I'd like to try it but i live in a small town where noone would really see or hear me without advertising it and it's too far to go to a bigger city. Mostly around here if you want to play to the public it has to be in a hall or bar of some sort.

We have a Fringe Festival that comes through town each year. It has lots of plays and street performers, vendors. My buddies and I busked one year and we did have to get a permit for the festival. There was 4 of us. 2 guitars, a snare and hi hat and a sax. We made $7.00 and spent it on a six pack! I have a friend in Toronto and apparantly you have to audition to be a busker. You get to play in certain locations depending on how good you are.

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In Belfast there are a lot of historic entries and even cops were giving me money, lol.

Over 70 quid yesterday and it's just me and my acoustic. People were bringing me hot whiskey's with lemon and cloves to keep me warm and merry.

If you do need a permit here then I sure as hell don't know a soul with one....

And yes Kas, I didn't know you were that young so please be very careful!!

CC

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Yeah, if I ever do go out and busk, I'll take my dad out with me or something. He'll sure as hell scare anyone off if they even think about mugging.

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury

Glad to hear it!

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

I had no idea what "busking" was, looked at the thread out of pure curiosity.

I haven't done it, kind of small town around here to try, but it sounds like something worth doing once.

i've busked in my younger days, you can make a few bucks here and there. it's no career choice tho as someone said, but it can be fun. just don't go expecting somebody to come along and offer you a record deal...

have a good xmas up there in the frozen USA (well parts of it anyway)

patrick
auckland nz

Yeah, just try to busk without the permit in the "democratic" city of Toronto and just watch how fast you end up in jail.

Not only you need a permit you need to audition for the subway busking gigs. I think permits are $100 or more and in some instances you get a schedule when you should perfom.

http://www3.ttc.ca/News/TTC_Subway_Musi ... itions.jsp

I'm giv'n up my day job and moving to Belfast, back to my roots, but I gotta learn to play first.

And should that "...or something" Kashoggi refers to come about, I wouldn't mind, being a 54 year old male accountant, I need an adventure. (I've have ruled out lion tamer, just in case there are any python fans in the neighbourhood)

I've done it with a micro cube its really loud amp for its watt

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Nashville TN in spring and summer is great place to watch the buskers. I enjoy walking the streets downtown and the really good ones draw quite a crowd and make some decent dough. But this is an art to itself. You can be a great musician and suck at busking. It's about drawing an audience and keeping them entertained not only with song but stories, comedy and a quick wit for the inevitable heckler. I admire anyone who trys it regardless of their talent level.

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I'm not slow... and I'm not fast... just sort of halffast...

Strange as this may sound just like the hotdog vendors with their carts you need to get a license to do that here (in Toronto), and they assign you your spot & timeslots.

For primo spots like in the subway entrances you have to go audition before they will even consider giving you a license.

I've seen battery operated amps and some groups with very quiet small generators.

I also suspect many people just show up and hide if they see an officer coming down the street..

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Keep on Truckin, Going full speed ahead down the highway to hades.