(ARIZONA) You wouldn't think Arizona would have come this far - but Downtown Phoenix, Inc. thinks the time is right. Lo and behold, there's music and performing where there once was none. It seems the desert southwest has caught the busker bug.

From flea markets to sporting events to outdoor malls, there are buskers plying their trade and free to now express themselves artistically. The times - they are a changin'.

And why not? Making a more vibrant community can only enhance revenue for the cities thru increased sales in shops and restaurants.

The atmosphere is rhythmically changing into something we can all appreciate when we try. Add a dash of interviews and you've got a nice recipe for explaining Busker Nation.

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(SHANGHAI) The magazine That's Shanghai has published a detailed account of a Laowai busker's adventures entitled "Streetside Serenade". Over the past few years, China has relaxed it's laws against any crowd forming in public.As Benjamin Lipschitz reveals, "I soon discovered the true beauty of sidewalks: all cities had them! I traveled to Shandong, Shaanxi, Fujian, Hong Kong and eventually Taiwan. I got more ambitious. I went to the United States and eventually to Mexico where I lived for a year and a half. Everywhere I went, I found that by seeking sustenance in the streets with my music, I could learn more about a place and its culture than by visiting tourist sites."

And that's just the beginning of a fascinating account of a true world-class...

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(SHARJAH) Get ready for the world's largest performing arts festival running from January 16 to February 1, 2020! Sharjah is a place known for it's arts and crafts and is the cultural capital of the UAE.For 17 days, the emirate's streets and theatres will come alive with buskers, circus pros, artists, clowns, mimes and world-class performers featuring over 600 shows and thousands of hours of pure entertainment. Over 50 international acts are to perform.

The first of it's kind in the arab world, it's being billed as a fringe festival to include as many performers as possible.

By hosting the festival in Sharjah, the event wants to send a message that Sharjah is 'a city of choice'. The city wants the 200 plus nationalities residing in the UAE to connect with the global language of arts. At the same time, Sharjah...

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(DARTMOUTH) The majority of students at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire are graduating with debt - and way too much of it - since the average graduate carries $35,000. That's why many young people are turning to alternative means - not just to survive, but to thrive.A Huffington Post interview with William Imbert reveals how he included China, Switzerland, England, Manhattan, and Princeton to juggle, piano, and unicycle away his student debt. Also figuring into the equation was teaching English and some 300 tennis balls.

"I was 24 years old and on my own in a foreign land. I began doing street performance and living by the beach for $80 a month."

Included in the interview is how he paid off his $15,000 student loan, 3 great tips for street performers, and a quote...

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(NYC) Times Square busker and street-performer Bob Burck has filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against CBS over a 'Bold and the Beautiful' promo. Burck filed for trademark on his act back in 1997. He now seems content to sue mega-conglomerates with questionable legal teams for his livelihood. M & M Mars was his previous infringement suit which was settled out of court.

This time around, he's accusing the CBS network of using a guitar-toting drunken fool in a cowboy hat and underwear to promote a TV soap opera. However, as Bob has mentioned in his "brief" run for NYC mayor, "Nobody will take you seriously without wearing a suit", so he's gearing up for his court date and sending his suit out to the cleaners.


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