Re: BBC - Brighton Busker Boy Bothering Bystanders - Buys Big Bleeding Barsham Bamp ... or something

In article <hkce949620fp8s8g9b9s7r4pv9hgtu56cq@xxxxxxx>,
steveNOspamTAveryMUCH@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx says...
On Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:23:19 GMT, Jon Boyes <me@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I speak from experience, I busk quite a bit and I know a lot of buskers. I have
made almost that amount/hour from busking - but selling CDs as well, and I can tell
you there is a huge difference depending on where and when you go, and what you do.

Hi Jon,

Would you care to elaborate on what works best?

Sure Steve.

Treat it like a gig. If you look and act like a beggar you get treated like a
beggar.

Amplification: volume and sound quality. You don't get heard, you don't get paid.
You sound sweeter, you get paid more.

The guy across the street will not know you're there if you just turn up with an
acoustic guitar. I see plenty of folkie/rock singers with just acoustic guitars
and they make peanuts.

I started out busking with a Peavey Solo [UKMG old timers may recall my early
forays into busking documented in this very newsgroup] - typical busker amp, small
15w combo runs on batteries, makes a noise but zero headroom and terrible boxy
sound quality. I now use a 150w portable PA - BIG difference. There is just no
comparison and it sounds awesome compared to the rigs most buskers use. There used
to be a guy - a 'new age' flautist - down this way that busked with a mackie mixer
+ JBL Eons on poles, with his own generator! Sounded amazing for the street and he
shifted CDs by the shedload. Quality is obviously important if you use backing too,
as mentioned above. One question I get asked often is "does the CD sound as good
as this?" to which the answer is 'much better' as the guitars used on the CD are
more expensive and miked up, mixed properly etc.

Sell CDs to maximise income (checking carefully with local authority regulations
and attitude. I have a persistent friend who has been arrested several times!)

Location choice: generally anywhere with an affluent middle class that has an
obvious thriving local music scene - annual festival, plenty of venues to see
different music etc- works well. Brighton is an obvious candidate, which is one
reason that kid does so well. If he tried that in some concrete lifeless city
centre inhabited by gangs of stupid Chavs he would probably leave with less money
than he started :0) Choose location wisely!

Tourist places work well too, people want to spend money and take back mementos
from their holidays - again Brighton ticks the box.

Marketing: eg. I have business cards that people can pick up, a poster with my web
address that I stick up behind me plus the CDs on display. It means I generate gigs
from busking and I also have some fans that actually travel to see me busk.

There, I've revealed most of my secrets ;-)
--
Jon
www.jonboyes.co.uk
.

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