Busking scam: electric violin

[matty1039]

I've been following a Facebook discussion about a video a friend on there posted of a man playing electric violin through a speaker with a backing track. There was some talk in the comments of the video about if the person was really playing the violin or just faking playing along with the song.

At first I thought it was legit because that seems like a lot of effort and investment to run a scam. You have to buy an electric violin, powered speaker, power source, and find some songs to mime playing along with. But watching the video closer I could tell the player was not legit, such as the movements being out of sync with the sounds.

My wife and I had a discussion about it for a while. I said not enough people play violin to get them called out as being fake. (It would be a lot harder to run a scam like that with a guitar.) We both agreed it is deceptive as they are pretending to play music, written and preformed by someone else, to get tips from people in a parking lot.

While we were talking about it I looked up the scam and apparently it has been a problem in Texas with some reporting of it in FLA. The Facebook video was shot in the suburbs of NOLA.

I was curious if anyone has seen this in their area?

 

[brianrost]

Buskers miming to recordings?

Kill me now...

 

[WG Plum]

Buskers hang in high-volume foot traffic areas, places I haven't been in almost two years. That said, I've not seen or heard of such a thing before this.

 

[matty1039]

Here is the news story I watched about it:

 

[mongo2]

I've watched my son play violin for over 20 years. I just laughed when I saw that video. Kudos to the violinist who challenged the imposter to play with her.

 

[dayo]

Wow must have been a slow news day

 

[Mushroo]

I'm totally okay with it. Lipsynching and air guitar are common at all levels of musicianship. It would be cruel as a society, to be okay with an aging millionaire celebrity playing air-guitar in a superbowl halftime show, but not okay with struggling amateurs at the local level playing air-violin for pocket change.

Given that lipsynching and air-guitar exist, and are standard tools of professional entertainers, I think it is elitist to say, these technologies should be forbidden for local amateurs. I think music-making should be democratic, and the tools should be available to anyone who wants to make a joyful noise. (Even beginners, posers, scrubs, losers, nerds, and geeks.)

Basically, I think it's elitist to say only rich, successful people are allowed to play the Milli Vanilli game.

 

[elgecko]

Question: Are those guys who pretend to be statues then move and startle spectators also running a "scam"?

 

[JRA]

I'm totally okay with it. Lipsynching and air guitar are common at all levels of musicianship. It would be cruel as a society, to be okay with an aging millionaire celebrity playing air-guitar in a superbowl halftime show, but not okay with struggling amateurs at the local level playing air-violin for pocket change. Given that lipsynching and air-guitar exist, and are standard tools of professional entertainers, I think it is elitist to say, these technologies should be forbidden for local amateurs. I think music-making should be democratic, and the tools should be available to anyone who wants to make a joyful noise. (Even beginners, posers, scrubs, losers, nerds, and geeks.) Basically, I think it's elitist to say only rich, successful people are allowed to play the Milli Vanilli game.

perfect!

and then there's this: how many of us log into TB every day pretending to be musicians or bass players?

 

[matty1039]

Question: Are those guys who pretend to be statues then move and startle spectators also running a "scam"?

I would say less so, they are just street performers. They can cheat at it, but there is still some skill or discipline needed. While I don't have any experience with it, it looks like the clothes they wear are pretty stiff from the paint so they can move around a little inside but can't scratch their nose.

 

[BarfanyShart]

I saw a guy doing this recently, and he definitely sounded too bad to be faking.

 

[Tanner5382]

As if buskers weren't annoying enough already, now they're faking it. It's the end of days.

 

[dalkowski]

Crappy that people feel they need to fake-busk to make money, and crappy that people fall for it. "Scam" feels a tad hyperbolic to me, though, compared with the boiler-room berks who keep calling trying to wheedle me out of my credit card numbers. They're fun to play with.

 

[ajschnitzelbank]

Wow, I think I gave one of these folks money in upstate NY! I don’t regret it for a moment though. I was driving through a parking lot and saw a woman standing with the man performing who was nursing a baby. If they’re standing in a strip mall parking lot like that, they are desperate.

 

[groooooove]

in the late 90's my dad took my brothers to a mets game at shea stadium. not sure why I diddn't go, but apparently even back then there was a guy "playing" guitar and the instrument slipped an fell and the music kept playing. they thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

so, it happens. oh well.

 

[BarfanyShart]

Crappy that people feel they need to fake-busk to make money, and crappy that people fall for it. "Scam" feels a tad hyperbolic to me, though, compared with the boiler-room berks who keep calling trying to wheedle me out of my credit card numbers. They're fun to play with.

At least it's more entertaining than regular begging. It is a form of performative art. Requires some preparation and continuous effort. "Scam" definitely doesn't feel like the right word, because they probably really do need money.

Fun fact, ordinary intersection begging in my area is an organized crime racket, even out in the suburbs. Gangs control various corners and put the homeless/disadvantaged person out there for a shift, and then take a cut of the earnings. I used to watch the shifts changing from my office window, and a guy comes out to replace one person with another person every few hours, counts the money, drives away to change the shift at another corner.

 

[matty1039]

Crappy that people feel they need to fake-busk to make money, and crappy that people fall for it. "Scam" feels a tad hyperbolic to me, though, compared with the boiler-room berks who keep calling trying to wheedle me out of my credit card numbers. They're fun to play with.

I've gotten a few telemarketers to give me their contact information after I ask them a few questions then start telling them about the opportunity to become their own boss through Amway. Lol. I don't even sell Amway. I just enjoy the sport of it.

Maybe hustle is a better word for it than scam. But they all have a sign about how they need money for their kids or mom's rent, so I think it is kind of borderline.

 

[dalkowski]

I've gotten a few telemarketers to give me their contact information after I ask them a few questions then start telling them about the opportunity to become their own boss through Amway. Lol. I don't even sell Amway. I just enjoy the sport of it.

My MO is to tell them I owe a considerable sum on my credit cards. When they ask me for my account number I ask them to hang on the line while I go look for the card. I'm still looking for the card.

 

[StereoPlayer]

In NOLA, I saw an old guy just standing there, I asked “that’s it?”…he said, “somebody’s gotta do it”.

In another spot, I saw two mimes fighting over a prime spot to perform. I offered the most visible upset person a dollar. They got really mad! “I perform for my money!”

LOL!

 

[iammr2]

I'm totally okay with it. Lipsynching and air guitar are common at all levels of musicianship. It would be cruel as a society, to be okay with an aging millionaire celebrity playing air-guitar in a superbowl halftime show, but not okay with struggling amateurs at the local level playing air-violin for pocket change.

Given that lipsynching and air-guitar exist, and are standard tools of professional entertainers, I think it is elitist to say, these technologies should be forbidden for local amateurs. I think music-making should be democratic, and the tools should be available to anyone who wants to make a joyful noise. (Even beginners, posers, scrubs, losers, nerds, and geeks.)

Basically, I think it's elitist to say only rich, successful people are allowed to play the Milli Vanilli game.

I guess I'm not elitist then. I don't think it's ok for the pros to charge for tickets, then mimic playing. It's pretty much fraud to me. Same for buskers.