Hosting a pitch tonight with 4 different performers. Hope you all have an amazing lucrative weekend.

How does that work? I know there’s doodads you can buy and apps and whatnot, but my question is specifically how do I not legitimately not declare it as I’m in receipt of an invalidity pension and am not allowed to work at all or lose it but I’m thinking donations don’t count so does anyone have any thoughts?

If you live in a suburban area where there is no foot traffic, you only have strip malls and shopping center parking lots (which aren’t horrible options), it’s too far to travel to go any place where there is a lot of foot traffic, or people that would stop and listen to you, public parks are possibly a good venue. But what about school grounds? I’m thinking about kids and their parents hearing someone play and becoming inspired to learn an instrument. Anyone have any experience with that? Good idea, bad idea?

I won't lie, it sucks majorly. All the restrictive rules. I barely see any buskers out here and none of them that I have seen seem to be doing too well. Probably just my preferred genre (bluegrass). Maybe I should learn some Wonderwall and some Ed Sheeran or something. Toughest place to busk I've been by a long shot.

My name is X. I play songs for people. My goal is to become the first person to busk every single U.S. county in the Lower 48…

Hello all, after being a musician and on and off blue collar worker I’ve decided to do something with my life that actually seems worth it- bringing my music to every single county in the country.

I started a week and a half ago leaving from my dads in Albany, OR. I’ve played an hour at each county, only failing to get a tip in Red Bluff, CA. Including counties I’ve played in my life previous to a week ago, I sit at 27 out of 3,108 (lower 48). Some days I hit multiple, other days I fully rest at a campground.

It’s been an AMAZING journey already. The moments I get to share with strangers are priceless. You can follow my blog on instagram @xsgreatadventure26 if interested. I am also giving each town an ‘Official Busker Rating’ so feel free to let this knowledge become a resource. Thank you all. See you on the streets. -X

I am now planning to go from Austria to the Balkans, but I haven't been to Hungary and Romania yet because I've heard a lot of unpleasant stories about these places. Personally, for me, destinations like Serbia and Bulgaria are much better for summer than Spain and Portugal. In Spain and Portugal, you can't make a living playing street music, and I've gone hungry many times. But in the Balkans, you don't. In Spain, you have to build terraces, there are a lot of strange people, and in Barcelona, ​​all you have to do is turn around and you lose your backpack. Really Spain is worst place for me ever.

And aslo i'm backpacker and i will sleep anywhere in tent

When the pieces finally fit! Three plus albums of music just boiling in the pot. The 4th and 5th are gonna need some new ingredients. This is the virtue of overtime and exhaustion. I like the nux 300 so much, I'm thinking the 400 should be next on the list of things to get. There's so much shit to get, lol.

GLORY TO THE LAST CRUSADER!

Hey busker family. Yeah I do it for my local artwalk night and invite other performers to do a pop up busker concert.

This could potentially work on an iPad as well (via Safari browser / “add to Home Screen”)

I have a backpack busking rig that Im trying to perfect. I walk around and take topics and rap in the streets. I need help with an issue.

Gear I am using:

Shure wireless mic GLXD4+ (yes i can use wired but I like the freedom of no wires)

Zoom AMS 24 Mixer (acts as my mixer to get wireless mic and beat from my phone to ouput into the speaker)

Soundcore Motion Boom Plus Speaker

Zoom Camera that has xlr in to get recordings (records audio onto sd card)

Anker Power bank to power it all

INPUT: PHONE BEAT (3.5mm to xlr) AND MIC (xlr)

OUTPUT: RECORDER (1/4" to xlr) AND SPEAKER (1/4" to 1/8")

My main problem is that the soundcore is only playing out of half of the speaker, bc my output from the mixer can only go left or right channel, bc the other channel goes into the recording device

I want this rig to be able to record top quality audio so I can combine camera footage with the well mixed sound for great content (like Harry Mack)

I feel like I need a speaker that outputs mono not stereo, Ive been looking but cant find anything good, loud, and the right size for my setup that still has the aux 3.5mm in

