The idea of musicians accepting tips is not a new one. In fact, far from it! Those who enjoy what they see and hear have been giving a few cents or dollars to artists for pretty much…forever. For decades, this has taken the form of artists busking on the street for whatever they can earn, but technology is finally catching up to this time-tested tradition, and now it’s easier than ever for artists at all points in their career and anywhere in the world to accept tips.
Most musicians are constantly looking for ways to increase their revenue streams, yet so few invest in finding ways to accept tips. Sure, you can pass around a cup or leave a coffee can on the edge of the stage, but there are many more dignified, tech-forward ways to let fans fund your musical journey, and you should be thinking about incorporating any of these ideas starting ASAP.
In This Article:
- At Your Show
- At Your Merch Table
- On YouTube
- On Twitter
- Your Website
- Your Email Newsletter
Accepting Tips At Your Show
Whether fans have paid to get into your latest concert or not, you can certainly ask for tips! There are plenty of inventive, non-invasive ways for you to tell those watching and listening as you play that you welcome tips, you just have to decide what works for you.
Perhaps you can hang a piece of paper on your mic (or somewhere a little less intrusive) that includes either your handles for platforms like Venmo, PayPal, or others, or maybe even a QR code, if you feel like being a little more tech-savvy.
You could project this information onto a screen or the wall behind or beside you, maybe during the entire performance, or possibly only for a moment or two. If you have a video of some kind ready to go—or any visuals, for that matter—you can work with whoever creates your art to find a subtle way to include these details in ways that are still visually appealing.
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Tipping At Your Merch Table
You can utilize this option either in lieu of the one prior or in addition to it! You should have somewhere to sell your merchandise at your concerts, and there’s nothing wrong with having your info available for all to see who might want to tip you a bit extra for a job well done. Those who are already coming to see what you have for sale or who are interested in buying your band’s vinyl record will almost surely be the fans who are most likely to support you in whatever way they can, so of all the suggestions included in this piece, sharing your Venmo/PayPal/Cash app details in this specific space might be the most prudent.
Geetting Tips From YouTube
In the summer of 2021, YouTube caught up with a number of other massively popular online platforms by finally introducing its own version of a tip jar, which the site calls “Super Thanks.” The feature allows viewers and fans to donate to a video’s creator. If someone is already watching one of your youtube music videos and loving it, there’s at least a chance they’ll offer up a few bucks, so why not try this still-new option out?
Tipping Musicians On Twitter
Before YouTube rolled out Super Thanks, Twitter introduced tips onto its platform. Now, anyone can take part by simply connecting their social media account to their Cash app, Venmo, or to various cryptocurrency wallets, allowing one person to give money to another. This feature is apparently used most often by those who love a specific person’s tweets, but you don’t have to be the funniest person on Twitter to make a few bucks.
If someone follows your band on Twitter, there’s a very good chance they really like you and what you do, tweets or otherwise. If they’re invested in seeing what you put out into the world, they care for you and what you do, and if there’s even a chance they might donate some cash to your wallet, why not turn this feature on and see what comes your way?
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Accepting Tips From Your Band’s Website
Even more so than your social media accounts, if someone is already visiting your band’s website, it’s almost certainly because they love you and your music and they’re looking to learn more, buy something, or perhaps just support you in some other manner. There are a number of tip jar-like apps (such as these) and features you can investigate that allow you to connect some financial platform to your website with a simple icon, making it extremely easy to set up and even easier for someone to give you money.
Websites might not be quite as vital and popular as they may have been years ago, but they’re still useful, and if they’re meant to be hubs containing everything about you and your work, a tip jar absolutely fits right in.
Your Email Newsletter
First, you need to make sure you have an email newsletter. If you don’t already, you’re missing out on any opportunities, and not just to receive tips. Having said that, these regular missives to your fanbase are a fantastic chance to not even beg for money, but simply give those receiving and opening the emails a chance to fund your next work, should they choose to.
You don’t have to make this a big deal, or even announce it. Whenever you’re ready, start including a small section that tells fans to click to tip you and how much it means to you. It can be one sentence and a little picture, and that’s it. Copy and paste the same words and image into every message moving forward and you won’t need to address it further.
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