Welcome to the Best of Buskers Blog.
Busking is a no-brainer for those who wish to earn money by entertaining. It’s also a great way to get your name out there, and meet some new people along the way. If you’re not sure what busking is, it’s simply performing a show on the street, in a square, at a festival or any other public place.
There are many different types of busker out there in the world; jugglers, musicians, magicians, fire performers and so on. All of them have one thing in common – they love what they do and they do it well! Of course it’s not always plain sailing and sometimes things can go wrong in your act or nobody seems to be paying attention but that’s just part of the gig. If you really want to make it as a professional busker then you need to be prepared for the tough times as well as the good times because you will get both!
Here at Best of Buskers we want to share our knowledge with you about how we became successful buskers. We want others like us who have hopes and dreams of entertaining people on the streets and making money from doing something they love – to achieve this dream! So we’ve set up
A good busker is a performer, who can attract the attention of passersby, entertains and engages them, and receives cash in exchange for their performance.
It is like any other small business. You need to learn the skills of your trade, and then find a way to market yourself. You need to be able to handle money and not just spend it, you need to have a personality that people will like, you need to be good at accounting, you need to be good at marketing, you need to be able to look after yourself and your equipment.
To be successful as a busker you will have to:
1. learn how to do what you do well;
2. find places where people will want to watch you perform;
3. look after yourself and your equipment;
4. have an interesting act;
5. be able to handle money well;
6. be able to market yourself well;
7. have an outgoing personality;
8. be able to keep track of your finances;
9. be able to do all this with a smile!
You can make a lot of money busking, but it is not easy to become a full-time busker. Most buskers have day jobs, and that’s why they come out at night. There are full time working street performers out there, but they are few and far between.
The best way to start is to get in your car or on a train or bus and go where the people are. You don’t need to be in Times Square or the Embarcadero, but you do need crowds. Start in front of your local subway station or coffee shop at rush hour doing your act for a half hour. This will get you used to being around people and performing at the same time. Take note of what works and what doesn’t work, then go home and practice some more until it does work.
And if you’re a musician, keep this in mind: It’s much easier to make money as a solo performer than in a band when you’re starting out. Bands aren’t easy to book for gigs, so start as a solo performer and then move into the band format once you’ve become successful.
Busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance was a common form of performance on the streets of Britain and Europe during the Middle Ages and into the 19th century but has become less common since the beginning of recorded music.
Buskers have to put up with a lot. They have to put up with hecklers, over-zealous police officers and security guards, bad weather, animals and insects, theft, illness, injury and jealousy from other buskers. Some buskers even have to deal with abuse from members of the public who think that because they’re performing in public they deserve what they get.
But despite all these things a great many people still continue to perform on the street for gratuities for one simple reason – it’s worth it. The number of buskers who make their living entirely from busking is very small but there are a great many more who supplement their income through it or use it as a way to develop new material.
The best buskers in the world are those that have a style
that is unique and exciting. Busking is about performing for
a crowd, but most of all, it’s about expressing yourself.
If you’re on the streets performing for a crowd, you want to be
able to stand out from all other performers in the area. This is not just about your voice or your music, but how you conduct yourself. The following steps will help you become your own musician and entertainer.
The best buskers in the world can make a lot of money in one day.
The world’s greatest busker ever is a man named Wall Street. He made over $50,000 in one day. Wall Street is a fire eater who wears only a thong and has tattoos all over his body. He stands on a box while performing.
Wall Street says that you need to be different if you want to be a great street performer. “You have to be different,” he said in an interview with The New York Times. “You can’t just walk down the street without being noticed.”
He says that his love for fire eating started when he was 6 years old when he watched someone perform at Coney Island. When he was 18, he tried it himself and found out that he could do it with little effort. When he came back from college, he did it on the boardwalk of Venice Beach, California and then moved on to Times Square in New York City where he became famous for his act.
Busking is the act of performing in public places for tips and gratuities. People engaging in this practice are called street performers or buskers. In many countries the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Busking is a form of work.
Buskers come from a wide range of backgrounds, ages and cultures. They include people with little formal training who find their niche by miming, clowning and juggling; others who play music or sing; some who perform magic tricks; some who tell jokes or recite poetry; some who do animal imitations or pantomime; and still others who dress up in elaborate costumes and put on shows for onlookers.
Many street performers are street-wise and know the locations where they can earn a reasonable income, stay safe and avoid conflict with local authorities. Some performers, such as jugglers and acrobats, will ask members of the audience to participate to create a more interactive performance while allowing people to feel they have a direct involvement in the show.
The term busking was first noted in the English language around the middle 1860s in Great Britain. The verb to busk, from the word busker, comes from the Spanish