Since its launch a year ago today, live entertainment and cashless tipping app PickleJar has helped artists earn more than $1.2 million. Over 2,500 artists and creators are on the platform and every penny earned through fan-funded support and transactions goes directly into their pockets.
PickleJar CEO and Founder Jeff James and President and Founder Kristian Barowsky are longtime friends and business partners. The premise of PickleJar came together three years ago while the pair was at Nashville’s The Second Fiddle on Lower Broadway catching some live music. When the artist walked up with her Yeti bucket for tips, they told her they didn’t have any cash on them. She then pulled out her Square card reader and they paid $60 for three song requests.
We both had so many questions,” James tells me. “There were three people up on stage. How are they going to split the tips? Where did the money go? Would they remember our songs? Who paid the taxes on that? Were we going to get a receipt? Kristian and I looked at each other and said, ‘There has to be a better way.
