When you perform out on the street you will be competing with a lot of other distractions. People will have to make a decision to stop and listen or to keep on walking.
What is it that makes people stop and listen? What are they interested in? For example, if I was playing an accordion with a sign that said “Free Hugs” in front of me, some people might be interested in the music and others might be interested in the free hugs. But there would probably be more people who wanted a hug than wanted to hear some accordion music! In fact, I have seen buskers do just this! The free hugs sign seemed to do much better than the music itself!
So what does your eye catch? Are you playing something interesting or are you doing something interesting? Do you have some kind of gimmick?
As street performers we need to figure out what it is about our performance that draws people in. We want to draw them in without having to rely on gimmicks. But if gimmicks are what it takes for you to get started then use them!
I had a friend who was an excellent singer/songwriter but he couldn’t get any one to stop and listen. So he came up with a great
It’s not an easy task to walk onto a public street and play music. You have to work the crowd, you have to keep people interested and entertained, and you have to be good.
So what is it that draws people in? Is it your instrument? Is it the way you look? Is it your talent? It’s a combination of all three, but I’m going to focus on one thing: Your eye catches something. Your eye catches something that makes you stop in your tracks–whether it be a person, an object, or sensation–and makes you take notice.
There are many things that will grab someone’s attention; like how you look from head-to-toe, how crazy your hair is, how much charisma you exude. But for those who don’t possess any of these traits (like me), what kind of things can we use to make people stop and pay attention?
I’ve come up with three main types of items that help make your street performance stand out from the rest: 1) physical objects; 2) props; and 3) miscellaneous items.
A good street performer catches your eye, makes you look, makes you smile, and makes you listen.
What does your eye catch?
Color is a major attention-grabber. The person who has a red shirt and red hat in the sea of black, gray and navy blue clothing will stand out from the crowd and be noticed. I’m not saying to wear red every day. If you have a hat that’s green or yellow or blue, wear it! But if you are looking for that extra edge of attracting attention, color is key.
Have some fun with this! You don’t want to turn yourself into a clown, but if you put on a hat that matches your outfit, or wears socks with faces on them (or anything else that draws attention) then people will notice. And they will smile!
As a street musician, no matter what you are doing, you must always be aware of your audience.
You may be busking next to a flower stall, or in front of a busy shop, or at the entrance to the underground station. Every street is different so the way you position yourself will vary greatly depending on where you are. Giving your audience the best view possible of your act is essential and this means carefully watching how they respond to your performance and adapting accordingly.
The first thing that people notice when they pass by is your instrument case. If you’re not using one (or if it’s empty) then it doesn’t matter what else you do; no money will come out of their pockets for you. Your goal as a street musician is to get people to stop and listen long enough for them to start reaching for their wallets. How long this takes depends on the type of performance you have and the location where you are performing. In general, however, it’s safe to say that if people haven’t stopped within 5-10 seconds then they’re probably not going to stop at all and therefore probably not going to give you money either.
Here’s an easy way to figure out if anyone is paying attention: Turn around and face away from them (
When you’re busking on the street, you often have to keep a keen eye out for cops, hecklers, and other people who might mess with you. But if you want to be making money from your music in public places, there are some more subtle eyes that you need to keep a lookout for: the eyes of your audience.
As a street musician, you want to draw people in with your music, then you want to keep them engaged so that they stay for some time and maybe even tip you. One way to keep them engaged is by having them watch as well as listen.
You can do this by wearing interesting clothing or playing unique instruments, but I’ve found that what grabs audiences most is when they see something unexpected happen. The first time I saw this happening was when I was busking at one of Santa Monica’s many farmer’s markets. A woman was walking past me with three small children in tow when she realized that the song I was playing was a Disney tune. She stopped her kids and made them pay attention because it was “so cute” that I was singing “their song.”
The second time I saw an audience grow because of something unexpected happening was during my first busking gig at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles. At
Attracting an audience to a street performance is an art form of its own. The first thing to do is to draw attention to yourself, which means making a visual impact as well as a musical one. A couple of things I’ve seen that made me look at the performer in awe are…
* Play a unique instrument or use a unique playing style
* Wear impressive clothes (period costume, a mask, etc)
* Have props (ex. stilts, fire)
* Use your body (dance, mime)
* Install mini lights or set up candles
I have seen all these things used in performances and they definitely make you take notice! The important thing is to find something that suits you and your music. If you’re trying to sell your cd and you’re wearing a clown suit with stilts people probably won’t see you as serious and will be less likely to listen to what you have to say. That said, if your music is fun and lighthearted then it’s all fine!
Your audience is likely to be people walking by. You have to catch their eye and make them stop.
If you’re playing music, you can do that with the way you look or what you play. If you’re doing a sketch or performance of some kind, it’s just what you look like.
It has to be something that makes them think “I want to stop and see this.” It has to be something special: not a guy in an overcoat, but a guy in an overcoat with a top hat and tails, or purple hair, or an eight-foot-high muppet head on his shoulders.
It has to be obvious enough that they notice it in the fraction of a second they have between seeing you and walking past.
