How To Make A Living With Your Music: A blog around making a living as a musician.
Buses are an amazing place to busk. You can hop on and off, they’re heated and people love buskers because they make a boring journey more interesting.
I once met a guy who was making 500-600 dollars a day! He was playing the spoons in the tube. He had this whole technique down where he’d get them out of his pocket, tap twice on dustbin lids he’d found on the tube and then start playing. He said that if you can just do something for 10 minutes that makes everyone laugh, people would be happy to throw money at you.
The thing about busking is that it’s a numbers game. The more places you play, the more money you can make because there’s always going to be someone who loves what you’re doing, but there might not necessarily be anyone around at that time who does.
A blog around making a living as a musician.
I spent last weekend in Munich, and luckily caught the last of the Oktoberfest. I was blown away by the busker I saw at the entrance to the subway. It was an old guy, dressed up in Bavarian costume, with a big accordion and a long white beard. He played traditional German folk music and was surrounded by people, mostly tourists.
He had a bucket out for tips and after every song he used to make an announcement in German (which I didn’t understand). This is what I gathered: he is blind, he is 92 years old and he used to be a professional musician. His songs were amazing! They sounded like they were coming from the Fiddler on The Roof or something!
He made over $100 while I stood there watching him play. Once he finished his set, everyone started clapping furiously – it was just great! If you have any idea of who this guy might be please let me know!
I am a musician, artist and entrepreneur. I have been full time in the music business for almost 10 years now, have released 8 records and toured over 35 countries. I make my living with my music, but even more importantly, I make a life with my music.
How do you survive as an artist? Well, it’s not easy. But it is possible. And there are many ways to go about it.
To start off, here are a few articles from me on making a living as an artist:
How To Make A Living With Your Music (Part 1)
I think a lot of folks have an idea that busking is somehow a less-legitimate way to make music than signing with a record label. I think this is wrong, and it’s time for me to explain why.
Busking is at the heart of nearly every successful musician.
Think about it: every one of your musical heroes started out as a busker. They played in subways, bars, street corners, living rooms, and divey clubs until they got their break. Those that weren’t playing in public places were honing their craft on YouTube or Myspace.
The difference between a busker and a professional musician is not that one plays on the street and the other plays in concert halls; it’s that one has figured out how to make a decent living doing what they love, while the other hasn’t.
So let me tell you how to join the first group: How to make a living with your music!
This is an introduction to some of the most important concepts in busking. If you’re a musician or street performer and want to get the most out of your time on the street, then this guide will help you take your skills to the next level.
I’ve been busking for about 4 years now and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve made some fantastic friends, seen some amazing places, and had some wonderful experiences as a result of my music. I’m going to describe how to start busking, how to make money busking and how to use busking as a tool for something even more important than money – creating friendships, spreading love and happiness, and making life-long memories that are worth more than all the money in the world.
You can also download a pdf version of this guide right here.
Busking 101: A Beginner’s Guide To Busking
Busking is basically setting up your instruments somewhere public (like in a park or on the street) and playing music while people walk by. Some people call it “street performing”, “street music” or “buskering”.
There are lots of different reasons you might want to start busking: you’re trying to make some extra cash, trying to
Busking is the practice 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 amateur performance. Buskers are also known as “street performers” or “street musicians”.
Forbes Magazine once stated that “Street Performing is one of the hardest gigs there is,” and because of this and the fact that street musicians have to compete against each other for tips, many street musicians develop a unique style that separates them from others. The main benefits of busking are financial gain and exposure to a large audience.
Buskers can be found all over the world, but famous locations for busking include: Covent Garden in London; Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco; New Orleans in Louisiana; Bourbon Street in New Orleans; Greenwich Village in New York City; parts of Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
While busking offers an opportunity to make money with your music, it can be challenging at times to keep your courage up while playing on the street corner. Here are a few tips to help you get through those tough times:
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing successful busker and street performer Sean Buvala.
Sean is a full time “street musician” and has been performing as a professional busker for more than 15 years now. In this interview Sean talks about how he got started and shares some of his best tips on how to earn money as a busker.
I hope that you enjoy it!
