Busking?
- Thread starter JustJoseph
- Start date
Short Answer: Probably not.
Long Answer:
I to have had this question/problem. Performing on a beach like you say should be perfectly fine. The only thing you really have to look out for is if it is a touristy place. Wether people make money off of it or not. I once attempted performing in Disneyland and got caught with it. That may be a little different but you should still be perfectly fine. I mean, I've performed down in my downtown harbor and no one complained.
So yeah, I'm not 100% sure just because I don't know what kind of beach it is. But if it's just a public beach, just go right ahead. You shouldn't need a lisence or anything.
Long Answer:
I to have had this question/problem. Performing on a beach like you say should be perfectly fine. The only thing you really have to look out for is if it is a touristy place. Wether people make money off of it or not. I once attempted performing in Disneyland and got caught with it. That may be a little different but you should still be perfectly fine. I mean, I've performed down in my downtown harbor and no one complained.
So yeah, I'm not 100% sure just because I don't know what kind of beach it is. But if it's just a public beach, just go right ahead. You shouldn't need a lisence or anything.
Busking is illegal, but it won't be illegal if you have a "business permit". Cyril Takayama started doing that when he was poor, I don't know how he managed to get away with that and he used to work with Japanese Mafia performing for their weddings and parties.
I have to shake my head.
Busking is NOT illegal. It is legal on public property so long as a city has not banned it in a certain area for safety or noise reasons. This issue has been taken to court many times and has been, each time, ruled unconstitutional to prohibit busking other than for the aforementioned reasons.
In other words, so long as you stay on public property, you will be fine. Just remember why people usually take a busker to court - competition or interrupting business flow. I wouldn't park myself outside a shop that had made it known that they don't like me. Any questions, ask a representative from your city about any places where busking may be prohibited for certain reasons.
Also - stay clear of schools, hospitals and churches. These will be the most likely places to find busking prohibited.
Busking is NOT illegal. It is legal on public property so long as a city has not banned it in a certain area for safety or noise reasons. This issue has been taken to court many times and has been, each time, ruled unconstitutional to prohibit busking other than for the aforementioned reasons.
In other words, so long as you stay on public property, you will be fine. Just remember why people usually take a busker to court - competition or interrupting business flow. I wouldn't park myself outside a shop that had made it known that they don't like me. Any questions, ask a representative from your city about any places where busking may be prohibited for certain reasons.
Also - stay clear of schools, hospitals and churches. These will be the most likely places to find busking prohibited.
Get a real job instead.Busking is a pitiful job.I would give you a coin but I would also give you a newspaper so you can find a real job.I have nothing against people that actually work like his but it just inst my thing.
Exactly. I work a real job, but when there is something happening here in my town, I grab my bag and hit the streets. I don't busk to seriously make money, I busk just to enjoy it. Yea, someone might throw a couple pennies into a can for me, but that's not what it is all about.
Okay, quiz time everybody. What's wrong with these two sentences?
Busking is extremely difficult. Last year I was able to pull down minimum wage last summer doing it on the weekends, but the city I live in is more unfriendly to buskers than most and with soaring gas prices I've had people run away when I delivered my hat line.
If nothing else, working the streets will help you build up a tough skin and it's a great place to test out new material as well because no one is under any obligation to pretend they like you or your magic.
Busking is freakin hard! That's a true fact. However, busking is the best way to get experience. After all, how do you expect people to pay you to perform if you can't stop people and perform for them for free? I used to busk every summer when I visited Hawaii and there were nights when I would come home with about $100 a night, and other nights I would have barely enough to pay for the parking garage. It's rough, but at the same time it's fun.
As for whether or not it's legal, each city has their own laws regarding busking. Hawaii had no laws because they saw it as unconsitutional to ban busking and street performing (1st amendment - freedom of speech and expression! woo!). Plus the Hawaii senator said that if street performing was banned, it would take away about 75% of the atmosphere that created Waikiki. Anyway...in other cities you may either need to pay for a permit (average is $50 a year) or it may be banned completely. Good luck with your busking!
As for whether or not it's legal, each city has their own laws regarding busking. Hawaii had no laws because they saw it as unconsitutional to ban busking and street performing (1st amendment - freedom of speech and expression! woo!). Plus the Hawaii senator said that if street performing was banned, it would take away about 75% of the atmosphere that created Waikiki. Anyway...in other cities you may either need to pay for a permit (average is $50 a year) or it may be banned completely. Good luck with your busking!
Nothing is wrong with them,You are just so **** that you have to look at something for hours to find something.
No its not.I can do it without breaking a sweat.I dont have to because I have a job and respect for myself though.
Eh?English is not my first language but this sentence has some obvious grammatical errors.Irony?
And good for you...
What about buts, they don't have anything to do with the argument. XD
Except for the [explicative deleted] thing
good for you
I would give you a coin and a newspaper intead
Tough Skin,working streets?..Gross
No its not you are completely wrong.If you're attractive enough on the outside, people will forgive you for being irritating to the core.
