(NEW YORK) Times Square, the self-proclaimed "Crossroads of the World," is the top destination for tourists hoping for the quintessential Gotham experience. An article by John Tierney in City Journal magazine takes us through a 2+ decades trip of Times Square. Recent developments have converted automobile traffic lanes into lanes for street-performers and street-vendors."Fake Buddhist monks begging for money, living statues, the Naked Cowboy, topless women, and a horde of costumed cartoon characters are all pressuring tourists to pay them for a picture - because nothing says New York like a selfie with the Incredible Hulk."

"A remade Times Square could start taking shape at the end of this year when the new plaza is supposed to be finished. By then, city officials hope to have...

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(DENVER) The 16th Street Mall is full of sounds these days with the help of several painted pianos up and down the way. The pianos are found in the middle of the street with buskers and street performers along the sidewalks. The painted pianos were donated from Craig's List and part of the program "Your Keys to the City" creating unique "useable art" for citizens to enjoy.

Full story and video

(WWW) An article at roland.com has what's regarded as the 12 Golden Rules of busking for the UK community."When it goes badly, busking in modern Britain is no picnic and can present some pretty serious challenges from sunburn and on-the-spot fines to abuse and even arrest."

Some of the "Golden Rules" are standard fare for busking yet are often forgotten. It never hurts to review the basics and even expand on the fundamentals of successful busking.

In a nutshell, the 12 are:

#1. Sort the paperwork
#2. Choose your pitch wisely
#3. Don't hog the best spots
#4. Avoid no busk zones
#5. Don't actively ask for money
#6. Spread yourself
#7. Don't get on people's nerves
#8. Trade your wares
#9. Pack a gigbag
#10. Loosen their wallets
#11. Grin and bear it
#12. Use it as an apprenticeship

For deeper insight...

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(BOULDER) Exit Through the Gift Shop is a film by Banksy who dares not reveal his face. He's a wanted man for destroying BT property all in the name of streetartThe film involves 5 street artists that have discovered Kinko's copy shop can print huge pieces of whatever art they design. One of the artists, Shepard Fairey, did the Barack Obama print "Hope" - a disputed work that is still in the courts today.

The film shines with creative ideas of street art captured by Banksy and others. It makes for a fun time with laughs at the absurdity of filming all the action in London, New York, and L.A.

Spray-painting "I just messed up your wall" doesn't seem to serve any useful purpose. But through this, we learn that all grafitti is temporary. It is usually painted over or removed although at someone's...

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(BOULDER) It's more popular than ever. This month, Busker Central has reached a pinnacle point of three thousand unique members. This landmark achievement exemplifies the power of the internet and the need to know all about busking and street performing. It showcases the research being performed and illustrates how we, as part of the human race, can and do make a difference.Launching in 2005 and standing it's ground, Busker Central has managed to carve out it's niche on the world wide web. There was the Busker Central reference website long before social mega-sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all the rest ever existed. Reference video shot for Busker Central dates back to 1995.

Busker Central is about the world's arts and humanities. People thrive with diversity and by making Busker Central accessible,...

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