14 Ways Musicians Can Increase Their Tips
I was listening to NPR the other day when they did a report on tipping in the restaurant industry. One they had a list of tips on how wait staff can increase their tips.
That got me brainstorming and surfing the net for other ideas to boost tips. That combined with lots of performances at Renaissance Festivals helped me to develop my own list of ways musicians can improve their tips.
1. Introduce yourself by name
Too often musicians forget to introduce themselves on stage. Make sure you tell the audience your band name, but to really boost your tips, you should also introduce yourselves individually. Let people know who you are as an individual and you’ll see greater tips.
2. Go out into the audience with a tip jar
You really can’t be passive when it comes to getting tips. You have to walk out into the audience with some visual reference that says Tip Me!, and they will tip you.
3. Meet your audience at their level
Take the time to talk to your audience members at their level. Holding a discussion from a stage puts a wall between you and them. So instead, go out into the audience and talk to them face to face. Kneel if they’re at a table, so you’re at eye level. And if you have ayour tip jar with you, you will you will not only gain a fan, but you will also improve your tips.
4. Make your appearance personal
We wear kilts to most of our gigs. A kilt adds a very personal touch It links us to a certain culture and makes people take notice. Course you don’t have to go that route, instead find some piece of clothing that reflects your personality and you will boost your tips.
5. Recommend your favorite CD
If you have multiple CDs, your audience will always ask for your favorite. Tell them what it is. If you only have one, you can do the same by recommending other artists that you like. That adds a two-fold advantage of helping your audience find music they like and helping your fellow musicians.
6. Smile
A bright, confident smile will bring fans back again and again with lots o’big tips.
7. Involve your audience in the music with a joke or game
Next time you’re up on stage, see what happens when you joke around with the audience. Your personality will glow all the more and so will your tips.
8. Chat with fans by name
Music fans love nothing more than to be recognized by the bands they love. So do your best to remember their names. They will feel that much more attached to your music and feel like your friend. And these friends will tip you better for the courtesy.
9. Touch your audience
When you’re out socializing with your audience, touch them (in a non-sexual way). Whether you shake their hand, pat them on the shoulder or back, or just brush against them, wait staff find that that even that will boost their tips 50%. And it will yours too.
10. Use tip jars with the VISA/Mastercard Logo
According to studies done in restaurants, just seeing those logos is enough to encourage customers to tip more. I know it sounds crazy, but give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised with the results.
11. Give your audience something in return for their tip
People love feeling like they’re getting their money’s worth. And many people don’t realize you should tip bands. So give something in return. It could be something as big as a sticker or magnet, or as simple as a business card that might include a $1 off your CDs. Or hey what about feeding their sweet tooth with a piece of candy. Whatever the case, that little gift will mean big tipping results.
12. Draw a picture
On a similar note, if you give them a business card, draw or make a comment on it. That piece will be more valuable to them and will result in bigger tips.
13. Make tipping a part of the show
Why wait until the end of the set to ask for tips. Sing a song about tipping, or get your audience involved in the tipping process by shouting something. Or offer a prize to the first tipper. But integrate it into your show and it won’t seem like you’re just begging for money, rather you’re making it fun to tip.
14. Thank your audience
No gig would be complete without an audience. So thank them for taking the time to watch you perform. They will feel the personal touch and respond when you ask for money.
15. Bonus Tipping Suggestion:
If the change is five dollars, never return a five-dollar bill. Always give back five ones. This allows the customer to tip you with some of the dollar bills you returned. You will rarely get a $5 tip and returning a $5 bill will turn off tippers. In general, it’s good to return all ones if the change is less than $8. You want the customer to have at least two ones so they can give it back as the tip.
Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has helped 1000’s of musicians make money with their musical groups through the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine and the Texas Musicians’ Texas Music Biz Tips. Now you can get personal advice by visiting http://www.bardscrier.com for FREE how-to music marketing assistance.
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10 Ways For Unknown Musicians To Get The Word Out
When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper doesn’t like you, how do you win over new audiences?
The good news: there are many, many ways. Here are ten of my favorites.
1. Approach a local college or alternative radio station or community access cable TV station with a programming idea, like a live songwriter showcase. Other musicians will want to be a part of your show, and you’ll build an audience for your own music–and theirs.
2. Write CD or concert reviews for a local alternative (or mainstream) paper.
3. Give copies of your CD away to public radio and TV stations for their fund drive premiums.
4. Organize, publicize, and perform at charity events for your favorite causes.
5. Lead songwriting or performing workshops in the schools (these are usually paying gigs, and all the parents hear your name). Invite some of the kids to perform with you; they’re sure to bring a bunch of relatives along who will pay for their tickets and maybe buy a CD.