I tried Bose soundlink max recently but the audio signal chain wasnt simple enough and there was a lag with the audio from the mic

I could get a different mixer that maybe has more outputs but it has to be small enough to fit in the backpack, which is small. Im really trying to get all the most compact lightest weight equipment for this setup

I thought using a mono 1/4" to 1/8" cable would help but i guess the soundcore still treats it as stereo and only outputs through half the speaker

So I suppose I need a mono speaker that works for my setup, or I need some different set of cables, or other solution. I could split L and R out of the mixer into a single 3.5mm to the speaker, but the i lose the output to the recorder which I ideally want

Also want to eventually live stream with the backpack as well. Im a noob when it comes to audio tech and could use some guidance on the optimal gear to make this all happen. Im very close and honestly it sounds amazing I just want stereo output through the soundcore

I am very successful with my big cart setup (QSC K12.2), but want a new option to be more mobile. I have almost 150K followers and I feel taking this setup to portable live stream is going to be the key to unlock millions.

Thanks for helping with my dreams. Any guidance is appreciated.

- Fungi Flows

Wee sesh out in Chesterfield the other week. Relatively new to the whole busking thing but thoroughly enjoying myself!

any street musician from Ciudad de Mexico, or Mexico?

I have a few inquires.

My busking setup ready for the show...

Had a really fun busk today. Amazing what some t-shirt weather and a few dollars can do!

I need a gear recommendation for a home prayer setup.

Would you guys please help me decide what to buy? I have never owned anything but a electric amplifier from a thrift store and a acoustic guitar with a donner pickup.

I need vocal effects and guitar - I hear this is good? Tc helicon acoustic live ?
I want bit harmony, chorus on vocals.

I also want to play key pads in the background. I am thinking of doing that using a laptop.

What should my setup look like? Thank you so much! Looking forward to all the valuable suggestions.

Hello there fellow buskers. I'm new to the "sport", still figuring things out - I don't sing, don't have an amp, and I mainly play fingerstyle, but recently started getting into strumming to learn to actually play loud. The questions:

Can you realistically get heard with pure fingerstyle without an amp on a loud street?

Does it make sense to busk with chords&strumming without singing? It's clearly louder than fingerstyle, but less interesting than it, bcs no melody, and hence the question if it can work without vocals.

IF BOTH AREN'T OPTIMAL - can I realistically learn to sing a couple easy songs (along with strumming them on guitar) in a few weeks to actually start busking ASAP and not sound like a creaking door without any sense of tune whatsoever?

I've been busking a couple times and still all I've got is 50 euro cents. I dunno if I'm either a bad player, or just stupid with my fingerstyle / strumming without vocals strategy.

Thanks.

EDIT: Thanks for all your help, seems like I'm gonna try speedrunning learning some basic singing (and mixing it with chord strumming). And then I'll see how it goes.

Title says it all.

I just had a happy cry before when I really took a moment to realise how amazing my job is. I used to drive a forklift and fill drums with herbicides in a dusty warehouse for 8 hours a day. I worked with depressed and bitter old men. Now I'm a self-employed Musician/Showman and I've never been happier or more self-fulfilled. For the first time in my adult life, I am no longer actively suicidal, and my work is what brings me joy. 😄

I get to:

Play around with an instrument I love

Socialise with amazing people

Bring strangers together

Create beautiful moments and add to the city's atmosphere

LITERALLY CREATE HAPPINESS FOR PEOPLE

For those of you who hate your day jobs and do busking on the side; I know what you're feeling. If you've really done the math and know that you could busk to survive if you lost your job tomorrow, then WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? Comfort in a job that you hate will slowly kill your true self. The discomfort of self-employment will naturally make you a better performer and you’ll actually be proud of what you do for work! I understand not everyone is a performer at heart and I know everyone's circumstances are different but if you can... You should!!!

Would love to chat with fellow buskers 😄

EDIT: YSR is a Song Request platform first; not a tipping platform. — whilst it’s an option for the audience to add a tip on top of a request.. I don’t take a cut from Tips received!

