Street/Busking

  • Thread starter Thread starter Layla Nahar
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Layla Nahar

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Anyone here done this? what kind of results did you have?

(Seems a lot of one-man (uh person) acts, usually folky stuff, can get some sucess this way. I know a two man act, flamenco guitar and a percussionist who have good sucess with this)
 
I saw these 2 guys... One with a dulcimer and one with a nylon stringed guitar at an outdoor festival....
No amplification, just set up beside a tree in a wooded area... man it was great.

Joe
 
I think it depends on where you're at and how good you are. Places like New Orleans would be good I think. Kinda cold for that type thing in Boston isn't it?
 
subtractor said:
I think it depends on where you're at and how good you are. Places like New Orleans would be good I think. Kinda cold for that type thing in Boston isn't it?
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Surprisingly, its a really big scene here. Tracey chapman is started here busking. lotta folk artists here.
 
I been doing it for a month straight here in Buffalo. Unfortunately the temperature has only been above freezing 2 out of the last 35 days. My fingers are completly black and I can't feel my feet. My guitar case is still frozen to the ground back at the park.

Joe
 
Smokepole said:
I been doing it for a month straight here in Buffalo. Unfortunately the temperature has only been above freezing 2 out of the last 35 days. My fingers are completly black and I can't feel my feet. My guitar case is still frozen to the ground back at the park.

Joe
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Smokepole! Take your guitar to Florida & play it there!!
 
yeah. I did it in England while I lived there and made no money.

Just got back from Boulder, CO where they seemed to have a glutton of them.

I'm excited to try it this spring in Chicago, though. I'll let you know how it goes.

Stone
 
Believe it or not there's decent money in it if you're willing to give up your Friday and Saturday nights... (At least around here)

My best friend and I used to do it every weekend in the summer time.

We live in Windsor Ontario (if that helps) and we usually set up near one of the coffee shops downtown on the main drag (Ouellette Ave) (Usually near The Coffee Exchange)

Anyhow... it's just 2 guys with acoustic guitars and half decent voices... you don't need a a lot of songs cause noone stays longer than 5-6 anyway. And at the end of the night Lance and I would be splitting anywhere between $250-$400 -- Keep in mind we'd play from 9:00pm to 1:30pm (No breaks to speak of)

Since we played both Fri and Sat we'd average about $250-$400/week each. (Keep in mind... it's tax free AND since we're playing acoustic instruments we don't need any type of licence from the city -- check you local city bylaws)

Although there were nights when we made sweet dick all... but that was rare... I think the very least we ever made was about $50.00 each....


- Tanlith -
 
I used to do it on occasion in Georgetown, lots of fun. Even made a few bucks. You meet a lot of interesting folks if you take the time to shoot the bull every once in a while. I even picked up a couple of gigs that way. It's been a long time ago, I'm sure things have changed.




bd
 
bdbdbuck said:
I used to do it on occasion in Georgetown, lots of fun. Even made a few bucks. You meet a lot of interesting folks if you take the time to shoot the bull every once in a while. I even picked up a couple of gigs that way. It's been a long time ago, I'm sure things have changed.




bd
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Yeah... you do meet some interesting peeps along the way... course ya gotta learn to deal (diplomatically) with the ocasional drunk or stoner who decides that you're his new best friend :P LOL

- Tanlith -
 
I did this in Greenwich Village (Washington Square Park) when I lived there for a summer internship before my senior year in College. It was fun, but I felt guilty when people gave me money because I really didn't need it. Not that I made a ton of it, all my proceeds pretty much went to laundry and beer. Of course in NYC, what I made would pay for about 1/2 a beer (or one load of laundry!)
 
O.K. enough joking around, that's some decent money. I perform at open mics all the time for free. I'm gonna give it a shot once it warms up.

Cool thread

Joe
 
Smokepole said:
O.K. enough joking around, that's some decent money. I perform at open mics all the time for free. I'm gonna give it a shot once it warms up.

Cool thread

Joe
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Remember to check local City Bylaws first... like I said in Windsor you can play any instrument that doesn't require a power source (other than you) with no licence...

I had a buddy (Rick) who decided to go out with Me and Lance... Rick plays bass Lance and I play guitar... well on the street you can't even HEAR an acoustic bass, so he brought his electric and hooked it up to a portable generator (it's in a pretty well insulated box in his cargo van... you can barely hear it outside the van) --- to make a long story short (as was the night in question) --- not only did he get fined, the cops were in a pricky mood and arrested him... Lance and I hadda scrape up $300.00 bail money... Rick paid a $250.00 fine and we got out bail money back when he showed up for court... A lesson learned.

- Tanlith -
 
tanlith said:
And at the end of the night Lance and I would be splitting anywhere between $250-$400 -- Keep in mind we'd play from 9:00pm to 1:30pm (No breaks to speak of)
- Tanlith -
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Dag!! even in Canadian $$$ thass good money!!
 
Layla Nahar said:
Dag!! even in Canadian $$$ thass good money!!
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It's in the volume( ummm no pun intended) ... Ouellette Ave is THE place to "cruise" -- usually after about 9:00-10:00pm the traffic gets so bad the police barricade the main section forcing people to park somewhere and walk to their destination (This is due to the location of the Windsor Detroit Tunnel --- barricading the street keeps that area free from blockage)

With an average of around 9,000-13,000 people walking around you bound to make decent money. (And BTW... about 30% of the take was in US dollers... Windsor is known as "Bar Town" and since the legal drinking age here is 19 MANY MANY 19yr old Americans hop the border every weekend to party)...

And if you got the energy and can stay up late enough, there's a couple all night coffee shops where folks go to sober up a bit... if you're charismatic enough and know some mellow type tunes, you gan get in a couple extra hours playing the coffee shop.

- Tanlith -
 
You have to have gimiick

I've done it in Seattle at the Pike Street Market a few times. SOme poeple really make bank. A million tourists go through the place. The performers who make the most either have a really unique gimick (playing an itty bitty piano beautifully, using a paper cone as a trumpet) or they look like they really need the money - if you're in a wheel chair you'll do pretty well. If you sound average and look average you won't make anything.
Accappella harmony groups do well too. It can be fun and challenging too. I have more respect for people who are good at it now that I've done it myself.

Tucci
http://www.locuststreettaxi.com
Horns, Harmony, Humor.
 
That's so true (about looking like you need it)

I knew an old guy who goes downtown and panhandles every weekend. Makes about $400.00 every weekend... the prick drives a Vette and has a full time job... but twice a week he wallows in something smelly and sticks out his hand...

... haven't seen him in about a year... wonder whatever happened to him?

- Tanlith -
 
bdbdbuck said:
He retired and moved to Miami.


bd
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Oh great ANOTHER old person in Miami...

... isn't Florida full YET???

Hrmmm ... maybe I'll move there and sing old Frank S tunes... think I'll make any money?

- Tanlith -
 
You could always hook up with the Starmaker Machine, I hear the van rolls through Miami on occasion. They used to have an opening for driver, you just missed it! My very dear relative, bdbdleroy brown just got a part time job driving Buddy Joe Maple around in the van.



bd
 
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