When you’re at a bar or restaurant with free live music playing, do you ever tip the performers?
When you’re at a bar or restaurant with free live music playing, do you ever tip the performers? A new practice of having a separate tip line for musicians on receipts is picking up steam in the Seattle area and it’s catching the attention of Richmond venues.
When there’s no cover charge and live music’s being played somewhere, the performers need to be compensated somehow. Emilio’s Tapas Bar often offers free music to complement their dining experience, and owner Chad Stambaugh was intrigued with the new payment option.
“Richmond has gone to everyone wanting to do free shows. The money to pay the acts comes directly out of my pocket, and some of the money should come out of my pocket because the acts are bringing people to my business,” Stambaugh said. “But it does eat at your profits a lot, so any help at all would be great and I like the idea a lot.”
For Rand Burgess, owner of The Camel and The Broadberry, the whole idea is a bit out of sight, out of mind, as his venues generally have ticket charges.
“I haven’t really given it too much thought. I also don’t know if the band was playing for free. I don’t really know the economics of it. It’s not something that we do here at The Broadberry or The Camel because our bands who play do get paid. Bands always make money when they play our places,” Burgess said.
“I don’t know if that’s something we’d want to implement – I mean, going out is expensive enough, you know? What happens if (customers) tip the band, but not the bartender? I’d be open to the idea, but it’s not necessarily something we’d do.”
There’s no evidence of this happening in Richmond yet, but the interest is there, and it seems there wouldn’t be any red tape stopping a business from going for it. A representative from the Richmond Better Business Bureau said offering an extra line to tip musicians would be each business’ discretion.
Additionally, Paula Stallard, the Richmond Better Business Bureau’s Communications & Marketing Director, said that while it hasn’t been happening in Richmond, it certainly isn’t limited to Seattle either.
“(I) have not seen this personally. However, I have been told by a BBB associate in Florida that this is common in Las Vegas. It has also been seen in Orlando when there are mariachi bands, belly dancers, etc. who perform while you eat,” said Stallard.
Glen Casebeer, NorthWest Music Scene’s Editor, echoed the belief it was one particular business’ unilateral decision, but he couldn’t recognize from where the receipt came.
Another option is MyTipJar, a relatively new app which “allows you to tip Bands and other performers from your smart phone that is available now in both iTunes and Google Play,” as per their Facebook description.
Similarly, there isn’t any word of this happening here in Richmond.
Sadie Powers, Bassist for Dead Fame, said she and her bandmates have had enough issues getting paid for shows as is and she’s not sure if tipping a band could hurt others who rely on tips as well, like servers and bartenders.
“What if customers hate the band and therefore tip the bartenders less because of it?” said Powers. “This could lead to a somewhat contentious relationship between bartenders and bands.”
Powers went on to express concern about tipping at shows shifting the focus from the bands onto the payment method. “I’d much rather pay a door fee and have the freedom to enjoy the rest of my night, than sift through my pockets in between songs or at the end of the night, when I’m trying to quantify the performance I’ve just seen when I’m closing out my bar tab,” she said.
Have you heard of this happening in town? Would you tip musicians if there were a line to do so on your receipt?
