It's pretty depressing to log onto the several busking website forums and find so little being exchanged or presented.

Is busking (be it street musicians or magicians or jugglers, etc) becoming (staying?) such a low-effort phenomena when it comes to communicating with fellow professionals?

Even the number of new articles on the web seem especially sparse. I won't ask what's happening out there, but ask why nothing is happening in here?

What's to network? Unless you're creating another Circus O'Lame, the only thing left is to share an experience or two. What are we going to post? The best pitches? Busking maps of the world? Another depressing documentary?

Some buskers on the street are very hard to talk to. Trust me on this one. Their egos get in their way and after a while, people avoid them. When I think about it, most of the buskers I've taught were probably not worthy. I generously taught them over 1000 songs - Most, but not all, were truly full of sheiza.

Over time, most buskers retire into a much more comfortable lifestyle. They're not spring chickens anymore and would like to experience some of the finer things in life while they still can.

I read somewhere here that this board exists solely for the "Buskers WANTED" forum to be available.

The real deal at this website is the Busker News dept. where the stories have been read several thousands of times. This is evidently what most buskers are interested in when online.
Ciao

The buskers I've met so far have been pretty upbeat and interesting people - I've even teamed up with one occasionally (a fiddler). Sorry that you've encountered (trained?) so many losers. Over a thousand songs? Wow!

However, I'm not interested in the panhandler-turned-busker-with-a-harmonica type, but the ones who busk for the challenge of being effective. My own personal campaign, of sorts, is to increase/improve the perception of busking, historically, socially, and economically. I go for the $ because I entertain visually as well as musically, with big doses of graciousness and whimsy. Like any performer, presentation style and quality is what it's about.

I have to admit, though, that I surely don't make my sole living via busking (it seems, not surprisingly, that very few can or want to), but I certainly am looking to find ways and places that will provide bigger hats. I guess I'm just looking for other buskers who I can "milk" for more information. And, yes, most stuff on the web has only gone so far, but I like to think that there's more to be found/shared/discovered.

My own personal campaign, of sorts, is to increase/improve the perception of busking, historically, socially, and economically. I go for the $ because I entertain visually as well as musically, with big doses of graciousness and whimsy. Like any performer, presentation style and quality is what it's about.???

It's pretty depressing to log onto the several busking website forums and find so little being exchanged or presented.

Is busking (be it street musicians or magicians or jugglers, etc) becoming (staying?) such a low-effort phenomena when it comes to communicating with fellow professionals?

Even the number of new articles on the web seem especially sparse. I won't ask what's happening out there, but ask why nothing is happening in here?

I'm not sure networking ever existed - rather just some friends chatting in slow motion. They seem a paranoid lot and, if they began sharing in pubic, maybe you'd be tempted to steal their tricks of the trade. Granted, this attitude doesn't really help the new or even seasoned busker. However, it probably comes with the territory. You may find some buskers online trying to become famous and whatnot at the large social media sites.
Yippee!