Should band members split tips equally?

[DanRH]

For both my bands, when a tip jar used, the first hundie goes to the soundman. Then we split it equally.

 

[fusseltier]

Should be evenly unless there's circumstances that one may need a little more. But you have to discuss it with your band and make it fair.

 

[nickrobotron]

Everyone has a job. Agree on pay outs before the show!

 

[jansara]

Yes.

 

[Deafmoon]

Expenses should be paid for out of the band fee. Tips are tips, and should be shared equally.
But this is another negative aspect of the ailing music scene. Musicians shouldn't be subject to the whim of a tip, it should be properly paid. I have never worked in a tip jar situation and probably wouldn't.

YOU SAID IT BEST!

 

[jptrickster]

We can share the woman we can share the wine
We can share what we got of yours 'cause we done shared all of mine!

 

[Quai34]

Our BL books us, brings PA, lights and sometimes a second guitar amp. I’m cool with him making a little extra from the tip jar.

I supply basses, bass amp, bass pedalboard, so, 3 basses, same for guitars, 5 guitars, 2 amps, 20 pedals, cables connection, IEM for 7 people, PA, drums, mics for everyone, cables etc....I even have some friends who help for free and i book, plus BL plus MD, like everything is prepared for all, no need to look for any scores etc, all is here organized on band helper and dropbox.
So, depending on the gig, I pay myself, same as other as the keys player, double for BL and the rest, sometimes a bit more if I had to organize the event or to organized the PA and i was alone because the sound guy and light guy couldn't make it in advance for the show......But for tip, I split, hey, we were appreciated as a band, not as a bunch of individuals playing in their corner for themselves...

 

[JimmyM]

I supply basses, bass amp, bass pedalboard, so, 3 basses, same for guitars, 5 guitars, 2 amps, 20 pedals, cables connection, IEM for 7 people, PA, drums, mics for everyone, cables etc....I even have some friends who help for free and i book, plus BL plus MD, like everything is prepared for all, no need to look for any scores etc, all is here organized on band helper and dropbox.
So, depending on the gig, I pay myself, same as other as the keys player, double for BL and the rest, sometimes a bit more if I had to organize the event or to organized the PA and i was alone because the sound guy and light guy couldn't make it in advance for the show......But for tip, I split, hey, we were appreciated as a band, not as a bunch of individuals playing in their corner for themselves...

Well our guy often books gigs where he makes less or nothing because he’s doing ok financially and just loves to play, so I won’t begrudge him the tip jar.

 

[Stephen.DeBoard]

Tips should always be split evenly with the band. I also support paying a friend or spouse who helps set up and tear down for free out of the tip jar as a thank you. I was honestly a bit shocked and angry to hear that people don't abide by this. Treat others as you want to be treated. It pays off in ways you can't quantify.

Taking this idea even further I decided to make my band members equal partners on some new recordings we're making of songs I've written. If anything good happens with them we'll share the profits equally. Most music business people will tell you this is a bad idea. Guess what is happening? Everyone is giving their very best and their full attention, passion and love to the project. The songs are growing exponentially in ways I could never have imagined. When you have a band of four people working together as one it is more powerful than one band with four people. U2 knows this. People should be valued for who they are and what they bring.

Being a drummer I've experienced getting the short end of the potential publishing pie on professional recordings so when the opportunity came and my songs became the focus I decided to act in a way that I always wished people had acted towards me. I realized that it's the recorded performance of a song that people fall in love with, not necessarily the song itself. Otherwise every version of a hit song would also be a hit song.

 

[Quai34]

Well our guy often books gigs where he makes less or nothing because he’s doing ok financially and just loves to play, so I won’t begrudge him the tip jar.

Well, that makes sense but when I setup why I was going to be paid twice due to all the equipment I bring, one of the singers was not happy (she didn't even had a microphone for her) saying that without her voice we cannot do anything... I replied: " But you, could you sing without a band"? Well, yes, with my guitar for ballad/folk. Well, us, the band, could do a lot without singers, jazz, fusion, jazz rock, EDM, instrumentals, Latin Jazz etc.... She stayed four months but I was challenge to catch up a bit for all stuff the had bought on my own for everyone!
And for the tips, it should have been for her!!!

 

[drummer5359]

In the eighties I played in nice rooms from the Keys to West Palm Beach as part of a Keyboard trio.

We played the Fontainebleau, the Diplomat, Pier 66, the Bahia Mar Yacht Club... Some serious rooms. Rick, the band leader, was well known in the area. He'd been playing some of these rooms since the late fifties.

