An article at PS Audio has some interesting anecdotals on the world of busking. Likening it to theater, the "stage" is actually the busker's pitch where the performances happen. The article goes on with a brief yet up-to-date history of busking including virtual or electronic busking.Daniel Bacchieri points out that “digital platforms are powerful tools capable of transmitting local artists to a global audience. All the world’s a stage and buskers can make it big in a connected world. In the past two decades the audience for street performers has grown from dozens to millions thanks to sharing on social media like Facebook and Twitter, on digital platforms such as YouTube, and streaming services including Spotify.”

Dr. Paul Simpson, a professor of human geography at the University of Pl...

[ Continued ]

(CAMDEN TOWN) Holy guacamole! Camden has banned amplified street music and now requires unplugged performers to buy licenses.With the help of the Great Golden Kazoo in the sky, buskers have formed a church to sidestep the new busking laws. The Church of the Holy Kazoo has just been formed in the nick of time by buskers exercising the human right to "preach" in public.

It all started when Buskers staged a "street jam" in the heart of Camden to protest against the controversial new rules to license busking in the borough. Street performer Jonny Walker came up with the idea after Camden council's new laws required buskers to pay for licenses. He realized that street preaching is protected under freedom of expression laws so he set up the Church of the Holy Kazoo. It means Jonny...

[ Continued ]

(MELBOURNE) Locals were treated to a musical feast when 10 very different performers competed for the title of Melbourne’s best busker.Sounds ranging from a homemade flute to the Tibetan guitar flooded City Square rousing smiles, applause, and dancing from passersby.

The public voted with their wallets donating to the bucket of their favourite busker.

Guitarist and singer Jenny Biddle (shown above) raised the most money and took home the mantle of the city’s best busker and a cheque for $1000.

The event - Street Change - was held as part of the Melbourne Music festival to raise money for homelessness charities - the Lighthouse Foundation and Home Ground Services.

The event was organised by the Rotary Club of Melbourne Park.

Video...

[ Continued ]

Tom Jones’s first attempt at busking began ominously as a crowd gathered around a set of speakers and a lone microphone set up on the South Bank of the Thames near the Royal Festival Hall. “It’s Tom Jones, isn’t it?” one woman asked. “I’ve never liked him since he had his nose done. He had a sensible Welsh nose in the old days.”

Skateboarders and BMX bikers gathered nonplussed at a nearby underpass. Sir Tom would be using the graffiti-covered skating area if it rained, they were told. “That would be a bit awkward,” one BMX rider said. “We’d have to ride around him.”

But any doubt that the 68-year-old singer could still thrill a crowd was dispelled the moment he stepped up to the microphone. “Can you hear me all right?” he asked. The crowd, which had swelled to about 400, cheered and raised their arms, not in celebration, but to capture the moment on their mobile telephones.
...

[ Continued ]

(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...

[ Continued ]