Would you consider playing on the street "playing for tips"? I recall playing on the street when I was in high school and making anywhere from $200 to $400 a day to split between my buddy and myself for 3 to 4 hours' work. That was a lot of dough for a couple of high school kids who had never made more than $5 an hour doing anything else ..... I haven't played on the street in years, but have this vision of doing so and having my law biz clients stumble across me playing with jaws agape. I intend to do this someday .....
Harry Weinberg, Esq.
Law Offices of Harry Weinberg
11 Beach Street - 8th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10013
(212) 989-2908
Yes...very true. I'd have to say that the vast majority of places where
I played for tips put money in the jar to start, and/or made a very
direct call to the audience to make a contribution. I didn't consider it
playing for free.
The advantage of the tip is that it enables people to pay for the
"product" they like. A cover charge for an unknown artist is tough
because the audience is giving up money without knowing quite what
they'll be getting, and that makes it very hard for them to show up. The
real trick is getting butts in seats, and playing for tips is an easier
way of making that part happen. My point in the end is that once people
are listening to music, if you're playing well, you're likely to see
some cash.
Daryl Shawn
www.swanwelder.com
www.chinapaintingmusic.com
> And playing for tips is NOT playing for free (though some nights it
> sure feels that way!).
>
> Dennis
>
> On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 7:15 PM, Travis Hartnett
> <travishartnett@gmail.com <mailto:travishartnett@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> A beggar sits there and says "Please give me money".
>
> A musician playing for tips says "Do you like what I'm doing? I
> could use some cash..."
>
