'Busking' for money?

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 30 Mar 02 - 04:22 AM

I have heard about a buskers festival/competition somehere in the UK, does anybody know when and where it is? Thanks.john

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: InOBU
Date: 30 Mar 02 - 07:35 AM

More important... do they allow busking????????? Larry

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: InOBU
Date: 30 Mar 02 - 07:36 AM

Yes your honor, I do pleed guilty on the charge of busking at the busking festival... Couldn't ya see that in England??? (Or the US or Quebec?) Cheers Larry

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: The Shambles
Date: 30 Mar 02 - 08:34 PM

Generally busking is tolerated by our officials in public places, unless and until someone complains.

As with just about everything else in this country, sadly one complaint from one individual is worth more than than the lack of complaints from many who enjoy or ignore the activity.

The Busker's Ball of Bolton England

I always thought that busking needed at least two of them?

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: Marion
Date: 30 Mar 02 - 08:47 PM

Larry, have you ever tried busking at a festival? (I mean as a free agent, not trying to get a booking with the festival). I'd be curious to know how they deal with that.

Often when I tell people about my busking, they mention festivals, but to be honest, I see very little connection between the festivals and what I do.

Marion

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: InOBU
Date: 30 Mar 02 - 10:24 PM

Close to festivals, not in em... on major access roads, footpaths, yup... sometimes good responce, some times not, race weeks in Ireland, festival like, were good also... if you want into a festival, best to give them a call. Cheers Larry

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: Les from Hull
Date: 31 Mar 02 - 08:48 AM

I'm not that keen on people busking at festivals, mainly because there are usually better players and singers doing it for nothing in the pubs. I appreciate that buskers have to have a wider appeal to the 'general public', and it's often the material that I find lacking. But as long as it's not over-amplified, I'm happy enough.

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: InOBU
Date: 31 Mar 02 - 02:27 PM

Hi Les.... "mainly because there are usually better players and singers doing it for nothing in the pubs" and doing what to pay the rent? Working for IBM perhaps? Musicians are workers also, sometimes we have to go right to the sourse to get paid, especialy if you don't play rock and roll, but play... folk? Cheers, Larry

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: hesperis
Date: 31 Mar 02 - 03:24 PM

How is it in Burlington, anyone know?
I might like to do some flute stuff when the weather gets better, if even just to practice. (No, I don't want a silver flute frozen to my lips, thanks!)

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: Les from Hull
Date: 31 Mar 02 - 03:28 PM

That was me talking about busking at festivals, which is often a 'carrying coals to Newcastle' thing (perhaps there's a more appropriate American adage?). I've no problem with buskers - perhaps some day I'll be out there myself!

There can be a problem at festivals if buskers are occupying street spots used by the festival for outdoor stuff (dance displays, mummers plays...). The buskers that I've met have always been very accomodating, though. I agree that when that is the case, the festival and the public can only be the winners. Although I do remember one hot summers day in Whitby (I must have a good memory!) when an official singaround had to compete with a trumpet player outside. That wasn't so much fun.

Les

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: InOBU
Date: 31 Mar 02 - 04:05 PM

Hi Les... we actually say Coals to New Castle here as well, as well as ice to escamos, and I agree trumpet playing buskers should be given more space than money often... sorry if there are any trumpet playing buskers out there, volume is not everything... Cheers Larry

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: alanabit
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 02:35 PM

It's a perennial problem, isn't it Larry? Loud buskers often stop others from working. THe balance I want to achieve is to make enough noise so that people can hear me, but not so much that I am shutting out other folks...

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: Bull Am
Date: 06 Sep 02 - 08:41 AM

I'm living as a musician in Rennes, France, and I busk all the time. The plus in a non anglophone community (besides being able to mess up the lyrics and no one knowing) is that just the fact that one is singing Irish songs, American songs, or English songs is a draw. Grandfather's Clock, Dirty Old Town, Cecilia are all big money makers. Plus, if one makes an attempt to play French songs (I stick to Georges Brassens), the French are so honored and so amazed that an anglophone has gone to the trouble, that they're sure to contribute.

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: Caz
Date: 06 Sep 02 - 01:40 PM

I've busked before and in my opinion I would say it was a good thing to do. Bringing music to the streets seems to lift your spirits, well it does mine anyway. It is welcomed in my home town of York and I love it all, no matter what people are playing. As for making money at it, well I've never made more than £30 over 3 sessions! I refuse to accept that it was my singing, playing or delivery, more like the average person in the street does not listen, hear or understand. But on a positive note there are always the few who smile, stop for a while or tell you it's nice as they go past and to me that's worth it. I have seen some good buskers and some bad ones but so what, they always get money from me because I've been there!