Who are you to think for everyone.You dont know everyone in the world so you fail.The harder you try, the dumber you look.
Let's agree to respect each others views, no matter how wrong yours may be.
[Post edited by moderator for disrespectful and unprofessional comments towards other members. Please refrain from attacking and/or bashing others. Thank you.]
Last edited by a moderator:
The difference between you and Steer: You attack people, Steer attacks ideas. As long as you steal Steer's lines, and diss users for asking simple questions, you deserve every flame coming to you on this thread.
And get used to Steer being right. It happens a lot.
I'm a what, kid?
(sigh) Internet tough guys...
So you can do it, but you never have? Yeah, sure.
Until you are doing it, you have no room to criticize. Eugene Burger has called busking the "ultimate crucible" that separates the pros from the amateurs. And Eugene Burger is smarter than you.
Hailed as clever by people who think they are.
That's been established, and I still don't understand why you think I should care.
I know I'm right when my opponents are this desparate to attack me.
I was about to ask the same of you.
No. No, I don't think I will. You're an anonymous name on a computer screen belligerently attacking anyone that has the audacity to disagree with your narrow world view and silly biases. You have given no one any reason to believe you have any real life experience as a working professional magician, and have clearly demonstrated a lack of knowledge of even the simplest fundamentals of performance theory and professionalism.
You deserve no respect. You're a talking head, here only to further my amusement with your antics.
to also quote "That 70's show" BURN!
and while i do agree with you Steerpike completely im more interested in hearing what else you have to say on the topic at hand. as for building tough skin and trying new material, the problem i run into is living in a small town and having everyone already know me. i was wondering if anyone had any idea's on overcoming that?
That actually has the distinct advantage of helping you book more private shows, which in American magic is where the real living comes from. Most of the magicians who busk full-time travel cross-country, and others go to Europe.
Sit down for a week or two and think about this. Instead of using busking as a living, consider how you could actually leverage it into a way of networking and generating more private bookings. If you're willing to talk with me over PM, we could actually work out a few ways that you could even use this to gain local celebrity status.
Get yourself a disguise. And call yourself... Batmagicman!
If I can be more serious for a moment, I would agree w/ some of the other voices from this thread by saying: steer away from busking, except during festivals or events and such. Otherwise, you might not find the hours worth the money you will make. Hopefully, you live in a touristy area, where they have a handful of events every summer.
Last thing is, I really think you should try getting a more conventional job. It'll help more when you start looking at your career. You can't really write: Busking ~ 2008-2009 in the experience section of your Resume. Last summer, I worked at a day camp as magician/counsellor. Great experience. children are tough crowds for three reasons I can think of:
1. In their minds, the world is already full of magic, so a few tricks from a magician aren't as impressive. (Although they're much more gullible)
2. They never listen to you. They turn cards over all the time, they always duck around to check what you're doing and often forget cards.
3. They get very upset when you don't repeat tricks.
This summer, I'm doing an internship at a well known tech company as a software developper. My co-workers LOVE magic. My boss especially loves it and I do a couple routines every time we go out to lunch. Most people here are professionals and are fairly intelligent... but the methods they imagine up are sometimes so hilarious. One of my co-workers never reacts and always keeps a plain poker face. One time, I hurt my wrist, so I didn't do any magic that time we went for lunch. He goes: "Isn't there any magic you can do without your hands?" Me: "You like my magic? I thought you never watched!" Him: "No No, I watch very very carefully and then I think about it for the rest of the day"
I don't busk, I just perform whenever I can. I happen to lean away from busking because it puts people under pressure to pay you, I'd much rather give it away for free. That's why I do it, for the reactions, not the money.
lol so busking isnt a proper job??? good joke
in the news in england a teenager was busking and would get an average of £70 an hour, im guessing your american so that would be $140 an hour, do you earn that much (retorical question kinda)
I have busked with some freinds on a street and we even performed for the police (who gave us money, yay) and we earned £25 in two hours, thats about $50 again, its not so bad for some kids ya know... (im not trying to show off just giving an example).
busking is a fun way to earn money so try it out! If its not for you then oh well....
p.s- DAVID BLAINE is doing a new show were he BUSKS from one side of the states to the other, and he has a proper job as well!
in the news in england a teenager was busking and would get an average of £70 an hour, im guessing your american so that would be $140 an hour, do you earn that much (retorical question kinda)
I have busked with some freinds on a street and we even performed for the police (who gave us money, yay) and we earned £25 in two hours, thats about $50 again, its not so bad for some kids ya know... (im not trying to show off just giving an example).
busking is a fun way to earn money so try it out! If its not for you then oh well....
p.s- DAVID BLAINE is doing a new show were he BUSKS from one side of the states to the other, and he has a proper job as well!