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ryansmagic Regular user Reading, PA 147 Posts |
I have a few basic questions on the art of Busking.
I guess I would qualify as doing some busking. Every year I spead a week in Ocean City Maryland and always manage to perform a few nights on the boardwalk. Here are my questions: Where do you Busk? I have the performing, mentioned above, on the boardwalk which is a natural fit. I live in eastern PA and I can not even begin to think of a place close to home that busking would work. Where can you even Busk, legally? I know in Ocean City Maryland you need to get a permit to perform on the boardwalk. The permit is easy to get, 10 mins at the courthouse downtown and they give you a drivers license like card to carry, I think it costs $5 or $10? I have a blast on the boardwalk performing, but where else could this work? I assume most fairs and etc. would not be so willing to have some buskers around. Looking forward to some responses. I hear a lot of talk about "Busking" and want to be educated. |
FunTimeAl Special user 987 Posts |
Heya Ryan,
Fairs (and Farmers Markets) are usually run by a board of trustees. Contact the board and ask about &/or educate them (politely!) about performing for tips. Outdoor malls have a security office. Ask there about permission to street perform. Parks are public property. You'd have to contact the city hall and find out about local laws. Always look to educate (politely!) those (with the power to give a yes/no) about street performing while you inquire about it's legality. There's one outdoor mall in my area that pays street performers very nicely to come out and do their shows. There's another that invites performers with open arms. These places KNOW the value that street performers add to their venue...so I (and many others) have it lucky...because others have done the work before us. However, you may need to explore uncharted territory. Good luck! |
ryansmagic Regular user Reading, PA 147 Posts |
Chad,
Thanks for the info. I am not looking to expand my busking horizions really, I am happy with doing a little magic on the boardwalk while on vacation, but that's about it. I just really don't see busking at my local flea markets. |
FunTimeAl Special user 987 Posts |
If you have lots of flea markets, then look into Don Driver's Svengali Pitch DVD. I'm not a pitchman...but I've got the DVD.
I know that's where I'd invest my time/energy if I had nowhere to busk. |
gman Special user Lancaster, pa 751 Posts |
Hey Ryan,
Happy New Year Buddy. I have performed in the Lititz, Farmers Market and in Central Market in Lancaster. Isn't there something in Reading that is like a Farmers Market? See you next time you are in the Mingus Magic Shop. George |
ryansmagic Regular user Reading, PA 147 Posts |
Gman,
Always good to hear from you, and happy new year to you also. I guess? The "Reading Farmers Market" is an indoor mall of sorts. There is a framers market in West Reading on Sunday mornings over the summer, I am not sure if there is any busking going on there? |
Mr. Pitts Inner circle David Pitts 1058 Posts |
I lived in Amarillo, Texas for a long time and had a similar problem. There really weren't many places that had enough foot traffic to bother with even a little doorway show. I tried doing some balloon busking at the flea market where I could rent a stall for ten bucks a day on weekends. I did ok, certainly made the nut, but not enough to warrant giving up an entire day for it, plus at the flea market people don't really want the show, just the balloon please. So the suggestion about pitching Svengali Decks is solid. Make your show about selling the item, it makes more sense in that kind of situation. Restaurants proved to be a much better option. I could charge them a nominal fee to be there, usually on their kid's night, and do my little show plus my unspectacular balloons for tips too. Not bad. When I moved to San Antonio I figured it would be a natural place for busking. Not so, surprisingly. After I moved here I called a couple of places to find out about the rules. Big fines for performing in the parks, including in front of the Alamo which would be a great place, if it were allowed. You can get a permit for $500 a day, which effectively stops anyone from bothering with it. Market Square allows it but you have to get permission. It's not too bad and there are a couple or three ok pitches there. Performing on the Riverwalk is not allowed. I was disappointed. But then I went to a Cellini lecture, a friend dragged me there as I had no idea at the time who he was. One of the gems I got from Cellini was the way these perceived roadblocks didn't strike him as a problem at all. He talked about smaller shows, sidewalk shows, restaurants, and not worrying too much about permission (at least that's what I got from our conversation). I got a lot of gold from him actually, but the notion that I didn't have to find a big Covent Garden circle show pitch in order to work was a very useful perspective.. from a guy who ALWAYS found a place to work.