When someone would come forward with a request, he wouldn't pay it any mind. He would quip, "We take requests, we just don't take them seriously." He'd pause, "Unless of course, the request is written on a twenty or larger."

One night we had a guy that was making some bizarre requests, we played every one of them. It turns out that each request was accompanied by a $100 bill. We played some weird stuff that night, but it was it was financially rewarding. And yes, Rick always shared equally with us. Apparently the "guest" was a well-known mobster who would show up every once in a while, and it would be a big payday.

Every bandleader that I've worked with has split tips evenly if they come up. Weirdly enough, in recent years I've run into a tip jar most often in acoustic gigs, particularly when I was playing Irish music in pubs.

 

[Stephen.DeBoard]

In the eighties I played in nice rooms from the Keys to West Palm Beach as part of a Keyboard trio.

We played the Fontainebleau, the Diplomat, Pier 66, the Bahia Mar Yacht Club... Some serious rooms. Rick, the band leader, was well known in the area. He'd been playing some of these rooms since the late fifties.

When someone would come forward with a request, he wouldn't pay it any mind. He would quip, "We take requests, we just don't take them seriously." He'd pause, "Unless of course, the request is written on a twenty or larger."

One night we had a guy that was making some bizarre requests, we played every one of them. It turns out that each request was accompanied by a $100 bill. We played some weird stuff that night, but it was it was financially rewarding. And yes, Rick always shared equally with us. Apparently the "guest" was a well-known mobster who would show up every once in a while, and it would be a big payday.

Every bandleader that I've worked with has split tips evenly if they come up. Weirdly enough, in recent years I've run into a tip jar most often in acoustic gigs, particularly when I was playing Irish music in pubs.

I was in a house band at a sports bar in Manhattan Beach, CA for 8 years from 2008-2016 and our band leader had the opposite approach to requests. He would quip, "We'll play any song. We just won't play any song correctly." We would usually get through at least a verse and a chorus of songs we didn't know. Sometimes we would surprise ourselves and get through a whole song. My favorite of his lines that I have since stolen was, "We're looking for a record deal so let me know if there are any record dealers out there." It's extra funny coming from a cover band and said out of the blue at just the right time. I loved it that we took our musicianship seriously but also realized that humor is an asset to entertaining. It's strange to me when a cover band takes itself too seriously. It's strange to me when anyone takes themselves too seriously!

 

[nm999]

It all depends on what the upfront agreement is.

 

[TheBeachBoy]

We pay our bar tab then split whatever's left.

 

[repete]

Tip jars are the norm in south Florida and we all split it evenly. Sometimes it’s $9.00 a person, sometimes we each make over $100 or anywhere in between. We also have people approach us with money and request songs to play. Last week we split $100 to play a couple verses of a Springsteen tune! There’s also a club where the owner takes the tip bucket and raises it up in the air a couple a night to point out it’s there. Our bucket has a name as well, Phil. Phil (fill) the bucket

 

[Pat A Flafla]

We pay our bar tab then split whatever's left.

That only works if everybody's really drinking.
Since I don't drink until I'm off the stage, I would resent that arrangement a lot, but if it's working for you I certainly wouldn't suggest you change something everyone's happy with.

 

[ElChoad]

I think the bass player should keep all the tips he makes for delivering pizzas. That has nothing to do with the rest of the band...

 

[Matched Gripper]

I've never been in a position where playing was a business, it was all for fun. I can't imagine playing in a band with a controlling "band leader". Life's too short.

Depends on the band. Sometimes a controlling taskmaster is what is needed to for a band to produce its best music. Especially a big band with 15 or so players. Doesn’t hurt if the band leader is also a virtuoso musician who knows what he wants. Someone has to crack the whip at some points. Nature of the beast!

 

[Quai34]

Depends on the band. Sometimes a controlling taskmaster is what is needed to for a band to produce its best music. Especially a big band with 15 or so players. Doesn’t hurt if the band leader is also a virtuoso musician who knows what he wants. Someone has to crack the whip at some points. Nature of the beast!

Well, yes, we are 7 and with 3 girls. I,m super happy that they like each other and collaborate but in the past - ok, with singers that are not with us anymore - when one singer was playing the "I'm the star of the show" game against the other, especially other female singer, I Had to have my voice heard in a sense that all 3 are leading, not one and the other backing up because we have one Alto, one Mezoo and one Soprano and of course, each one leads at a certain point depending on the song. So, controlling but about tips, once my expenses were covered, ok, I split, normal.

 

[mkelley]

My long term band has always split tips. In our heyday, a few of us never took the money and added it into the band account.