No Cover Etiquette (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Tip Jar)

Let's face it...Austin has an abundance of riches where live music is concerned. On any given night in this town, you can find live music, be it in a bar, night club, restaurant, or street corner. This is a blessing and a curse for the musicians here, because people tend to forget that music isn't free. The musicians who perform work hard. I know...I've helped with load-ins and load-outs for a local band here, and it is hard work. I think because the word "play" is used to describe what a band does (they play music), people think it is just fun and the band is just having a good time. A good band also makes it look like lots of fun to be onstage. I've seen musicians show up to play when they're sick, exhausted, stressed out, over worked and under paid, and they're still entertaining the crowd. The point I'm trying to make is that when the tip jar is passed at a show where there's no cover (or even if one is passed at a show WITH a cover), you should be generous and show the love by putting something more than a dollar in the tip jar. Musicians have families to support and bills to pay, just like the rest of us. And by making sure they get paid fairly, you help insure that music will be around in this city for years to come. So don't fear the tip jar....embrace it and fill it to the brim! Thankyouverymuch.