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Busking...

Drop-the-One

Drop-the-One

Dec 20, 2009
667
2
Vancouver, BC, Canada
samkingbass.com
#1
... I'm moving into downtown Van pretty soon and was thinking I'd get a lot more into busking @ prime times and asking coffee shops if I can sit in for an hour here'n'there.
1. to help take a small ding off the rent and
2. to promote my original project(s)

Anyone have any sort of success or crazy stories with this kind of thing? Do you clean house or just make enough for a coffee? What kinds of things to you do to help the process? Do you work in groups; 3 pieces work better than solo performers? etc...
 
#2
I just worked on a movie about a band doing this in NYC. Apparently you have to audition for a license to play in the subways, streets etc and it's somewhat difficult to get. But I was told a halfway decent act could make some decent cash that way.

plus there was this dude on the boardwalk in LA that sold an obscene amount of CD's just from his sidewalk shows . . .

I wish I was young again, and had the time . . . good luck!
 
#6
Drop-the-One said:
... I'm moving into downtown Van pretty soon and was thinking I'd get a lot more into busking @ prime times and asking coffee shops if I can sit in for an hour here'n'there.
1. to help take a small ding off the rent and
2. to promote my original project(s)

Anyone have any sort of success or crazy stories with this kind of thing? Do you clean house or just make enough for a coffee? What kinds of things to you do to help the process? Do you work in groups; 3 pieces work better than solo performers? etc...
Click to expand...
watch for bands of marauding junkies who covet your earnings.....

years ago i've seen five piece bands with double bass drawing huge crowds,and filling their hats with cash at georgia and granville,the crowd occupied two traffic lanes,and the cops stood back and let everyone from suits to hippies have a good time,and party down .....i don't know if its that kind of vibe any more,and the last time i was out there that area just seemed to be full of the kind of people that would whack you with a pool cue and run off with everything you have
 
#10
I was thinking about doing this with a pignose amp I have lying around. Wasn't sure if just the bass sound would be enough, i'd run out of solo material after maybe 30, 40 minutes if I really stretched it.

I did just pick up a zoom rt 323 drum/bass machine though and I could definitely see it work if I brought that along (I swap between no bass on the machine, to soloing over a bass line/playing chords to putting chords into the machine while I do the line). I may end up trying this now.

Just couldn't see how i'd be entertaining enough for long enough with just bass without putting a serious amount of work into becoming essentially a victor wooten tribute...
 
#11
puddin tame said:
I was thinking about doing this with a pignose amp I have lying around. Wasn't sure if just the bass sound would be enough, i'd run out of solo material after maybe 30, 40 minutes if I really stretched it.

I did just pick up a zoom rt 323 drum/bass machine though and I could definitely see it work if I brought that along (I swap between no bass on the machine, to soloing over a bass line/playing chords to putting chords into the machine while I do the line). I may end up trying this now.

Just couldn't see how i'd be entertaining enough for long enough with just bass without putting a serious amount of work into becoming essentially a victor wooten tribute...
Click to expand...
do your 30 minutes,pack up and go to another spot,repeat....use the slow times to work in some new stuff
 
#12
I busk a lot in Brooklyn, almost always playing fairly strait ahead bluegrass and folk on an upright with 2-3 others totally acoustic. The need for a permit has never come up, but I never busk in Manhattan or use amps. The group does club gigs and private parties as well, but I've found busking is a great way to expand your fan base (always have a signup sheet/flyers) and to get paid to practice tunes in a low risk performance environment. In the right 'hood or park, we can make a really good haul, find an appreciative audience, and keep our set list sharp. YMMV.
 
#13
In the UK, the need for permits varys between local council. My band have got into busking in a big way. On a small tour of the UK we realised that the busking we'd do during the day was way more profitable and more enjoyable than some of the shows we'd play. Not only that, but if you busk near the venue you're playing at later on, it encourages people to come to the show much more than flyering, posters, etc.

We went up to Edinburgh fringe recently, set up in the street with a generator and started playing. We sold out of CDs, made more money than we've ever been payed at a gig and attracted a crowd that was so large the police shut us down because it was causing an obstruction to traffic (not because of our noise). Big success. On the other hand some councils will move you along as soon as they see you setting up. Some places aren't busy enough to make you the big £££.

The major advantage over gigs is that for a lot of venues, you have to hustle a crowd down. With busking, they're right there.
 

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