6. Announce your gigs in every community calendar. Newspapers, magazines, radio stations, community web sites, cable TV stations–they all run event listings. Type out one paragraph that includes a tag line about what you do, such as Sandy Songwriter, River City’s ‘Homegrown Bono,’ will perform labor songs and love ballads at The Trombone Shop, 444 4th Street in Downtown River City, Wednesday, January 15, 7 p.m. If admission is free or there’s a charity connection, say so. Include contact phone number and e-mail.
7. Find Internet discussion groups related to your cause. Whether it’s immigration, voting reform, peace, safe energy, the right to choose…there will be discussion groups online. Post responses and include a sig–a short on-line business card. Use different sigs for different purposes. Here’s one of mine (in a real e-mail, it would be single-spaced):
Shel Horowitz, mailto:shel@frugalfun.com, 800-683-WORD/413-586-2388
I make the world INSIST on learning why YOU’RE special
News releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, web copy, resumes, etc.
http://www.frugalmarketing.com * http://www.principledprofits.com
8. Set up a simple low-cost website. Include a couple of sound clips, pictures of you performing, a place for people to sign up for your fan newsletter, a link to your favorite musicians, and, of course, your tour schedule and gig availability.
9. Get exposure on other people’s websites. Write CD reviews, endorse their music with a blurb, submit articles on the local music scene…and always include your contact information and a statement that encourages people to visit your site.
10. Use the letters columns. Call in to talk shows. Post messages to Web forums…in short, use every feedback tool you have to spread the word.
Copywriter, marketing consultant, and speaker Shel Horowitz is the author of six books and publisher of five websites, five webzines and three ezines. His two most recent, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First (http://www.principledprofits.com) and Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World (http://www.frugalmarketing.com) have both won awards. He’s currently engaged in a campaign to get 25,000 people to sign–and spread–the Business Ethics Pledge: http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html
(Don’t) Play By The Rules
I was walking on campus today back from our weekly gig at the University of Texas’ South Mall, when I heard a member of the Young Conservatives of Texas speak. March 2nd is Texas Independence Day and so this fellow was preaching that if you work hard and play by the rules you too can lead a good life.
Maybe it’s the skeptic in me, but it made me think, What a bunch of crock! Most people, including most musicians, work hard and play by the rules, but did you know that Americans carry, on average, $5,800 in credit card debt from month to month. Well I ask you, what kind of life is that when a huge majority of country is in unprofitable debt?
But I’ve been reading books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad recently, in an attempt to learn music business and finance skills from people who make millions. Do they follow the rules? Yes…sorta.
The questions that came to me as I walked by the Young Conservatives were, Who makes the rules? and Are we following the Right rules?
That’s really the key that many successful business people learn. It’s not a matter of are you following the rules. It’s are you following the Right rules?
You see, our community is filled with rules on what you can’t do, but there are also tons of rules that say what you can do, but most people don’t know what they are.
Taxes are a great example. The average musician might not deduct things like car travel to and from gigs, or the cost of their picks, because they may not know that they can.
The same goes with promotion. Just because you’re on MP3.com and get a dozen emails from other musicians in a form letter saying, play my song, does not mean that you should put together your own form letter and spam thousands of musicians.
Or just because most musicians do their best to attract the attention of a Major label A&R or even the President, does not mean you shouldn’t schmooze with the secretary.
The point is know the rules, but then look beyond them. The rules are a guide. They are not etched in stone. Break the rules. Do what others are NOT doing and you will do a better of job standing out in the crowd.
Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has helped 1000’s of musicians make money with their musical groups through the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine and the Texas Musicians’ Texas Music Biz Tips. Now you can get personal advice by visiting http://www.bardscrier.com for FREE how-to music marketing assistance.
No time to visit the site? Subscribe to the BardsCrier.com distributed weekly for Free. Just email subscribe@bardscrier.com
Your CD Cover To Advertise Your Music Another Opinion
One of the Brobdingnagian Bards’ early CDs, Songs of the Muse is going into it’s second pressing. When I saw Christopher Knab’s article Your CD Cover is Your Best Ad For Your Music, I decided this was the perfect inspiration I needed to update the CD graphics.
I’ve been a fan of Christopher Knab for about as long as I’ve been a fan of Bob Baker. He is without a doubt one of the top Top 10 music marketers in my book.
Well, whenever I create graphics, I find too often that I forget a bunch of stuff. So this article serves as a great checklist. But when I read Seth Godin’s Best-Selling book, Free Prize Inside, I realized that it was NOT a complete list!
