If you’ve watched YouTube videos of singers surprising unsuspecting buskers on the streets, you may have noticed that the one thing they all have in common is that they are using a tip jar. It’s easy to overlook, but it’s usually there.
Making money as a street performer can be challenging. The life of a professional busker is an unconventional one and it’s not for everyone. However, if you’re up for the challenge, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences you’ve ever had.
If you want to know how to make money busking on the street, here are 6 tips that will help you become a successful street performer:
1. Don’t play your favorite songs
2. Use your tip jar strategically
3. Be original
4. Give yourself a unique look
5. Get the timing right
6. Have fun!
Busking is truly an art form. And, it is a great way to make money as well (if done right). Busking on the street is all about entertainment. Whether you play an instrument, sing, dance or juggle you have to keep your audience engaged. Follow these tips and you’ll be the next best busker to grace the streets of New York.
1. Be unique
Whether you are playing an instrument or singing a song, make sure that it is something unique. You want people to stop in their tracks and take notice of what you are doing. The more original your act, the better chance you have of getting people’s attention—and hopefully their cash!
2. Location is everything
When choosing where to set up shop, think about what type of crowd will be passing by at that moment: college students? Businessmen? Children? If you are trying to make serious cash, choose a spot where there will be plenty of passing cars and lots of foot traffic. Just be sure that there is enough room for people to gather around (you don’t want people tripping over themselves as they enjoy your act!).
3. Make it interactive
The more interactive your act can be, the better chance you have at earning money. When
You don’t have to be an expert to busk, but it helps. Learn a few songs that you can play with your eyes closed and work on your technique until you can play them perfectly every time. You should be able to sing and play at the same time without thinking about either one.
You don’t need to be a great singer or guitarist to make money busking, but you do need to be good enough that people want to hear what you’re doing. Most people won’t just stop and listen for no reason, you need to give them a reason. Singers surprise buskers give people a reason.
If you are a singer who plays guitar or another instrument, think about busking with the instrument strapped on your back, or sitting in front of you while you sing acapella. People will hear your voice over the crowd and stop out of curiosity. Only then will they notice that you’re playing an instrument too! It’s an easy way to get more people listening than if they just see someone playing music on the street.
If you are a guitarist who sings as well, consider singing something without the guitar first (even if it’s only for 30 seconds) and then start playing when people have already stopped to listen. If people hear
If you’re looking to make some money on the side, busking is a great way to do so. Whether you’re a musician, artist, magician, comedian or juggler, there are plenty of people out there who will pay you for a performance.
To give you an idea of how much people can make from busking, I’ll tell you about my own personal experience. I spent last summer busking in Europe. While I didn’t play every day and never stayed in one place for more than a week at a time (and only played for half the days there), I still made enough money to travel all over the continent and have a good time doing it. While my experience may not be typical, I got to know several other buskers while traveling and found that we were all making similar amounts with similar equipment.
If you’re interested in trying street performing yourself, here are six tips to get you started:
I have been performing on the streets since I was in college. I have learned a lot and made my fair share of mistakes along the way. Here are a few things that I have learned to help you along your way.
1. Get a hat or bucket to collect money in. More people will throw money in if they do not have to hand it directly to you.
2. Make sure that you are playing something that people will recognize. If you play “Mary Had A Little Lamb”, people will walk right by you, but if you play “Freebird” or any other song that everyone knows, they will stop and listen, even if they don’t tip you for it.
3. Do not stand still when playing! It will be very awkward for the people around you if you do not move at all while playing music out on the street. If you can dance at all, then dance!
4. Be up beat and happy! The most important part of busking is to have fun doing it and make sure that others enjoy it too!
5. If there is more than one person playing music out on the street, try to find a way to make yourself unique from anyone else that may be out
Busking is the practice of performing in public places for tips. The word comes from the Spanish root “buscar” which means “to seek”. Buskers are often called street performers or street musicians and are known by many names around the world. Some buskers are not musicians but offer other forms of entertainment, such as mime artists, jugglers, comedians or acrobats.
Busking is a way to make money for the performers and a way to please passersby.
The busiest streets for buskers in North America are Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, St. Marks Place in New York City, Queen Street in Toronto and Granville Street Mall in Vancouver. Other locations include Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and Burlington Arcade in London. In some cities being a busker requires a permit or license.
In February 2012, British singer Adele invited Matt Cardle to join her on stage at her concert at the Royal Albert Hall after he was spotted busking outside the venue earlier that day.
The singer-songwriter busking in New York City’s subway has been making waves since the early 2000s. But it wasn’t until recently that she decided to reveal herself and share her story with the world.
In a clip from The Secret Subway, a new documentary about one of the city’s greatest secrets, we meet Shoshana Bean, who was featured in the very first episode of the series.
Featuring stories from artists like John Legend, Johnny Cash and Adele, The Secret Subway is an uplifting and heartwarming story about how one woman’s singing talent has helped to make a difference in her life and those of others.
But it wasn’t just Bean’s talent that made her famous. According to Bean, many people on the subway had no idea who she was because she didn’t wear a nametag or have any way of identifying herself.
While there are certainly other singers who go by the name Shoshana Bean, there were two things that set her apart from the rest: She was African American and she was from New York City.
“When I came back from my church trip,” Bean said, “they just assumed I was this black girl from Newark.”