(BOULDER) Ever since the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado opened in 1976, it has undergone a series of rebirths along the winding way. Now home to human statues, jugglers, fire acts, and of course, musicians, "the mall" has settled down into it's present day form. New pitches have been created so now there's room for everybody at any given time.Boulder is one of the most popular cities on the international busker trail. While most tourists don't know it, the mall has essentially expanded to a full 10 blocks. The tourists continue through stop lights on either end and get to enjoy a much larger and thusly more dynamic Pearl Street Mall. Famous for being first in the modern red-brick style, "street furniture" (benches and seats) line the pedestrian-only walkways...

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(WWW) Contrary to popular belief, it's probably better to have no talent whatsoever when first starting off busking. This is great news for those just starting.If you want to get involved with busking but don't know where to start, this information will prove invaluable to you. However, if you're a musician of several years, you'll probably want to use your talent to produce music.

Musicians are the most popular, the most talented, and least paid. Unless you have professional tapes and cd's produced ready to sell, the muse faces the task of entertaining a walk-by audience for tips then selling cd's. The best pass the hat. Musicians take years to perfect their craft. Some stay with it and become excellent artists while many give up and pursue other venues. Musicians also usually sing so they must...

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(OTTAWA) — Buskers in the ByWard Market want the City of Ottawa to see them as performers, not panhandlers, and keep its hands out of their pockets — and their hats and guitar cases.“I’m going to move if they don’t change,” said Paul Perreault, a Cirque du Soleil-trained acrobat.

Just in time for the municipal election, buskers are getting organized in response to a city bylaw that went into effect last spring. The bylaw requires street performers in the Market to pay up to $200 for licences, rotate positions frequently and make do without voice amplification.

In response, buskers have formed an association, endorsed a candidate in Rideau-Vanier and voted unanimously in favour of a proposal to amend the bylaw.

Perreault said the current rules are so restrictive, they’re making top-notch international...

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(INTERNET) The leaves are turning a fantastic color of orange in direct sunlight. Along with Fall comes the cold North wind blowing down the alley and snow finding it's way into the tiniest crevice. To top it off, the holidays are coming and we're considering presents to purchase.Busker's Holiday is a new work just published by author Adam Gussow, an associate professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi. It's the kind of book you want to curl up and read on a cold winter's night as you sit and contemplate next year's show. It warms your mind as you learn it's Summer all over again.

Gussow (or as the locals call him, Mister Satan) establishes Busker's Holiday as a story of one McKay Chernoff, a Columbia University grad student with a harmonica in his pocket and a blues band in...

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(WWW) Some job searches have started including busking and street performing as a viable means of employment. On an updated career page, an article by Brett Helling discusses definitions, salary, qualifications, responsibilities, skills, working conditions, experience, and employers.Walk-by acts: buskers perform their act continuously for a long time. This happens mostly with musicians and mimers who perform their repertoire while people walk by them. Occasional passers-by stop to hear a song or two but no defined audience forms.

Circle acts: these acts work more like a “show” and have a distinct beginning, middle, and a grand finale ending. The performers first attract a crowd that will stand in a circle around them to watch the show. Circle acts are well suited for theatre, dance, acrobatics, magic, etc...

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