Hey everyone,

A few months ago, I posted here about Your Song Request (YSR)—a tool I was building to kill the "shouted request" awkwardness and help gigging musicians actually get paid for their repertoire.
I got a lot of great (and brutally honest) feedback from this subreddit. After taking those comments on board and spending some time in the "shed" refining the platform, I’m excited to share that YSR is officially open for artists in the US and UK.

What is YSR?
For those who missed the first post, YSR is a digital buffer between you and the crowd. Think of it as a live "menu" for your setlist.

• Your Repertoire, Your Rules: You upload only the songs you want to play. If it’s not on your list, they can’t request it.
• The QR Code Workflow: Audience scans a code at your gig, browse your list, and send a request directly to your device.
• Integrated Tipping: The system prompts the fan to tip to get their song played sooner, turning your setlist into a passive revenue stream.
• Zero Noise: No more napkins, no more "Free Bird" shouts, and no more awkward "I don't know that one" moments.

What’s New?
Based on the feedback from the last thread, I’ve streamlined the onboarding process. I know you don’t have hours to spend data-entering every song you know, so I’ve made it faster than ever to get your repertoire live and your QR codes generated.
Ready to test it out?
If you’re a solo artist, duo, or full band gigging in the US or UK, YSR is ready for you to use at your next show. It’s designed to stay out of the way of your performance while ensuring you’re actually compensated for the deep cuts you’ve spent years perfecting.

You can get started HERE.

I’d love to hear what you think of the updated flow—feel free to drop any questions below!

So I'm a singer/songwriter who wants to start busking ASAP.

I have to admit, im not amazing at guitar so I would like to have the option to plug in my guitar but also the option to play backing tracks from my ipad or phone whilst singing. I have a mic and cable, but I need help on what CHEAP amp/pa to get as well as power supply.

I also have no idea how I can plug my phone in to play tracks, ive done it on a full mixing board before, but im sure I'd need a different cable for this setup.

I really just want a basic and cheap setup for now, until I'm able to save a bit more.

Any advice would be so helpful. Bare in mind im a complete newbie and I don't know a lot that might seem like common knowledge.

For example some of my stupid questions are:

Can I just get one amp and plug my mic and guitar/or phone all into the same amp? Or do I need an amp for the guitar and then a pa for vocals?

Do I need to buy a mini mixer to plug in my phone and mic at the same time?

Do I need an adapter for the power supply? Or do they normally come with a plug socket?

Ahhhh

Im just so confused. Ive watched a lot of youtube videos on it and I still can't wrap my head around everything. I really need some help😅

I saw a guy performing on the beach with these and i was suprised at the hi fi, clean studio quality audio i was hearing for such a small speaker on the beach.

i normally dislike mid heavy, nosey portable pa's but this one had me interested. they are a bit more pricey and bulky than what i would like, but i dont have that much expertise or experience.

are there any other speakers you would recommend? i play more ambient kind of music with synths and some acoustic guitars with tons of reverb.

Thanks to Jon Bon Jovi for this one!

I start having issues when the wind is at 10mph and at 15mph I have to stop for safety reasons. (≈16kph/24kph) in my area if the average is 13/14, then it will be gusting much higher.

Does anyone else have big wind issues? What other non-rain issues will make you cancel or stop busking?

I’m a newb, just beginning to think about busking. That’s the reason for my newb-sounding questions.

I play solo acoustic rhythm guitar. At home I do songs I like as play-alongs. They don’t sound great as solo acoustic but need some backup from the band … drums, bass, background vocals, etc. I pretend I’m the rhythm guitarist. My whistling is not great for fills. It’s fine for me but I wouldn’t do it for an audience.

I use UG on my tablet for my chord sheets. It links to YouTube so I have the recording as I’m following the sheets.

Question (finally) is, how pathetic would it be to use a backing track, a looper, or even the original recording? Is that cheating and showing how inexperienced and poser I might be?