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MagiCol Special user Dargaville, New Zealand 929 Posts |
Quote from Mr Pitts/David
"You can get a permit for $500 a day, which effectively stops anyone from bothering with it." I think we street magicians/buskers owe it to one another to get these "authorities" to give suitable justification for the fees they charge. Auckland, New Zealand, charges, as I recall, $75NZ to replace a license. But it costs nothing to be given it in the first place! It surely doesn't cost what they charge for replacement for an office worker to go to a filing cabinet, pull out the file, and leaf through it and rewrite the license [which they probably took a photocopy of in the first place].Oh, and then there's the counter/email time. The $500 cost, as David mentions, "effectively stops anyone from bothering about it." The same goes for the idea of having to turn up personally to apply for a license. With the internet and email nowadays surely issuing authorities can deal with permits without personal attendance. What if we arrive in town Friday night and the office/hall is closed for the weekend? Do we go ahead and busk [blame the authorities for working limited hours!], or resign ourselves to not performing? I think the idea of licenses is somewhat the idea of policing free spirits who add zest and ambience to a very organised society and act outside the square, to authorities despair of "orderliness". We shouldn't hassle our spectators as individuals, and we should conduct ourselves in such a way that the authorities also don't need to hassle us either. What practical steps can we take to be free spirits yet make things easier/tolerable between us and "the law?" How many of us have gotten input into the law-making regarding busking? Have we written a letter of thanks for "good" approaches by councils/town halls to busking, or do we just give oral feedback, or none at all? Written letters have a permanancy and probably get seen by more people at the office. What do you others think about these things? [Colin climbs down off of soap box, having spent his 2 cents...]
The presentation makes the magic.
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The Great Zoobini Elite user Boulder, Colorado 443 Posts |
Someone asked me once..."Where do you do it?"
I replied "Anywhere and everywhere." It's up to the performer to find, experiment, and develope new pitches...places right under your nose. Pitches nobody has tried...or dare try. A few times out of desperation, I set up and was "saved" by some good people. I went to downtown Tucson and created a pitch. When I say "saved", I really mean it. I was flat broke, hungry, and out of gas. I setup at flea markets, farmers markets, street fairs without a permit. They call it "gorilla busking" but it was mere survival for me at the time. I was in a bad spot and couldn't even save up enuf to leave. I've never asked for permission...just went ahead with my show. As someone said, "It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission"
Meet you in Busker Alley
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Mr. Pitts Inner circle David Pitts 1058 Posts |
MagiCol, to clarify, it's only in the parks that the permit rule applies. The Alamo and immediate surroundings are part of the park system. But I could perform across the street on a sidewalk as long as I don't block the traffic. The rule is a little vague on this, but it's not forbidden. I called around when I first moved here to get an idea of what was what. I'm glad I did because I don't know how strict they are about that parks fine (which, coincidentally, is the same as the price of a permit - $500) But the cop I talked to was actually pretty nice and helpful and gave me the basic lowdown without any attitude at all.
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ttorres Special user Rock Hill, SC 513 Posts |
The biggest problem is that the local authorities are completely clueless when it comes to local laws/ordinances concerning busking and will treat you like a panhandler. To complicate things further when you talk to someone “downtown” they too are clueless. At best they will offer to sell you special events venders’ license (that could take you as much as three weeks to procure). This solidifies “The Great Zoobini” moniker….”It’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission"
...the magic that creates Memories!
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G.Gilbert Elite user baltimore 495 Posts |
Hey ryan.. have we met? http://www.georgegilbert.net
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swifthand New user 65 Posts |
I've tried busking a few times, but reactions are pretty mixed. Jugglers tend to get more of a crowd - the number one factor seems to be how much attention you can draw to yourself ...
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joe yang Loyal user Florida 296 Posts |
Don't know if there is any work today, but years ago I worked South Street in Phialdelphia. It was slim, compared to NYC, but the crowds are there.
aka Mike Booth
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Paddy Inner circle Milford OH 1571 Posts |
As Zoobini said, just find a crowd and start your act. Do short shows and hat often. IF, a cop comes up to you and starts to hassle just say OOPS and move along. By that time you'll have made a couple hundred bucks so who cares. I was in Minneapolis last summer and set up on Niccolett Ave mall, by the time the cops came and made me move I had made money. So I moved over to Hennipen Ave and ran there for about 90 min.s before a cop stopped me. Then went over to lake Harriet? (The one on Lake Street) and worked that for a couple of hours. Paid for my whole trip in one day.
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DanielMooncalf Regular user Kansas City 113 Posts |
Quick comment on fairs allowing buskers.
Some do, some don't. Busking at a fair or festival works towards completely eliminating their need to hire entertainment, thus it cheapens the art. Busk at the boardwalk, have someone film you, then send your promo stuff to that fair/festival for a paycheck. |
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