So this morning, while I was at the gym I saw the weather forecast and it predicted a 99-degrees Farhenheit day in the city of Los Angeles. I made the executive decision not to play out today - i.e. busk. Most people who know me and my music would counter that I am beyond busking, but I must iterate that I live in Los Angeles, California and that it a) it is expensive to live here so every dollar counts and b) challenging to make a living as an artist here (at least in my experience to date). Besides, I kind of like it.
Some of my favorite people have been buskers. These include my friend David Whitley and Banjo Dave, both of Arizona lore. According to Road Junky Guide, among famous people who once busked are: Billy Bragg, Bob Dylan, Damien Rice, Bob Hope, Sheryl Crow, and Jewel (the last two being somewhat of role models for me so I feel less degraded by it now!). For me, I believe busking keeps me real and to a certain degree, modest. On days when I don't have a paid show, I can at least get out and play and promote my music to real, living people. I won't deny that it has run its risk of strange encounters of the crazy kind (homeless people, mental facility patients and that druggy who offered me all of his "real silver" pesos), but I have met some cool people by putting my music out to the Universe. I've also pulled in a couple of high-paying house concerts and even a kid's birthday party. It certainly isn't romantic as I thought the movie "Once" kind of portrayed it (I couldn't get through the whole movie, to be honest) and the chances of Bruce Springsteen busking with me are slim (see BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: BEHIND THE BUSKING), but if you give it a go, it can be worth it - at least in the interim of getting some "real" gigs.
Here's a few recommendations I have based on my experience. There are actually a lot of websites devoted to this topic and they may be more "qualified" with really great ideas, but I thought I'd share all the same because you never know when you're going to wind up somewhere with your only resource being your guitar and your voice. These are in no particular order and I can't even say that I always follow them - being an artist, I'm not the most organized or consistent creature on the planet - but here they are:
1) Smile at strangers and make eye contact (unless the person is creepy and has shifty eyes - trust me on this one!) Granted, this is the antithesis of what your Mom told you to do when you were three years old, but trust me, smiling makes people feel warm and fuzzy, especially if you are playing during a business day and they are heading back to their corporate offices after work. It helps if you are pretty and a female, especially if you are smiling at old men and children. I heard somewhere that music is a form of communication that lies somewhere between words and intuition - smiling makes people aware (trust me, there are some very "comatose" people out there) that there is music and once they know it is going on, they will probably pay attention and even (gasp!) tip you.
2) Say thank you. Learn your songs so well that you can talk instead of singing one or two of the lyrics without stopping playing and acknowledge people's gift to you. It makes them feel appreciated and that you recognize their contribution. I go so far as to wish them a good day. Think of all of these people who go through their days with no one paying attention to them - just saying thank you and have a nice day could reverse the course of the universe. (What if someone had said thank you and have a nice day to Moammar Quadaffi, for example, at an impressionable time in his youth?)
3) Don't wallow. What I mean by that, is play up-beat songs for the most part. This should be a no-brainer and, in my opinion, should go for all performances. People will literally ignore you if you are bringing them down with songs about how your heart has turn to ashes from being burnt or something philosophical. There's nothing wrong with playing a slow, beautiful, meaningful, heartfelt song amongst more vibrant ones, but people will tune you if all you play are songs that are either a) sad or b) angry. Think about it - if you are playing in a public place, the people who are walking by are probably on their way to a dinner with friends, family or a new date; going to the movies; or going shopping. These are HAPPY things. The last thing they want to hear is an 8-minute tune about everything that is wrong with society -- good luck getting tips on that.
4) Cover songs are GOOD! As a songwriter myself, I am obviously an advocate of playing original music, but I have discovered that people will pay attention if they know a song. So it's important to play covers - if you want to put your own spin on them, that's cool. In fact, it's probably even better. A lot of people imitate other artists to little advantage, i.e. singing through your nose trying to be Willie Nelson doing "On the Road Again."
5) Be a pro. Okay - so you're busking. You can consider yourself a beggar or you can consider yourself a rock star - depending on how you look at it. When I first started doing this, I sometimes thought people looked at me like a bum. Then I changed my perspective - lacking another place in Hollywood (at the current time) to share my talents without having to beg my friends to come see me for $10 a ticket I took to the streets (not like that, either). The way I see it, if this is an avenue to get my music out to a mass public and thereby get some connections, collect some fan e-mail addresses, pass out some business cards so be it. It's best to make the most of it. That means playing well and being properly amplified (I have tracked my own success with and without amplification and having a little extra sound does help to get people to notice and save on the vocal cords); It also means looking good. You might think that it benefits you to not shower, wear a beat-up flannel shirt and use 3-year old strings on your guitar with a hole it. You may think people will feel sorry for you as a struggling artist and tip you - but they probably won't. They will see you as pathetic and think, why should I give that loser my money. If you offer them a quality performance that is enjoyable and look good doing it, you are more likely to make the busking worth it. That being said, take advantage of the opportunity and have business cards, CDs, flyers, e-mail sign up sheets - whatever will get you in contact with those people who hear you and like you - available for people (Note to self: DO THIS every time you go play!!!!)
