How to Busk and Still Get Paid: A blog about how you can create an income from busking.
Buskers are street performers who are entertaining for money, often in public places like parks, the subway or the side of the road. They are also called street musicians, jugglers, mimes and artists.
There is plenty of information out there about what a great way this is but not a lot of practical advice on how to actually get paid by doing it. This blog will hopefully change that. I am going to share with you some tips and tricks I have learned along the way over 20 years in the business and I am going to interview other successful buskers from around the world and share their insights.
In a world where people are increasingly relying on technology for their entertainment, buskers and street performers provide an important alternative form of fun. However, the idea of performing in public can seem daunting and the reality of making a living from it even more so. The purpose of this blog is to help you get over those fears and become a successful busker or street performer!
This site has been written by professional buskers and street performers who have learned their trade through trial and error. They have performed all over the world, including in such varied places as Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America. So they know what they are talking about!
Busking is not an easy way of making money but it can be very rewarding if you love to perform in public. In addition to receiving money from the public watching your show, you learn how to handle large crowds, improve your performance skills while getting amazing feedback on your act, and get to travel around the world all expenses paid!
We hope that this website will inspire you to give busking a go!
So you’ve just started busking, and it’s all going pretty well. You’re getting a few songs in every hour, people are listening and not just walking past, and you’re even getting a few donations! But if you want to make a living from busking, then this isn’t enough. You need to get paid for your music, not just hope that people will give you money.
Here’s how I do it:
I sell CDs. I have my own CD label (www.starpickerrecords.com) with my own recordings on it for sale. If people listen to me and like what they hear, they can buy the CD right there and then. Most of the time they don’t know who I am or where to find me again, so this is the only way they can get more of my music. If they give me a fiver for a CD, then I’m still up on the deal!
Of course, if they don’t like what they hear then they won’t buy anyway – but that’s why you should choose music that you know works on the street. Don’t play obscure jazz or electronica when you’re playing in front of a supermarket – it won’t sell!
Busking is a way of making money from your artform. Whether your artform is juggling, playing the saxophone, eating fire or even painting. If you can gather an audience for what you’re doing, then you can make money from it.
Busking is also known as street performing, street theatre or street music and has been around forever. However, it’s only recently that people have started to take busking seriously and use more professional business methods to achieve their goals.
If what you want to do is get a regular crowd who pay you to perform for them, then this blog is for you. I’m going to show you how to set up your busking act so that it makes money and how to go about increasing your income by taking on different characters. You’ll also see how important it is to market yourself as a brand and how you can do that effectively.
The traditional definition of busking is performing in a public place for voluntary donations. But in the digital age, that definition can be expanded to include performing on the internet as well.
The purpose of this site is to outline how you can make an income from performing on the street or online, and then to show you how you can optimize your earnings.
If you want to learn the best ways to make money busking, start with “How To Busk” where I outline the best strategies for maximizing your earning potential.
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. Busking is a form of street performance or busking that can be found throughout much of the world and dates back to antiquity. In most countries buskers are subject to regulatory restrictions.
Buskers may be professional entertainers, who rely on their performances for their living; amateur performers who do busking to supplement their income from other activities such as full-time or part-time work; or persons doing it for the love of art or for personal fulfillment. Street performers had to compete with various types of street entertainment: showmen, acrobats, conjurers, itinerant vendors, beggars and quacks like Dr. Marvello, Punch and Judy puppet shows, waxworks, panoramas and dioramas (peepshows), fire-eaters, wire walkers and trick cyclists – see Professor Heckler’s Entertainment Parade (1887).
Some buskers are not aware of the history of their art form. Many artists consider themselves “street artists” or “buskers” partly because they regularly perform in public places at no
American street performers have been around since the early 1800’s. The first organized busking troupe was called a “medicine show”. These shows traveled from town to town selling fake medicine, but they also had magicians and jugglers on hand to attract customers.
The 1920’s was a golden age of street performing in the United States. It was during this time that the art of busking really took off. There were many vaudeville houses that needed acts, so talent scouts would offer money to the best street performers. This helped solidify the idea that you could make a living with your street act.
