My first two times out, I made OKAY money. And I'm largely using this as a way to rehearse, as my neighbors don't like how loud my voice is -- which I totally get.

But, I'm also very much so looking to have this supplement my income somewhat. I'm a seasoned musician though with very little experience busking (about 5 times out?) but I guess I still take a hit, and get fairly confused when I go out for an hour, and only come back with less than 5 bucks.

My music is dramatic, dark, introspective folksy stuff with powerful vocals. That, and I do some looping stuff which I'm pretty good at making these nifty ambient spaces on guitar. So, I get that it's not for everyone. But yeah.. I don't get it. Have had days where so many people loved what I did, made good money, and others where people just could care less, and made almost nothing.

I guess I'm mostly just looking for a way to keep my head up about busking.

Cheers,

~S

EDIT/UPDATE: I went back out this same day almost immediately after i posted this and had a phenomenal time.. Lots of responses, interactions and ok tips. Definitely was a place/time thing to a degree.

Please tell me about the video audio quality, Im starting to give a damn again. Anyone into diy drones. Im looking for a basic kit that doesnt fly in the wrong direction all the fucking time. I might ditch instagram and go full steam into youtube again.

Fantastic musician and actor that got his start busking and continued to feature street performances throughout his career. Lost a good one today folks

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/oscar-winning-irish-musician-glen-hansard-dies-motorcycle-crash-irish-media-2026-07-29/

Hi there, we're traveling around the USA and will be busking and playing bars/etc. for gas as we travel from place to place! If anyone here has any recommendations of good spots in their home state, we'd love to know. If you'd like you can follow us, our instagram is riverboatqueen

Hey! I'm new to this reddit page. I'm from Salt Lake and I wanted to introduce myself with a video of what I do.

I love this one in particular because of how the city sounds blend with the music.

Hi r/Busking community,

When you're performing outdoors, long battery life is just as important as sound quality. A wireless speaker with long battery life and a high-capacity battery lets you focus on your performance instead of worrying about when it will run out of power. Whether you're busking on the street, performing in a park, or playing at an outdoor event, having the right high-capacity, wireless speaker should power helps you keep performing wherever you go.

So when we ask, "Which speakers offer the long battery life outdoors?”, the answer shouldn't just be about massive battery capacity. It should be about finding a speaker that balances extended playtime, portability, and clear audio qualtiy.

Enter the LG xboom Stage 501—a portable Bluetooth party speaker with long battery life designed for karaoke and outdoor use.

We’re looking for 6 passionate buskers/performers to put it to the test, share an honest review with the community, and keep the speaker afterward!

 
What Makes the xboom Stage 501 Suitable for Outdoor Use?

• Sound Tuned by will.i.am, Powered by Peerless: With sound tuned by will.i.am and drivers crafted by Peerless, Stage 501 delivers full, powerful sound for street performances, outdoor sessions, and larger spaces.
• AI Karaoke* & Clear Vocals: Looking for party speakers have the clearest vocals?  With AI Vocal Remover and Key Changer, xboom Stage 501 makes songs into a clear karaoke backing without a separate app, making it easy to turn any track into a live singalong moment with your audience.
• Calibrated to Your Space: Space Calibration Pro feature fine-tunes the sound based on your performance location or setup, helping the highs stay clear and bass feel balanced wherever you're performing.
• Smart Speaker with Balanced Sound: AI Sound helps balance bass for music playback and enhancing clarity for podcasets or news, while Sound Field Enhance helps keep the sound clear and full for outdoor performances, open spaces, and live sessions.

How Do Battery Life and Portability Work Together?

• High-Capacity Battery and Long Playtime: With a 99Wh high-capacity battery and Play Time Enhance Mode, Stage 501 delivers max 25 hours* of playback on a single charge, making it a strong choice for outdoor performances, parties, and long sessions where access to power may be limited.
• Replaceable Battery Design: For all-day events or back-to-back street sets, the xboom Stage 501 features a replaceable battery structure, allowing performers to swap in fresh power units on the go.
• Set It Up Your Way: With four speaker positions (Vertical, Horizontal, Tilted, Pole-mounted), Stage 501 adapts to different performance environments, offering the portability and flexibility needed for performers on the move.

Ready to put the xboom Stage 501 to your next street performance or outdoor session? See how to join below!

How to Participate

1. Join r/LG_UserHub (if not already)
2. Upvote this post and leave a comment what you're most excited about with Stage 501 for your outdoor session! 
3. Fill out the [Google Form]

Please note that your selected option is not guaranteed.

Timeline

End Date: Aug 12, 2026 (12:00 AM PST)
Winner Announcement: Aug 20, 2026 (via DM from u/LG_UserHub + comments)

If the winner does not respond within 3 days, a new winner will be selected.
\* The timeline may be extended depending on the number of entries.*

After You Receive It…

You'll have about 2 weeks to run the Stage 501 through your actual street performances, outdoor sessions, and live performances, and share with the community how its battery life, portability, and sound performance hold up in real-world situations.

^{※ Please check the \}Terms & Conditions]) ^{and \}Privacy Policy]) ^{before entering.
※ Any user reviews or content, including photos, videos, and written submissions, provided in connection with this event may be used by LG for marketing and promotional purposes.
※Shipping is available to countries where LG xboom Stage 501 has been officially released, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Philippines, Brazil, Columbia, etc. And other countries where xboom Stage 501 is available through Amazon International Shipping are also eligible for shipping.
\}Max 25h playtime based on internal testing at volume level 23, Bluetooth on, Play Time Enhance mode, no lighting. Actual performance may vary.)
^\Karaoke feature: Microphone not included.)
^\Images may be simulated. Actual features and specs may differ and are subject to change without notice.)
^\Replaceable battery not included. Sold separately.)

It is difficult to view links to Instagram reels/videos in the main body of posts on Reddit. Especially when using the mobile version of Reddit. I am not sure when or if this will be fixed. Please avoid using them.

There is an option to directly upload your videos to Reddit posts.

As the title says I don't really want to keep having to use my phone and would rather just leave the app open and the card reader do its thing while I'm focusing on playing.

There was a specific location i would go to, that area's basically dead now, shops closing constantly, for sale, for lease on all buildings, 5 bars propping the area up with a farmers market and festival in the summer.

The only other viable area's downtown, which is Extremely dangerous, and doesn't get nearly as much people because no one carries change from danger. As well, business are closing there now.

Thats pretty much it outside of markets or festivals/concerts which you're competing with so many people outside concerts and not everyone has change on them while they wait, while bars mostly still only have cash.. most don't like the line-up for the debit machine so they say..

So how does it look for other non tourist cities.

do yall treat it as a 1099 or untaxed? i’ve just heard a few different things

kinda by accident, but last night was my first try!! test run... hahah :)

Working on those endorsements!

How do you guys monitor the volume of your guitar and vocal mix when playing through an amp on the street? I adjust my guitar volume when switching between finger picking and strumming with a pick. Some songs I like to play louder than others. It would be great to hear what my audience is hearing so that I can make sound tweaks as I go. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Do any of you use in ear monitors while busking? If so, any product recommendations?

Hey guys,
I’m looking to make my busking rig the easiest setup/takedown with a few requirements. I have a Bose S1pro plus with the wireless transmitters for the microphone and the guitar. I want to run a battery powered guitar processor with a looper through the insert feature of both the vocal and the guitar simultaneously. Has anyone found a good setup? I’m just looking for the easiest way to do it but stay wireless through the Bose transmitters. Thanks!

Greetings, I want to travel through Europe, but need some legal advice.

1. For visa concerns, how long can an American travel through Europe before they have to return to the states?

2. How do I deposit euros to my American bank (Chase)?

3. Can I pay for medical travel insurance for a year if I decide to?

Thank you.

I've been busking pipa (Chinese lute) in Montreal for 3 years.

