General Music Chat

Laws very from place to place My experience in Asheville North Carolina: The city has information on the rules last I knew. It is the only place I've Busked.
Have a CD It don't have to be a fancy CD. Seen a guy that made a sleeve out of paper folded and glued. Burnt his own cd, have a few masters to work from. people want to justify giving you $5-10 so have a CD. NO SIGNS Street entertainers are not bums and places like Asheville encourage good street musicians it's part of why people go there. No Alcoholic beverages consumed in public (Strictly Enforced) Lots of Police. Parking is metered so parking in an all day lot is wise. The only drawback when we were there was no busking after 10pm. Places to stay range from Campgrounds out of city limits to The Grove Inn (President Obama stays there when he comes to town)

Depending on where and what you play dress the part. Raggedy dirty clothes old shoes. Buskers that don't look homeless Dirty and Poor don't make as much as ones that appear that way. A tip from the Simpsons Crazy helps too. Not so much that you get the Law looking at you. Tourists liked country, and folk music more than sophisticated stuff. It depends where your at and who the tourists are.

If you appear too well off people will assume your just out playing for fun, so use a Cheap loud guitar (Yamaha) plain spruce top. No Gibsons, Martins, ......... You got to sing out too (Asheville No Amps) a Hardshell case that stays open is easier for a passerby to hit than a hat or a can. (Hat required some places) Put some money in the case or hat $1 -5 a few quarters (no pennies nickels or dimes) Beware the people that lean down into your case and folks that will grab it and run.

Asheville is one of the Prettiest City's I've ever lived in. Lots to Photograph!
Permit Required to busk During Belle Cher Weekend.

I've heard Savannah Georgia is a nice place to busk, but that was some time ago. Youtube would be a great source for places to busk, and please share a tube of your adventures with us here.

All summer long there is music on a small mall on the edge of the downtown area. The city encourages it to some degree and it gets a lot of advertisement on TV. Sometimes a solo act, sometimes a duo, sometimes a full band.

I know a guy who would go into a bar with a uke and tap dance and sing while people threw money at him. He did it for over 40 years and made money at, He may even still be doing that. Never any problems with the law over it. I wouldn't be surprised if he made more tips on a nightly basis than we did. Since I am in the Midwest, we have far more freedom as opposed to larger cities.

Busking is a great way to test new material or find out if you've got something. It is also a great way to meet new friends, other musicians, and get invited to parties (if you sing and play well). Some cities require a permit, others allow unrestricted live music. Find out before you go and follow the rules. If someone asks you to leave... peacefully move on.

We are street musicians for a day, not homeless people and not vendors. We dress and look clean and respectful. We never sell products and have no signs, just a couple of guys at the beach or park playing live music with an open guitar case and some business cards handy. If we are doing a blues set I might bring along a lazy Blue Tic Hound dog as a prop. She just lays at my feet and looks the part. Cute dogs are chick magnets and give people a reason to hang around longer.

It can be a lot of fun and it can be frustrating. You never really know until you are in it. It is not unusual to make decent pocket money in a few hours at a good location. Give it a try and good luck in your new adventure.