In fact, the music industry in general has greatly missed out on an amazing opportunity to better sell CDs.
The idea I got came from the backs of books. Go grab a best-seller and turn it over. On the back, you will find the secret…
What did you find? You might’ve seen testimonials, a brief description of the book, or maybe even an exerpt.
You see, one of the problems I found with Songs of the Muse is that since we call our music Celtic music. It wasn’t till much later that I realized that in the Celtic music tradition, songs have lyrics and tunes are instrumentals. This album is all instrumental. So it was poorly named for the Celtic music world.
But if we use the back cover correctly, it doesn’t matter!
The new back cover now lists songs titles along with a brief description of the ideal person who will enjoy this CD. It includes testimonials. And anyone who reads it will have all doubt removed as to if this is a vocal or instrumental CD.
Use Christopher Knab’s checklist for a better CD graphics. Then think outside the box. What can you add to the cover that will make this CD sell better than ever?
Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has helped 1000’s of musicians make money with their musical groups through the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine and the Texas Musicians’ Texas Music Biz Tips. Now you can get personal advice by visiting http://www.bardscrier.com for FREE how-to music marketing assistance.
No time to visit the site? Subscribe to the BardsCrier.com distributed weekly for Free. Just email subscribe@bardscrier.com
Your New Best Friend The Mailing List
For startup musicians, email is a gift of God. When I first started managing bands a number of years ago, I spent hours licking stamps and sending out postcards for upcoming gigs, spending over $100 on people that never showed up to my bands’ gigs. We didn’t even make that much at the gig, and we were blowing money left and right.
Don’t get me wrong. For a band that sticks around, $100 for one fan is worth it, in my opinion, because that fan will be tell friends, buy CDs, and more, but there is a cheaper alternative. Start your own band ezine.
If you don’t already have one, I strongly urge you to head over to eGroups.com and setup your own newsletter. If you haven’t already, start collecting addresses today. Don’t use this as an excuse not to pick up snail mail, mind you. In the next few weeks we’ll talk about how to get the most out of your email and snail mail addresses.
GETTING YOUR LIST STARTED
1. Send Invites to all of your friends, ASK them if they want would like to get your fan news.
2. Specify how often you intend to mail out your ezine (weekly, twice monthly, monthly).
3. Provide info your fans would consider interesting (tidbits about the band, bands you like, favorite recipes).
4. Provide an easy way automatically unsubscribe.
5. Add a Subscribe to My Newsletter link on your homepage.
VERY IMPORTANT DON’TS
DON’T auto-subscribe people from other mailing lists, even if they May like you. (This includes the Media)
BETTER: E-mail them. Include their name in the message, and ASK if they would be interested in subscribing.
DON’T send out an email before Every gig. Especially if you start getting a lot, you will only end up allienating fans. Stick to the schedule.
DON’T make your newsletter filled to the brim in formality.It’s got to breathe. People want newsletters that are personal, so talk to ‘em.
Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has helped 1000’s of musicians make money with their musical groups through the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine and the Texas Musicians’ Texas Music Biz Tips. Now you can get personal advice by visiting http://www.bardscrier.com for FREE how-to music marketing assistance.
No time to visit the site? Subscribe to the BardsCrier.com distributed weekly for Free. Just email subscribe@bardscrier.com
Hey Guitar Players! Can You Play The Blues?
Hey, I’m looking for a rhythm guitar player for my virtual blues band. Can you play the blues? You can? Great! Would you like to audition? You would? Fantastic! Come on, step into my virtual rehearsal room and meet my virtual band mates. We’ve got a big virtual tour coming up and we desperately need a virtual rhythm guitarist. By the way, what’s your name? Stevie? Nice to meet you Stevie, I’m Pete. Come on, come inside…..
CUT TO…..
VIRTUAL REHEARSAL ROOM -EVENING
A dimly lit room with graffiti on the walls. The drummer and the bass player are jamming a jazz blues. Pete and Stevie interrupt.
PETE: (Shouting) Guys
They don’t hear him
PETE: (Shouting louder) Guys, QUIET!!!!!!
They stop playing.
PETE: Thank you. This is Stevie. He says he can play the blues.
JAKEY THE DRUMMER: Hi Stevie, I’m Jakey
COLIN THE BASS PLAYER: Yo, I’m Colin
STEVIE: Nice to meet you both.
JAKEY: So you play the blues, huh?
STEVIE: Sure, anybody can play the blues.
PETE: Ok, grab a guitar Steve. We’ll have a jam.
