Passing the hat

[LeftyASAT]

It is pretty commonplace here in Austin to see a waitress or friend of the band walk through the crowd with a tip jar. Usually that's at a Happy Hour/No Cover show, and that seems fine to me. In my opinion, it is pushing it a bit if there is a cover of more than a few bucks to also get a tip jar shoved in my face several times during the evening.

I think the tackiest thing I've seen is where a band's guitarist (using a wireless system) hung a Tips bucket off his headstock and then proceded to walk through the crowd during his solo begging for tips. To make matters worse, the band was not very good, and he wasn't too talented a player either! It was at one of the more touristy restaurant/clubs downtown, so some of the crowd actually bought into it, giggling and tossing some $ in. I suppose I can't blame them for the initiative, but it bugged me watching it (and my hands stayed in my pockets when he strutted by).

 

[Seegs]

It really depends...here you may get a choice of playing for the door or passing a hat or combination of both...it's a mixed bag and can be pretty lucrative or a bust...the risk is 100% with the musician and the venue assumes none...I refuse to do these kind of gigs at most clubs...I like to share the risk!!

You may also get paid a small guarantee and supplement it with a tip jar...the presence of a tip jar is announced by the band several times throughout the course of the night and we usually have a young attractive lady will walk through the club with it and go to each person and table...we may double or triple our guarantee doing it this way and it helps us connect with the audience...people are pretty generous and it is neither considered begging or tacky as there is usually no cover charge to get into these kinds of venues...I don't mind sharing the risk with the venues...

Guarantees are best but are not always available so we have to be a bit creative and create events where we package our gigs with other activities...we have an outdoor BBQ and Blues evening scheduled for August...we played it for a guarantee 2 years ago and it was well attended and we were well paid...this year the venue does not have an entertainment budget and asked if we could do a 90/10 split of the door but I am contemplating just passing a hat instead as it may be more lucrative in the long run...

Chow,
Seegs

 

[SarasotaSlim]

It is pretty commonplace here in Austin to see a waitress or friend of the band walk through the crowd with a tip jar. Usually that's at a Happy Hour/No Cover show, and that seems fine to me. In my opinion, it is pushing it a bit if there is a cover of more than a few bucks to also get a tip jar shoved in my face several times during the evening.

I think the tackiest thing I've seen is where a band's guitarist (using a wireless system) hung a Tips bucket off his headstock and then proceded to walk through the crowd during his solo begging for tips. To make matters worse, the band was not very good, and he wasn't too talented a player either! It was at one of the more touristy restaurant/clubs downtown, so some of the crowd actually bought into it, giggling and tossing some $ in. I suppose I can't blame them for the initiative, but it bugged me watching it (and my hands stayed in my pockets when he strutted by).

Ruhrow - somebody dun stole my shtick

 

[SarasotaSlim]

Hell yeah we use a tip jar when appropriate.

Amused at some of the sanctimonious attitudes regarding this old and well-established tradition.

Good enough for Fats Waller (hell, that's a tip spittoon, by the looks of it):

Touchdown - game over

 

[ToddRandall]

A jar on the stage or piano, fine. But passing it around has too much of desperate busker, homeless, beggar forced vibe to it for me. Tips should be voluntary not requested. I mean if your waitress stood there like a bellhop waiting for her tip, would you go back to the restaurant.

 

[TravisE]

Has anyone noticed that the folks that are cool with passing the hat are generally from Nashville, NYC, or some other area where competition is tough? No, I don't guess you're going to see this as much when you're sitting 2 miles from your home somewhere in the 'burbs of Indy. And, if you're "offended" by such a thing, you probably shouldn't leave your house because that's probably not the worst **** that's gonna happen to you that night.

A place where I used to play in Nashville often always passed the hat (usually a cute girl doing the passing, by the way) and we actually made good money at a no cover, no pay kinda gig. No one was offended. People were happy to drink their wine and beers and hear good tunes.

 

[Simon]

Nothing wrong with a tip jar on stage at a Bar, but not private affairs.
Tips are a great way to bank roll a band without members feeling it come out of there set pay.

We never put the jar in the crowd, it's just on stage.
I've pulled about $5000 out of it in the last 10 months and we have been paying off our van.

When touring we live off tips so we can take a few $'s home from the real pay.
But only bars. In Florida it can average $100 a night, you can feed a band on that!

We might mention it once or twice a night, by quickly saying thanks to those of you that tipped us, we're working our way through life! or whatever, we do that because some don't know there's a jar or haven't noticed, and then tip ( they've been drinking). No real begging though.

Always mention the staff first though! There the ones that make or break a bar band, no one sees or hears you more then the staff, you want them to like you as people, as well as players.

This also goes hand in hand with the staff, If you ever have a house gig,,, mix your music up and learn new stuff and rotate it.
If the staff can set there watches for when your going to play the same song every night your doomed! A band can be great but still lose it's job due to the staff burning out on you.

 

[Luke]

The guitarist in Warrant had essentially the same thing painted on the back of his guitar and use to turn it upside down for the audience to see.

 

[R3deemed]

I'm not sure why it makes a difference, but a tip jar on the stage doesn't bother me, but passing it bothers me :notsure


It doesn't make sense guess...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk