Can you earn money from busking? and gain performance experience

[dora96]

Hi

Since the festive season, I have seen lots of school kids, even professional musicians playing music in the mall, shopping centres.  I just wonder if you have tried it before. How was it? How much can you make? Besides making extra pocket money, the main interest I am asking to gain exposure and performance experience. I haven't done this before. If I want to play music in the mall.  I have 88 keys Yamaha keyboard. The keyboard doesn't run by battery. How do you get power to the machine while you are outdoor?  It is big problem not like other instrument like clarinet,  saxophone, cello , or violin.

Do you have any suggestion? It is worth it by doing this.      Happy New year to you all and happy practising the piano!!

[Bob]

Try it and let us know.  I've wondered about it.  Play some easy Christmas music in a mall.  Get paid.  (Or beg.)  Some people really seem to enjoy whatever is played.  I doubt the money would be worth it, at least in my area.  But you would get paid to practice or sight-read a bit.  I would want things prepped up more for myself so I know exactly what I'm doing.  In that case, it's even less worth it for the time and energy spent.

[chozartmaninoff]

Hi,

Its all about Numbers really.
Basically if you live in a small town or village with a population of 5,000 - 25,000 people, most of which wont be in the Mall at the same time, then you dont stand a chance of making money.

If your in a City with 500,000 - 5,000,000 then you may stand a chance.

You could try and approach it differently. Go to a music shop or show room, offer to advertise their shop by playing in a Mall or shopping center for them for a small price.

Or offer to play for free in the shopping center/ Mall and advertise yourself as a pianist for weddings or events, things that can stand to make you money.

Everything is experiance, but sometimes its not worth the hassle. I would advise that if you want to make money from playing the piano do some local research: How many people live locally? How many of those go to restaurants / Bars / Hotels etc? How many hotels / Bars / Restaurants have a piano or have ever had live music nights, then ask if the piano would suit the venue. Send letters or ring the local places offering your service, offer to play free, or half price for a trial night with no obligation. You can make money playing the piano if your in the right areas or are near the right areas.

As for playing outside: i would never recomend it, the weather can be unpredictable (One shower or rain, or gust of wind and bye bye piano) Its just not worth it. Plus i think you may need your local counsil's permition, so theres hastle in getting that.

Good luck, hope any of this helps

Choz

[richard black]

You can certainly earn money (learn money?) in London by busking. I've met a few professional buskers over the years, and know lots of musicians who earn quite good money on the side from an hour or three a week in shopping areas or in the subway.

[futureconcertpianist]

Hello Dora, Happy New Year!
You can certainly earn money from busking if you know the right place to busk.
Out of financial difficulty being a piano student, I went to busking and found to my surprize that the money is very good, I make 20-40 dollars (depending on how many people are walking past) an hour consistantly and can work from 10-15 hours.

To setup your keyboard, you need a battery that will charge overnight, you can find them from camping stores. (if the battery will power a kettle for 12 hours + then you should be fine.)
Your keyboard should have a generator which plugs into the powerpoint, with our battery it didn't have a normal electronic plug fitting, it had only a cig lighter so we needed to chop the cord and attatch it to another cord that had a cig lighter end, I don't know about electronics so i needed my Dad who is somewhat skilled in this (as a tiler/labourer) to help me do this.
If you have any question regarding the above just ask me I'll get my Dad to give you a detailed answer as this is not my speciality in life at all lol.

Now to making the money... you need to find an area in a busy city that has a constant flow of people walking by, and that by law (under your busking licence) are allowed to stay there for more than a few hours as you make your money by spending lots of time and you need to reserve these types of spots early in the morning or else someone else will take it.
The place needs to be preferably under shelter incase it rains suddenly, and if it is inside then it is easier to turn pages if you're sight reading/not playing by memory.
It is handy to have lots of tourists around or children (in this case children's songs make the money).
Where I work there are lots of people just going to university (arty, cultured people who appreciate music or anything of quality) and to work (people who may be stressed and the music adds some relaxation to their day).
It is a long tunnel that goes from one side of Central train station to the other. (in Sydney, Aus)
You need to go at 6am and reserve your spot if you wish to work there consistantly.
The music travels down the whole tunnel so it is very nice people can listen to half a song while walking.

You can play your classical people appreciate this as it is different and classical pianists have come up to me encouraging me, beginners have come up feeling inspired and asking for lessons, I just have my cards there and you can get further work as a pianist and teacher from this alone.
Also composers and lyricists come up to me wanting me to play their music for them.
If you wish to make money though you have to play something popular that everyone knows and has feelings for.
With me it is Titanic Theme, we can all relate to this as we remember watching this amazing film, if I just play this song i can have up to 10 people come up to me and give me 2-10 dollars each just in one performance, so if i want extra money i just play this.

As for travelling there, i go by car and then by train, i take my keyboard, keboard stand, stool (be sure to take a proppr piano stool to avoid back problems), sheet music, battery, wires/pedal, table, busker's tin, card stand with cards, and diary/pen, all fits in one trolley from the hardwear with straps that tighten to hold it all on, and the the tin, battery and other small things go into a backpack, the music fits inside the stool.

