Percentage of your income paid to studio owner?

What is the average percentage an experienced artist would expect to pay the owner when hired at a busy tattoo studio in the USA? Thanks for any helpful answers.

my artists gets half of everything he touches. i pay for all shop supplies. he's a technical guy, so he's worth his weight in gold as far as i'm concerned. i consider him an equal partner. my apprentice gets an hourly wage. he's doing a dragon on my arm soon. if he fucks it up, he dies.

The fair percentage is 50% although I pay a little higher to people who have been with me for years. The unfair percentage is 75% or higher but the ONLY way to get that is work for a studio that is owned by someone who can't Tattoo. Of course this is only my humble experienced opinion, and the opinion of an old retired tattooist isn't worth much in the business world.

60/40 if shop supplies everything (aside from power supply,machines,tubes,tips,grips,stems)

artist make 40% to start then goes to 50 then 60 with experience...shop supplies EVERYTHING.

50%-60% Has always been the standard for as long as I can remember. So what is the % at your studio Gabe ?

Everyone here starts at 40% (unless they are an established experienced artist like Kandyman Joe) but in a very short time go to 50% then after devolping a clientelle they go up to 60% But yes Josey 50 is the "normal" percentage.

You know, I guess if my artists really wanted to share what they made they would have posted it. We do 60/40 most of the time, some guests get 70/30. I'd like to be more generous but the studio is only a year old. I think your statement about 75 or more not being fair or happening only if there is a non-tattooing owner is wrong. I know more one artist who will simply pay rent (to tattoo artist owners) because their cliental and draw gives them the leverage to go anywhere they want. Its not common, but it happens when artists have waiting lists a mile long...

Reads to me you pay a higher than normal percentage, Think that’s fair to your competitors that have actually put the time in their Tattoo Career to learn the trade from an artist view ? I guess business is business screw the other guys hard labor not to mention paying his dues to own a studio. I can only hope you’re not crushing some poor old tattooist business who deserves the studio he/she owns. All this I say to you with respect & sincerity that you can for a moment see things though my hard worked eyes, Rather than from the view of the dollar. Josey

You gotta be kidding me Josey, are you sure you've been in this industry for as long as you say? According to the post that you made today on this very thread, my artists are in the range of standard percentages. All our resident artists have been tattooing over 10 years, one owned a studio for 8 years, another works strictly by appointment and has people driving from all over, the other took a % cut and moved to a new state to work here... It simply wouldnt be fair to pay them a less %. Your pretty transparent Josey, if I said I paid these guys 50% then you'd accuse me of being a money grubbing sob leaching off the artists. Its moot anyways, they wouldnt work for that percentage, they dont have to... Most of our "competitors" are actually clients (either of TattooNOW or Off the Map)... Ive gone out of my way to be very fair to the artists in our area. I promote more than one competing non-client artist, indeed Ive gone out of my way too... Either me or someone from our studio usually visits the area artists/studios once a month inviting them here for whatever special event/seminair we are hosting... and I chat with our "competition" all the time... for christs sake, all these people you think we're crushing have sent folks our way when they are too busy (thank you area artists, you know who you are!)! Your baseless shit talking really only hurts one persons reputation... and its not mine. See the situation through your eyes and not the eyes of the dollar??? See, there is a presumption that is insulting and wrong. I dont see anything through the eyes of the dollar, if I did I wouldn't have quit freelancing to work with a bunch of artists and bounce my bills a few times a year... Corporations have a lot more money to spend I tell you. When I think about your point of view, I see someone who has an absolute belief. Instead of realizing that indeed, there may actually be a few non-tattoo artists who understand the sacred art enough to succeed, you come up with all these fantasies(which are certainly true in many cases) to fit your assumptions, not the facts. Im lucky, josey, I know that I have earned every bit of respect and business of many talented tattoo artists, your insinuations take none of that away. I hope someday you might come to realize that people dont get this far by being a fraud. I couldnt fool so many smart people... Im hoping to snowball what Ive got going and get the chance to fully realize what this is all about... unfortunately your pissing and moaning is a distraction... I should be programming and hustling some custom tattoos for artists... ack.

Around and Around eventually the water would be so muddy & mucky neither side would make a positive, Which is something I’m sure we both want, So how about I just ask you a simple question and you give a simple reasonable answer ? Not every tattooist has to be a big time artist, There is plenty of people in the world perfectly happy and that’s all they want is a few or one simple design, You know heart, roses, butterflies, little bitty tribal. Just because you pre se don’t want it doesn’t mean you should judge them for it. So my question to you is: Why don’t you at lest

Why don’t you at lest learn the bare minimum ?

I think the waters are crystal clear. People can read through these posts and see whos who and whats what pretty easily. I already know the bare minimum, indeed, I know a bit more than the bare minimum. Do you think all these artists would work with someone who doesnt? Fact is, I cant draw for shit, and have no desire to put my own art on someones body for the rest of their life. Im sure I will tattoo some funny joke things before Im through, but I have absolutely no desire to put crappy tattoos people with my own hands. Im more than happy to work very very hard to help real artists put amazing tattoos on the public, and its more responsible.

Hello to all, What I would like to do is just have the artist (reputable, and skilled) just pay the house a set amount every week, and they can keep 100% of their money. I am a former shop owner of 9 years and an artist for 13, and I have had enough experience to know that if shop owners werent so money driven, than maybe, just maybe the artists would feel more motivated, and creative, and maybe learn to relax and enjoy and really care about what their putting on their clients. They would definitely want to be tattooing more, and be happier doing it I am sure. I do realize that this would be an insane and brilliant way to keep the best artists all together in one location. It might help to create job security. And then maybe not, it would be fun to watch the heads roll though, lol Thanks for letting me vent

Hello to all, What I would like to do is just have the artist (reputable, and skilled) just pay the house a set amount every week, and they can keep 100% of their money. I am a former shop owner of 9 years and an artist for 13, and I have had enough experience to know that if shop owners werent so money driven, than maybe, just maybe the artists would feel more motivated, and creative, and maybe learn to relax and enjoy and really care about what their putting on their clients. They would definitely want to be tattooing more, and be happier doing it I am sure. I do realize that this would be an insane and brilliant way to keep the best artists all together in one location. It might help to create job security. And then maybe not, it would be fun to watch the heads roll though, lol Thanks for letting me vent