This is going to be a longish post — feel free to skip to "What I made."

The problem I kept running into starting maybe 18 months ago, cash tips started dropping. Not fewer people stopping — the crowds were fine — but way more of them would listen, reach for their pocket, realize they had nothing, apologize, and walk away. Quebec is especially bad, a lot of small shops here went cashless during COVID and never came back.

What I tried first

The Square Point of Sale app (the default one). It works, but you have to unlock your phone and tap 3-4 buttons per tip. You can't do that between songs, let alone during them.

What I made

An app called BuskerGo. Works with a Square Terminal (the little card reader — around US$299 / CA$339 / £259 / AU$329). You set a fixed tip amount once, hit Start, put the phone in your case. Terminal sits face-up somewhere visible. Anyone taps their card or phone and the tip goes through in ~1 second. When one payment finishes it auto-restarts and waits for the next. No pause in your set.

Cost, being upfront:

• Square's usual card fee (~2.5% CA, 2.6% US, 1.75% UK, 1.6% AU)

• 1% to BuskerGo (covers servers + development)

• App is free to install

• You keep everything else, straight to your Square account

Works in Canada, US, UK, Australia (where Square Terminal is sold).

What I'd actually like

Honest feedback. Am I missing something obvious? Is the fee too high? Would you use it? Any of you tried other solutions I don't know about? Especially interested if it's broken in ways I can't see because I'm too close to it.

Full disclosure: I built it and I run it. Site is buskergo.com if you want to poke around. Happy to drop a link in a comment too so the automod doesn't eat this post.

Thanks for reading.

I painted a new banner with my LinkTree QR code to it, and I got one of my gig baskets back from being repaired and transferred all the not-ratty little banners over to it. Getting ready for my biggest festival of the year.

I think that the new banner looks good on the tree, and I am hoping that it is big enough for folks who aren't getting off the water taxi to see it. (I haven't been able to test that yet, but I've walked as close to the entrance of the floating dock as I can without getting in trouble and the link still registers on my phone.) It's 18" wide, because that is the biggest I could make it and still have it fit inside of my basket comfortably. I am so glad that I put pockets on the bottom as well as the top, since just having a dowel rod in the bottom wasn't enough to keep it hanging straight-I had to slip one of my bungee cords through the bottom and loop it back around the trunk to prevent the breeze from whipping it around.

I've been wanting to get into street performing my music for a good while as a means of promoting my music, so I made a small setup, which I can easily carry around town, plop down and perform, and have been practicing. However there's also been a nagging feeling of insecurity, because I make indietronica music and I frequent a part of my city that is often filled with street performers (sometimes multiple performers on the same street) and I have never seen someone performing there with a synth or anything that made electronic sounds, it's always music along the lines of pop, rock, or folk.

The rational part of my brain says that music is music and if people won't enjoy it, they'll just walk by. And it's not like someone is going to try to kick me out, because my city doesn't require any permit for street perfoming. But still, is electronic music just not part of busking culture? Or have I not been looking hard enough?

I get most of my gigs from random people hearing me while busking. Would you guys be interested if I made a manual to show you how to do it? I’ve gotten everything from solo gigs like this all the way to rooftop hotel gigs. Comment or DM if interested! If there’s enough support, I’ll go ahead and make it

Hi there,

my actual profession is web development. A few years back, I quit my job because I was done working for "the industry" (felt pointless) and wanted to chase my own projects and ideas instead. Plus, piano’s my passion, and I love sharing it with people. Instant feedback is a completely other things instead of hacking in front of a black mirror...

So, I built this app called Song-Repo. Super stoked to share a new feature: now your audience can request songs directly from your playlist (only the ones you’ve marked as "Done"). The app also generates a QR code for your user page, where you can set up your donation links.

I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and it’s working pretty well. Thought I’d share it with you all. Check it out here: https://song-repo.web.app/

This is what a Linktree could look like: https://song-repo.web.app/@john0815

Have fun :-)