6) Don't sell yourself short. What I'm referring to here is CD sales. Many artists I know won't sell their CDs on the street for more than $10 because they say no one will buy them at that price. Some even sell their full length CDs for $5!! The cost of my current CD was pretty high and I want to at least make some kind of profit on sales, so for a while I tried offering download cards for $5. People mistake them for business cards (despite the sign) and I actually ending up giving away some free CDs. At shows I offer my CDs for $15. The way I see it, busking is not the same as an in-venue performance - by that I mean there are distractions, people can't sit down and listen - so I offer them for $12. To date, I have actually sold more than when I was selling my EP for $5. If people really like your music and want to take your music home with them they will pay the extra price - and they will want more of it; hence, the full-length album.
7) Share the love, share the space. Inevitably, if you find a good place to busk, someone else has found it before you or is going to. I've been known to be kind of bitchy about the space and inconsiderate of other players at times, but there's no need to. If you adhere to the adage that the universe has enough for everyone you will survive. My recommendations to handle other players are as follows:
- If someone is there when you show up, ask how long they will be there. If they don't know, simply ask if they'd be willing to let you start at such and such a time. A lot of times they will - who honestly can play for more than 3 hours straight??? You might get a crappy time slot at first, but this guy is likely to move on - start getting better gigs, a record deal, etc. and then you can have his prime real estate and time slot.
- See if this person has a regular time slot and then arrange around it - if you can, get his phone number and text or call before you head to your busking spot to find out if he's there. If he's not - go for it.
- Find a busking partner. Some places - like pedestrian malls and gallerias - require you have a permit to play. They can also require that you move every two hours. I've never tried this myself, but it might behoove a person to get a busking partner who will "hold the spot" in the interim - you never know. Sometimes, though, my boyfriend comes along when I busk and we take turns trading off every hour. This gives one person a chance to rest while the other one plays, saves on vocal cords and the person not playing can help with CD sales, e-mail signups and getting water (though I tend to go look-shopping at the mall when he's playing - BAD ME!!!!). We have agreed to split the tips (not CD sales) evenly to avoid any bickering over who tipped (ex. you could have just traded spots when someone gives a tip who has been listening to the first performer for much longer) who and who got the better slot with more people passing by. It also helps to have an extra hand for carrying gear if you've got it. AND we personally use a lot of this money to buy groceries, so since we both made the money we can both share in what we eat!!
9) If you want to be an established singer/songwriter or musician, don't quit the other stuff. Some buskers really, truly are buskers - I mean, this is what they do for a living and many make a good living at it (probably because they have figured out better advice than mine). For now, I am happy doing this to supplement the income while I am establishing myself in paying venues. So, I encourage anyone who is pursuing publishing or performing goals not to give up on them. Someone once gave me an easy but valid piece of advice: to do three things toward your career every day no matter what. It could be making a phone call, designing a poster, e-mailing a long lost fan. Anything. In my experience, you will start to get burnt out busking - especially on days when people are miserable. They're are a myriad of reasons why people get this way that you'll never figure out. It can get you down, but if you are also working toward paid gigs and industry connections - if that's what your heart truly desires - the knowledge that you are working for it is like an antidote to the grumpy pants's of the world.
10) It's really not about that money. Sure, you headed out to that street corner to make some money - rent is due in five days and you don't know what else to do short of selling a kidney. But I'm telling you right now, if you start to worry about how much or how little you are making you are putting scarcity on your potential earnings and you won't make anything. I've had days where I've played for 20 or 30 minutes and not made anything. Then I realized what I was doing, let go, put the music out there to the Universe - for the sheer joy of creating it - and gone home with $70 - $100 in my pocket - in 2 hours!! It's important to remember why you started making music in the first place. Even if you're not making much, look at it as a chance to rehearse and (if it's sucking anyway, why not?) try out new songs. (This piece of advice, personally, applies to all aspects of an artist's career, but I'll save that for another blog.)
So there you have it - my little bits of advice. Time to don the sunhat, open the guitar case and give it whirl. We'll see what the weather does tomorrow - if it's down to 95 I might give it a go and even try out my own advice for a change!!!
If you have any additional ideas to add, please feel free to comment. I can also be reached via e-mail at melaniedevaney@gmail.com. To hear my music go to: www.reverbnation.com/MelanieDevaney AND be sure to like my Facebook page. Thank you and have a great day!