Carole

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: Allan Dennehy
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 07:16 AM

Here's my advice for people who want to start up. You need a loud guitar and a big voice, otherwise the background noise of the street will drown you out. The narrower the street, the better your voice will bounce back of the other side. Don't take a break if a few people have stopped, pull out your best material and try to build up a crowd. It is, in my experience, at least 10 times more frightening to busk for the first time than get up on a stage for the first time. Bring another musician with you if your'e nervous. You've gotta play a few times before you start learning the tricks, don't give up after one bad experience. You'll meet a lot of nice people. I just love it when the little kids pull up their mothers dead in the street and stare with their mouths open.

Here's a couple of busker stories; a guy was singing a Bruce Springsteen song on the streets of Copenhagen years ago. The Boss was walking by, stopped, joined in and did a couple of songs with him!

We had an exceptionally nasty drunk hassling us, couldn't get rid of him by conventional means, then he makes a move on our money in the middle of a song. I sang, played my guitar and kicked him where the sun don't shine all in one move without missing a beat. The crowd liked it and it sure felt good.

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: alanabit
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 08:13 AM

I sympathise with your attitude towards the drunken idiot who wanted your crowd. I used a slightly different approach. I told the drunk straight faced that he was going to leave. Then I looked at the crowd and told them that I did not want one drunk spoiling the entertainment for everyone. I also told them that although I was quite confident in my ability to remove him, I was less confident in my ability to make it look nice. So I asked them politely if two big gentlemen would come forward and remove the pest without violence. Everyone smiled and it worked a treat. (Your drunk did not deserve any better than the treatment you gave him, but I would not recommend doing the same on a regular basis!)

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: GUEST,Bman
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 08:55 AM

Long John Baldry had a song about being arrested for busking called, if memory serves, "Don't Try to lay no Boogie Woogie on the King of Kock and Roll", very funny.

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: alanabit
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 12:25 PM

Elvis Costello got busted for busking back in the seventies. I bet the record company paid the fine. The publicity did him no harm at all!

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: GUEST,Al
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 02:09 AM

Although it has been many years since I've busked on the street,

Busking is not begging. Asking for spare change without doing anything for it is begging.

It's fun.

You sometimes get to meet other musicians that might turn into lifelong friends.

If you're having a good day and attracting a big crowd, that's when the po-lice will chase you away. Consider it an honor.

For reasons I don't understand, the tune that generated the most money was MISSISSIPPI SAWYER.

Al

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: hesperis
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 10:19 AM

I posted a story here about my first time busking in Toronto. I was really nervous, had to drag a friend into it.

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: GUEST,Rudy Jacket - electric violinist
Date: 24 Dec 12 - 01:22 PM

I was a busker during 18 years ... it is the truth of life ... it is living the moment ... nothing is programmed ... I made 8 miles a day with my violin ... just walking around ... and play ... 4 everybody ... never counted the money during my walk ... just at home in the caravan ... and u earn with what u don't spend!

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: ollaimh
Date: 24 Dec 12 - 07:18 PM

well i busked on and off for twenty or thirty years. i did a lot of other jobs but busking, and what ever gigs i could scrape up were my main occupation for much of that time. i did the toronto subway syatem. it is good money most of the time. the audition system has advantages but they need temproary licences for people passing through. over the years most busking places in canada have created more and more rules that make it harder and harder to make good money. toronto had a half mad ttc operations officer gary webster who was a fanatic about enforcinf anti bisking rules. they used to send a busking enforecement officer around at christmass to give out infraction notices for such terrible crimes as playing off the designated spot or in a station where they didn't allow busking. the one good thing mayor rob ford did was fire webster. he was so fanatical he authorized hundreds of man hours of ttc police time to chase after an illegal uimmigrant who busked for years--mostlky legally, because the busker told him off once. this thousands of dollars wasn't spent to chase a criminal or fraud articst or pickpocket in the ttc, of which there are many, no a classical piano player who was a bit mouthy. webster didn't identify himself and just approached and told him to change his methods. when bureaucrats get involved nothing good happens.

i used to lay low and just keep looking for new spots.

and by the way louder isn't better--it's dumber.. do an act thats actually interesting and you don't need the best spots nor the perfect night. i play celtic harp mandolin and bouzouki and a few other things and i did almost as well at low use stations as high use ones.there were some stations no one else played where i was doubling the money i made in the "in demand stations". no one else did but if you do something interesting you'll do fine, and the loud buskers with loud voices do turn a lot of the passersby off. so really learn to play well and do something interesting and you don't have to be loud and you don't irritate people.

