(SHREWSBURY) What started as a tribute to busker Ben Bebbington by his family and friends has swelled to event with over 40 musical acts. Ben was tragically killed in a senseless murder by two teenagers in September of 2012.Made up of over 200 people who filled the town with a carnival atmosphere, Happy Days in Shrewsbury took place in the town’s beautiful medieval centre. Raising over £10,000, it was a celebration of community, music and talent all in glorious sunshine. It also raised awareness and funds for The Shrewsbury Ark - a charity that had supported Ben in recent years and meant a huge amount to him.

A known busker within the town, Ben was an excellent musician and would often play his guitar in some late great impromptu jams. Other muses would join him after-hours and perform standards and original so...

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Summer of 2013 a couple friends and i will be buying greyhound discovery passesw and traveling the us for two months. i have plans on bringing a guitar and perfoming a couple 30 minute sets in each town i visit. with the cash i make from this i am hoping to be able to me my food expenses and be able to afford another discovery pass by the time the first one expires.
I'd like to know if anyone else is interested in tagging along or maybe would like me to come through their town. Discovery passes are aroung $560 before tax and are good for 2 months. i feel this is an interesting way to tour, see the country, meet people, and have a good time. Be aware that you can only bring two bags without having to pay an extra fee and your instrument case will count as a bag.

(CHATTANOOGA) New liberal rules favor buskers and street performers in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Over 50 musicians have registered to participate. The musicians include guitarists, cellists, singers, keyboardists and a person who plays a didgeridoo, the wind instrument developed by indigenous Australians about 1,500 years ago.It's all part of SoundCorps' new Sidewalk Stages program. Each of the 15 to 30 musicians who are scheduled to perform two-hour sets from Friday through Sunday is paid $25 by SoundCorps. They also get to keep any tips they make. Those tips are averaging between $40 and $70.

Buskers can perform in public places, such as sidewalks, pedestrian bridges and the parks between them. There are some minimal rules. Performing under the influence and substance abuse is not permitted.

You'll...

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The group Playing For Change is the international stew stirred by Mark Johnson, a recording engineer/ producer who had a vision in a New York City subway station 10 years ago. He's travelled the world seeking out indigenous musicians all over the world to compile a series of songs performed by buskers. Johnson brought together, on tape, musicians from Israel, India, Ireland, the U.S. and several African nations to back the vocals of Marley and U2's Bono.

Playing for change

The past few years saw the release of several interesting busker documentaries. Online video sharing and social networking websites are now flooding the internet with street performers from around the world shot by amateurs on holiday.

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(HONG KONG) A social-psychological study by the College of Professional and Continuing Education has shown some intriguing results when it comes to perceptions of public space.An affiliate of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the study revealed that public space was perceived as more restorative with street performance than without street performance. In addition, people who had engaged with street performance in the space perceived the space as more visitable, more restorative, and more preferable than people who had not engaged with street performance.

This can have an interesting and dynamic influence when it comes to public policy-making. When updating areas in need of an overhaul, busking and street performing can only help in restoring run-down regions.

Some scientific assumptions and limitations...

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