20% of the audience buy a T-shirt. We keep the prices low, but we sold-out at the last gig, and just put an order in for $300 of shirts, that will sell out for $600 within a couple of gigs.

 

[TomB]

i don't know, but the most ridiculous thing I have hear is a cover band selling merchandising.

Why do you think it’s ridiculous?

 

[gln1955]

Don;t knock it till you tried it... I'm in a tribute band that's still small, but starting to build a following. We weren't sure if people would buy Merch for a cover band. We got a few t-shirts to see if there would be any interest: at any given gig between 10% and 20% of the audience buy a T-shirt. We keep the prices low, but we sold-out at the last gig, and just put an order in for $300 of shirts, that will sell out for $600 within a couple of gigs.

I know a few of the popular cover bands in the area sell shirts.

Our BL had shirts and ball caps made for the band members that we wear during setup and teardown. We've had people come up and ask to buy them and we're just a crappy bar band.

 

[5StringBlues]

People that support live music are clued onto the fact that most bands don't make great money, at least on my local blues scene.


Given the chance , they will buy your merch, be it CDs, t-shirts, coozies, or key chains .


Any band with the means to supply their audience with options to spend more money should do so.

 

[Low End Scum]

Videos not available anymore but pet peeves about musicians is trying to make clapping happen too often. We have 1 moment with 1 song that's a straight snare hit on quarter notes to intro the song and people engage with it. Outside of that, I am not a fan of introducing the individual members of the band, stopping between every song to talk about how it was written or what it means to the lyricist, or just faffing on stage. Pls play the music. Also "WHAT IS UP [VENUE NAME]?" and "I want to see some movement on this one". If they feel it, they'll do it.

With most venues today you can pretty safely assume that the band is underpaid. I have a weekly gig at a restaurant. What we get paid is decent - by 1990s standards. So tips can make a big difference in helping get us make what we probably “should” be making if you take inflation into account.

That's very true. We just turned down a gig offer to play 4 hours of music for $600 dollars at a ski resort. That's not bad money, but it's more than an hour out of town up a mountain providing our own sound too. $150 bucks an hour isn't bad money but with travel, equipment, sound, and also learning a couple more hours of covers in the genre they requested it's also not good money.

 

[Pocket Dave]

That's very true. We just turned down a gig offer to play 4 hours of music for $600 dollars at a ski resort. That's not bad money, but it's more than an hour out of town up a mountain providing our own sound too. $150 bucks an hour isn't bad money but with travel, equipment, sound, and also learning a couple more hours of covers in the genre they requested it's also not good money.

Don't know your market, but around DFW most bands already have four hours in the tank. If yours don't, I wouldn't woodshed a band for a couple extra hours over a one-off at that pay scale.

And hauling yourselves and your gear up a mountain road? By itself, maybe not a deal breaker. Stack it with a few other red flags - it's an easy pass.

And weather has a way of showing up uninvited on those roads. After the gig, in the dark, when everyone's tired, it doesn't take much for the drive home to become a local news story.

 

[Not Insane]

A few good points here, I think.

I definitely hate the whole "get loud and clap your hands" crap. Just play your music and leave me alone.

The "too loud one" is all too common, of course.

I saw that video a couple of days ago and liked it so much I texted the link to my bandmates. I notice it's taken down, and the link on my phone didn't work either. However, I did get into it with my computer, so here's the link again...

 

[bass12]

I saw that video a couple of days ago and liked it so much I texted the link to my bandmates. I notice it's taken down, and the link on my phone didn't work either. However, I did get into it with my computer, so here's the link again...

Yep, all of the points he makes in that video are worth thinking about.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Back to my friends playing the eatery (a pizza place that has the best Caesar salad I have ever tasted). They don't ask the house to clap or participate; on appropriate songs -- "Louisiana Saturday Night" for example -- the BL just starts clapping and the house follows right along. No pressure, no coercion, just do it.

Somehow, recently and weirdly, I have become part of the act. The band does two one-hour sets and I usually leave with about to songs remaining in the second set. Soon as I get up and head toward the door the BL says, "Harry's leaving. Everybody say good night to Harry!" And be doggoned if they don't wish me goodnight. Not just a few, but the whole house, cooks and servers included. And of course I have to acknowledge them, which I do by turning just as I reach the door and waving.

But I still don't get a cut of the tip jar.

Norm!