Busking FTW?

[-Savage-]

Anyone out there busk?

As a student with a recently bought GSXR and recently loosing my part time job, I am face with financial difficulties.

I am applying for at least 2 jobs a week since November, but to no avail.

I sometimes sing and play guitar in a local pub session when I'm at home, and was thinking about busking.

Having read as much as I can, I believe that it is perfectly legal to sit on a street and busk for money, as long as you're not obstructing any one? (N.Ireland)

What tips, preparation should I need. I assume emptying the hat/pot periodically so I don't loose much if it gets stolen.

Is it ridiculous to play say 10 songs over and over, or should I try and play more?


Thoughts?
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My Bikes - - - Royal Enfield 500 with sidecar, VFR800, CBR600FX,
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[Flip]

Do you not need a buskers licence in NI?

[-Savage-]

Not as far as I have read, there's no law against it, only thing is obstructing the footpath.
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My Bikes - - - Royal Enfield 500 with sidecar, VFR800, CBR600FX,
Peugeot Speedfight 100, Kymco Hipster 125, GSXR750K5, Jawa TS 350

[Carl_steveo]

Take the big money coins out like the £1 and 50p's, not incase you get robbed but if anyone looks in your hat and there is just coppers and the occasional 20p's then people may feel inclined to give more.

I'm assuming you can actually sing and play guitar well and not be an utter pile of shite bag like the ukranian keyboard, consetina (sp) playing buskers that litter sunderland.
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Current: Honda Nsr 125
Live: Sunderland
Luke "cant be arsed to read your post, but suck my balls anyway."

[-Savage-]

I'm not too bad, as I said I play and sing in a local pub and they like me so I cant be that bad lol.
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My Bikes - - - Royal Enfield 500 with sidecar, VFR800, CBR600FX,
Peugeot Speedfight 100, Kymco Hipster 125, GSXR750K5, Jawa TS 350

[Carl_steveo]

Sunderland isn't too kind to buskers for some reason. We had a pipe playing busker who the council took to court, some buskers have asbos now aswell.

There are always about 4 buskers on one street playing the same thing over and over again. Theres a female busker who plays guitar in town sometimes, she sells her cd's and stuff like that but the local radio station (metro radio) likes her and she does interviews on there aswell.
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Current: Honda Nsr 125
Live: Sunderland
Luke "cant be arsed to read your post, but suck my balls anyway."

[Suitor_Stu]

I used to do a bit of 'busking' outside the Union when I was a student. Basically it stemmed from a night I went there with my guitar after playing a gig somewhere and upon leaving when it closed with said guitar got hastled to play a few songs by drunken students. Had a couple of mates with me too, so they joined in and because the guitar case was open on the floor people started chucking money in...All I will say is never underestimate the generosity of drunken students!

I then proceeded to do this on several other occasions and generally would make back my money for the night out in a session - one night in 45mis I took just under £30, which isn't too shabby (although this may have been partly due to my hot friend badgering people into paying, but it's all good)!

As for songs, I was mainly playing Irish folky type stuff like Pogues (although you gotta be very careful with this as very quickly this can breed a bit of sectarian shite in the crown if not controlled properly, and this was only Dundee!), some of the 'indie hits of the day' so Kings of Leon, libertines and a bit of Oasis always goes down well a bunch of classics like Kinks and the Beatles and topping it off with the odd improvised sing along song (one of which is still sung today by my group of friends and it went a little something like this 'Yer maw, yer maw, yer may's a farmer's son. She likes doing things to sheep (to Sheep!))

So basically what I'm saying is to get yourself down to your local union at kicking out time and just belt out any old shite when the students come out and you'll be surprised at what you will get!

Stu
(Kinda longing for the days where I had no responsibility )

[Itchy]

I remember a girl doing it in Falmouth, she was good but she got very little, however when she went out in the shortest possible skirt she had, her money went up a fair bit. I guess this is out of the question for you...

But seriously try to be good, the fiddler in Bolton is good, he is very good people will stop and listen and drop him money, if you are generic then you don't stand out.

Bring something to tune your instrument, the cold and rain will detune your guitar regularly.

Or go door to door!, like Justin Brown, I read his book ages ago and left it somewhere he made a fair wedge.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/UK-G-string-Adventures-Door-door/dp/1840243791
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[Tarmacsurfer]

I used to busk a lot, wouldn't want to do it now. The last guy I knew that did it as a job gave it up the year before last after the fifth time he had his earnings taken rather violently. Add in the fact that it now requires licensing by many local authorities and it rather defeats the whole idea of helping to pay your way as you travel (the main reason I was doing it).

Having said that, find a decent pitch and it can be a good way to generate income - presuming you can actually play - with takings going anywhere from £20-£150 for a full day. Bear in mind you'll be out at strange hours though, you need to catch the public when they're out and about.

Itchy actually makes a good point, generic voice and guitar often doesn't earn too well. Dave was a saxophonist and I usually played the recorder rather than the penny whistle, both instruments that you don't see that often in a buskers hands and so accordingly got noticed, or Dave would play and I'd bring a puppet, this worked well on a weekend as it would draw kids and parents would follow.

Good luck
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I'm immortal. Well, so far.

[Al]

We have the Norwich puppet man www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9xj1CC6OSo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kD8U-BEJyU

Now he obviously has some issues, but he's become a bit of a cult hero. He has become so successful that he went on tour the other year even performing at a nightclub!
Local radio, TV and newspapers he's done the lot.
Other Cities have historic building and nice parks, Norwich has a retarded man with a hand puppet and a radio
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[bazza]

[ms51ves3]

[Annabella]

A few of us made £348 last summer in approximately three hours busking in Shrewsbury.

However, that was sax, fiddle, guitar and some very good singing voices... oh and it was for Cancer Research which *might* have helped just a little bit! Even then, we still had sneaky characters trying to pinch the money we had taken.

I wouldn't do it for myself, it's far too much like hard work
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[Handsome]

Think the last time I saw anyone busking was years back in Worcester, walked past him twice in an hour and he was still singing the same tune, which either means he'd got a small play list or he only knew one song...
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Previous Bikes...Honda NSR 125 RR...Kawasaki Zephyr 550...Suzuki SV 1000 S...Yamaha FZ8...Current Bike...Suzuki GSX-R 750...

[400bandit]

[Cptn. Awesome]

[Carl_steveo]

[Cptn. Awesome]

[Carl_steveo]

Yeah I saw him about two weeks ago in union and last week dancing past panda whilst I was having my tea lol.
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Current: Honda Nsr 125
Live: Sunderland
Luke "cant be arsed to read your post, but suck my balls anyway."

[Alexio]

I've been longing to give busking a go for ages but you need a licence in my town, so I haven't yet tried local gigs in pubs keep me happy though
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[Al]

[Ste]

Train stations don't like buskers. If station staff see you busking then there will be an announcement on the tannoy saying please don't give money to buskers, blah blah blah, and it'll say that they already make donations to homeless charities. So no busking in train stations and no doing anything that could be perceived as busking.

[Carl_steveo]

In some of the train stations up here there are designated busking points. They are there so that busker don't busk in parts of the station that would cause blockages.
____________________
Current: Honda Nsr 125
Live: Sunderland
Luke "cant be arsed to read your post, but suck my balls anyway."