Jakey adjusts his hi-hat. Colin turns the volume up on his amplifier.
COLIN: Ok, how about something simple to start off with.
JAKEY: A 16 bar?
PETE: Sounds good, key of C sharp.
Jakey starts counting in
JAKEY: 1…2…3..
Stevie interrupts
STEVIE: Sorry, a what bar?
PETE: A 16 bar
Stevie has a blank look on his face. Colin and Jakey exchange glances.
PETE: Have you played a 16 bar before?
Stevie shakes his head.
PETE: Ok, erm…I know let’s try an 8 bar blues.
COLIN: Yeah. Let’s do it in A flat
JAKEY: Great! 1….2….3….
STEVIE: (Interrupting) Hold on guys.
Everybody looks at Stevie.
STEVIE: I’m sorry, I’m not too sure how to play an 8 bar.
PETE: I thought you said you could play the blues…
STEVIE: (Angry) Sure I can play the blues. I’ve been playing the blues for years. I grew up playing the blues.
PETE: Erm, ok then, let’s try a minor blues in F sharp.
JAKEY: 1…2…3…
STEVIE: (Interrupting) Er…no
PETE: But you did say you can play the blues.
STEVIE: Course I can play the blues.
COLIN: Ok, your call Stevie, what shall we play?
STEVIE: Well, how about a 12 bar blues in E?
PETE: Yeah, ok. Let’s give it a go. We’ll make it a quick change 12 bar in 12/8 time. Oh yeah and lead in with the turnaround.
JAKEY: 1………..
STEVIE: (Interrupting) Erm…….
Pete, Jakey and Colin are puzzled
PETE: What?
STEVIE: Quick change? 12/8? Lead in with the turnaround?
PETE: But you said you can play the blues.
STEVIE: yeah, well not this sort of blues.
An awkward silence fills the room.
STEVIE: (Embarrassed) Erm…maybe…..I should…er……go
Stevie turns and leaves
Jakey and Colin glare at Pete
PETE: But he said he could play the blues….
Cymbal crash - THE END!
Ok, let’s step out of virtuality and back to reality. I have a question for you…..
If you were in Stevie’s shoes, what would you have answered when asked you if you could play the blues?
Be honest, would you have said yes? I think most guitar players would have. It seems as though a lot of people think the blues is an easy music. Three chords in a 12 bar format. Well, a lot of it is three chords and a lot of it is in a 12 bar format. There is no denying that. But, there is also a lot more to it than most people think.
Let me ask you another question. Once again, answer honestly.
Imagine it was you in the audition room and not Stevie. Could you have played the 16 bar in the key of C sharp? How about the 8 bar or the minor blues? How would you have coped with the turnaround intro or the quick change? Would you have known what 12/8 time was? Would you have been comfortable in the keys that were suggested? C sharp?, A flat? F sharp? Remember, you are being asked to play these things on the spot.
If you answered yes to all the above then, great! You need read no further. Go reward yourself with a jam doughnut, you deserve it. For those of you that answered no to all, or just one of the questions, we need to do some work. Maybe you could argue that feel would have got you through the audition. What is this word; feel? Well, it’s great to have it, but a bit silly to rely on it. Sometimes we need a little bit more than feel to get us through tough situations. The truth is we need knowledge!
If you are serious about becoming a professional guitar player then you really do need a good knowledge of the blues. It is a language that all musicians love to use. The way to get this knowledge is to work hard and commit yourself to your musical education. A solid understanding of blues progressions is essential to your development. Sorry but a 12 bar in E just will not do.
That’s why we, at Jack Sky Ltd, have produced an excellent blues rhythm guitar study entitled Blues Progressions. This 32 page e-Book covers 8 bar, 12 bar 16 bar, minor blues, jazz blues plus many variations of these progressions. It also includes a chord syllabus with chords that are commonly used in blues music. It really is packed with information that will equip you with the skills required to jam with any blues band.
The next time somebody asks Can you play the blues? make sure you are in a position to stick out your chest, lift up your head, look em in the eye and reply….Yes, I play the blues! Grab this fantastic e-book today. Visit our on-line store at www.jack-sky.com
Knowledge breeds confidence. Confidence will, in turn, create opportunities. Opportunities will bring experience. Experience will bring success!! Here’s to your success! Work hard and feel yourself improve……
Oh, and by the way, can you play the blues………..?
Peter Jones is the Managing Director of Jack Sky Ltd. Based on the banks of the River Mersey in the great city of Liverpool, Jack Sky Ltd is committed to providing quality guitar tutorials to its customers. A warm welcome awaits you at http://www.jack-sky.com