You get great exposure, you can make 150+a day depending doing what u love, and no matter what u do in life, or where you go, you always have a job to fall back on without having to look for work, you can study, you can teach, but those days you have off and need money you don't have to threat and look for a job, you can just take off and busk for the day.
Sorry for my lack of English and hope that all makes sense and helps.
From FCP.

[dora96]

Thank you for futureconcertpiano,

Your experience and post are very interesting and encouraging. I want to do it really for gaining performance experience, if I can make some money, of course, it will be a treat. Thank you for the tip how to make power for the keyboard. One of my friend is electrician and he said he will make one for me. Whether or not he will do it that will be other matter.

I have tried that to get re-chargeable battery, but the end of the connection  of the transformer negative and positive end. They are never the right ends. It is hard to make something I don't really understand plus I am not qualified electrician, I don't want to blow me keyboard up.  I just wonder can you buy a ready made portable battery for the keyboard. Why can the manufacturer produce one??? Surely for portable 88 keyboard, most people want to carry anywhere to play their music. Due to power restriction, it becomes impossible to play or perform.   

[futureconcertpianist]

You will gain performance experience that's for sure, it is one of the greatest things it's for, other than arranging a recital, or entering competitons.
You can look for a battery for your keyboard, I did and nothing existed, i called over 20 stores and even the company of my keyboard.
I ended up just buying an ordinary battery and Dad converted the electricity lead to the Cig Lighter lead and it works fabulous, ur electrician friend will know how to do it, it's very basic according to Dad.
Good Luck!

[richard black]

What model is your keyboard? I may be able to find enough information about it to tell you how to connect it to a battery. Electronics is my other trade....

[thalbergmad]

For a bet, i once stood outside the entrance to the Toddington Service Station with my banjolele.

Did not get any money, but it was good experience in dealing with the Police.

Thal

[timothy42b]

dora,

this is a more complicated subject than just how to hook up a battery. 

Busking is a specialized subset of the more general commercial performance world.  It's not something I know how to do, but I am always impressed when I see a good one. 

First of all, commercial performance is not art, it is customer service.  It can be very hard for classical performers to understand that concept.  Busking is more restrictive because you get paid only when you please the general audience, as opposed to one person who hired you for a gig. 

To please an audience you have to know what they like, and be willing to provide it.  It is probably NOT what you would choose to listen to or play on your own.  So you'll have to prepare a repertoire.  You need to plan it, not make it up on the fly, and have as much as possible memorized.  But you also need to be flexible enough to take requests, that's where the big money comes.  There can't be any fumbling while you page through your fake books trying to figure out what to play next - write out your playlist and work your way through it, adjusting only when you realize what stuff is disliked.  Best is no dead air, use chord progressions between pieces. 

This stuff is pretty hard.  Have you done some nursing home performances as preparation?  They are usually an appreciative audience and you can work out some of the logistics (sheet music, lights, etc.) before taking it outdoors, and they'll have power available.  Of course you'll need amplification, the internal speakers of a keyboard don't go very far. 

[dora96]

Hi all,

Thank you for the advise. Tim, yes I have been playing in the retirement villages for 10, months now. I just feel that it get boring and the people are still ok for me to play music for them. However, I don't get pay at all. It is hard to survive, the expensive travelling, piano lessons, lunches etc... I just want to play music, gain performance experience and if I can get some pocket money, it will be a bonus. For the economic downturn, it is hard for me to carry on working without paid. I play music for churches, general public, helping out for the school band.

However, to get some permanent with music with wage, it is hard. I don't know. I do believe I can do it, but I need to build up my experience and keep on learning and meeting other musicians. It is true Tim. You describe the commercial musicians, I need to prepare to please the general public, be more entertaining as possible as I can. It is hard because it will not properly be what I want to do. I have been playing some pop music to retirement village, they like them more than classical music because they know them and they can enjoy them and sing along with the music. As soon as I play classical music, most of them fall asleep.

I feel quite disappointed sometimes what I learn and love not a lot people will understand. Once I play some Jazz, they come alive. They clap and dance. Surely, for any musician has to start some way, I am still searching and finding my path

[timothy42b]

I just want to play music, gain performance experience and if I can get some pocket money, it will be a bonus. For the economic downturn, it is hard for me to carry on working without paid. I play music for churches, general public, helping out for the school band.

Sure, and don't take my comments as negative. 

I play very little for pay now and have no inclination to do more.  Most of my paid gigs have been with a small band for stuff like dinner parties, once in a while a dance, lots of festivals (Oktoberfest, Oysterfest, Harborfest, that kind of thing).  When I was a kid I played tons of polka jobs, that was fun. 

If I were you I wouldn't be looking at busking first.  That's kind of a specialized entrepeneur style, with some upfront costs.

First I'd hit the biggies: weddings, funerals, and substitute church gigs.  Find out the going rate in your area and never take less money.  When you charge less than a pro you are considered to be less skilled than a pro.  Always play within your abilities, and remember every performance is an audition.  Have business cards ready and leave them with anyone you see at all performances.  You need your name to be recognized.  Once your name is out there you have a shot at the lunch restaurant and cocktail bar gigs.  Those will pay the bills, I'm sure.  I have a friend who paid for music school doing lunches at various downtown restaurants, hoping none of his professors saw him (he used an accordion which would have been frowned on as nonserious).