i only do it occasionally now. i'm retired in a smal city. if i moved back to toronto or vancover id do it again.

i did the west coast, colorado and parts of europe as well. there are a lot of nice places to play, they all have their advantages and disadvantages , you just have to figure them out. i did the street in toronto and many other places as well.

it is also good to move around. how are they going to miss you if you don't go away?

i used to do well in montreal and although the people are really nice, its isn't as good for the money. i only did quebec city a few times, both before the auditions.

my over all favourite place was vancouver, but the downtown poverty has changed the translink scene a lot. there are too many beggers out there now. still its worth it. west coasters are a lot less mannerly than toronto or even most american cities so you have to be able to absorb a lot of hostility. but then if you can't stand cat calls then you shouldn't be busking--iyt ain't carnigie hall. i used to love the view of the water and the mountains from the sea bus stations in vancouver, but the union scabs banned the buskers there. increasingly there are bureaucrats and unions guys banning busking. i hope the trend reverses but i am out of it now so i don't lobby much/ and finallky socan in canad ais charging for busking spots. that has caused a lot of people to restrict or ban busking so as to save socan payments. a really disgusting situstion where one group of musicians is parisitic on another and it has destroyed the livelyhood of many former full time buskers.

but if i had to i'd be right back at it.

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 14 - 06:09 PM

My son is a busker in colorado

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: GUEST,Any guest you like
Date: 17 Jul 14 - 08:00 PM

Why else would you do it?

Can't be arsed to read the rest of the thread.

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: Airymouse
Date: 17 Jul 14 - 09:55 PM

Would someone provide a definition of the verb "busk"? (I have a copy of the O.E.D. so I know the meanings it provides.) Does it mean to perform some form of music in public with, or without, compensation? I live in Southwest Virginia, and I have never heard anyone use that word. Is it a recent word, or does it hark back to the days of yore when a shire reeve was lief to leave a fief in peace? thanks

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Jul 14 - 02:22 AM

busk: probably from Italian buscare (to procure, gain), from Spanish buscar (to look for). First Known Use: 1857

According to t'interweb.

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 18 Jul 14 - 06:33 AM

I've done a bit of Busking in Ireland, Kilkenny. Buskers are very much welcomed there, in fact there is a very good buskers competition in Sept. 've done very little as I'm very lasy and have very bad Arthritis. But one guy I know there told me he averages 60 Euros a day in Summer, more on festival weeks. You can certainly make a living at it if you put the hours in. I was sitting outside a pub one day just tuning my guitar when a couple walked past and dropped a two Euro coin intio my hat ;)

Subject: RE: 'Busking' for money?
From: GUEST,ollaimh
Date: 18 Jul 14 - 01:15 PM

I have busked much of north America and parts of Europe, even morocco--it wasn't very good, but I tried.

I am of two minds about the licences. they are poping up all over Canada and they do harm the travelling busker--which used to be part of the tradition and the real lifestyle of a busker. ilived in a van several times in my life and travelled around playing wherever looked promising. hwoever I am getting old and have mobility problems. a licence protects me from the young toughs now..

I had a licence in Toronto for over a decade. the licence was a god send to keep the bullying anglo away. sorry , but the ontario born anglos expect and demand special treatment and preferential spots. that's just the way it is. but most of the really aggressive can't get a licence because they can't pass the audition, and if they get past the audition they usually get in too many fights and get kicked out.

so as a partially handicapped person the licence was a real protection when I couldn't walk well and couldn't easily defend myself.

don't get me wrong, the public in Toronto are fantastic to buskers. it's a great place to play. the trouble comes from other musicians and mostly Ontario born anglo musicians. there is areal residue of the british empire in Toronto, more than england in many ways> they created a buskers ttc union and kicked oujt buskers who weren't anglo but wanted to discuss the threats and violence against other musicians--really screwy(the busker union organizers were all Toronto anglos)

however the down side is the longer licences exist the more jerk off bureaucrats create rules to regulate the busking-- and often ruin it. ttc gave in to socan to collect socan royalities for busking spots. the legistation and regulations probably do not cover busking but they agve in and thus they eliminate half the legal spots to afford to pay socan. to collect twenty five thousand a year socan eliminated spots that would make working musicians two to three hundred thousand a year==spread among a hundred or more regular musicians(legal and illegal). it's a travesty.

hwoever I still buck part time. local markets and other promising spots. I'm old and grey, I get pity mony now on top of skill money. the youngest and oldest buskers get extra money for their particular infirmities.