To busk! Or not to busk! That is a question. Another is to ask why busk? I live in a city which gets its fair share of tourists, and I live about 12 miles from a city that probably gets a few more!!! (Bath) In both places it is possible to busk, and indeed it is to a certain degree encouraged, with the obvious proviso's that no nuisance occurs, no risk to health and safety is presented etc. People listen or not, is their right, and they may or may not put money in your hat, case ,whatever. Why busk? I have a friend who wished to accompany me to a festival in France; over the course of a few weekends in Bath he made the money he wanted, long hours tho', and cold, and sometimes just a bit dangerous! For me the initial push came because I was faced with doing a performance (I hate that term), I was to play in front of an audience and while I had played in pub sessions, or for friends and family etc, I had never been on my own with a dulcimer (hammered I should add) committed to making music for others to listen to. It was a salutary experience, I had not known just how fast it was to use up material that I had learnt or how often someone would ask if you could play ?......? (nearly always 'Duelling Banjo's on the grounds that I was playing some sort of 'hillbilly instrument') I learnt a lot from my first time,and gained in confidence as a result, and would never assume that everyone welcomed me or my music. I am reasonably sure that some places/situations gain from having buskers perform for whatever reason. My interest in dulcimers certainly grew from seeing a hammered dulcimer player named Jim Couza playing in front of Bath Abbey. He did it for money, I did it for the experience, tho' a little bit of extra cash did help the ego! I am not sure if our mountain dulcimer (minus amplification) is the right instrument for the hustle and bustle of a busy town centre, and if it is amplified, then like other instruments, it may be seen as becoming intrusive. It is always wise to check at least two things: Is a licence required fron the appropriate authority, and is there some sort of pecking order in existence among regular buskers at the place that you propose to play .my regards, JohnHPS On reading thro' the above I see some confusion may exist about the term "hammered"; it does not refer to me being under 'the influence', despite what Strumelia may have remarked upon in the past in relation to Rod's mountain dew, and my job of guardian of same at our past anniversity parties!!!
Carson Turner said: I've never been to Chicago - I can only imagine it's a pretty packed place the likes of NYC, London, Paris, Munich, etc... Those have a long and storied history of street performance (busking is simply playing in a public place for tips - so most "street performers" whether hired and licensed or begging for alms are buskers) that has at times even extended into some pretty important religious and political change movements.
I don't see that a performer takes up any more space than does a hot-dog or balloon vendor, nor does he impede traffic any more. The street performer certainly takes up less space than does a 'sidewalk sale'. He's no louder than the city's regular traffic and much less loud than a police or ambulance siren. He can't compete with a 500watt car-stereo rolling boom-box or even with a stock Harley Davidson. He can't take up all that much sidewalk that a normal person can't walk around him with minimal effort and if he's gathered a crowd then that would imply that someone wants to hear/see the performance, a passerby might want to notice that and take a minute to see why.
He doesn't inconvenience the foot traffic anymore than does a group of tourists standing in place staring at the rooftops. No more than does that couple saying goodbye with a long kiss - right in the middle of the doorway. No more than do old-friends meeting on the street and deciding to stop there in the center of the walk to reminisce on old times. Far less than do those poorly behaved children zipping in and out of every crevice and corner they can find while mom obliviously chats on her cell...
He's unlike any other business person you encounter - his product is try before you buy and he won't be all that offended if you enjoy the entertainment and don't offer to pay. He doesn't bombard you with billboards and bus-placards extolling the virtue of his particular art over all others, creating a visual cacophony of material greed, he just puts it out there for you - free. Take it, or leave it.
He can't, while performing, give the "can you spare a dime" pinch that the typical vagrant beggar offers and at least is offering some service - a moment of entertainment - in return for his lunch.
Given the pace of our society these days, he serves the needed function of slowing things down just a little. Of course, some people don't have enough time to slow down and listen to a musician or watch a mime or hear a story... they're in a hurry to reach the end of the race. They have places to be, things to do, people to meet, ... how sad for them - they don't even notice the birds in front of Saint Paul's.
I'm in no hurry to hasten the end of my life though - I'll take a minute to see if the busker can entertain or inform me. If not, I move on. If he can, I toss him some coin. He has an important social function that a free society can ill afford to restrain.
Just my thoughts though. Some people disagree.