Mirco
12 posts
Oct 06, 2013
1:05 PM
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I had an interesting conversation with some harp players a few weeks ago about the state of busking. I am worried that, in our modern cashless society, busking is undergoing a radical-- and negative--transformation. I, for one, rarely carry cash. What do buskers busk for?
On the other hand, some of the other harp players mentioned that the advent of technology is actually a boon to busking. Players can easily set up backing tracks, make recordings, or use social media to add or update fans.
Here's a great article on how smartphones can be implemented by the modern busker:
http://onyxashanti.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/smartphones-for-the-modern-busker/
What do you think? Is there a place in our world for busking?
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Rubes
765 posts
Oct 06, 2013
3:59 PM
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What about that pattern that you displayed..people photographed and tipped you over the net thing? Twas mentioned in some previous thread, surely some app will eventually make it all a bit easier..?
There's nothin' quite like doing it, adrenalin can just flow!
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Old Man Rubes at Reverbnation
Dads in Space at Reverbnation
Benny and Rubes at Reverbnation
Last Edited by Rubes on Oct 06, 2013 3:59 PM
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Aussiesucker
1330 posts
Oct 06, 2013
4:25 PM
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This guy Tony Eyers regularly does online busking using Livestream. Tony is the guy behind the Harmonica Academy. Last month the Academy & the associated community lost one of their members Joe Feeney who was the first graduate from the Academy & a very good harp player. Joe was from the US and Tony is based in Sydney Australia. Tony on behalf of the Academy put on this tribute show for Joe which has been archived.
I understand that Tony regularly busks on Livestream.
http://new.livestream.com/CafeHarmonica/events/2387745
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HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE
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jbone
1383 posts
Oct 06, 2013
4:49 PM
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Card reader attachments are common for cell phones these days, so why not think about getting an etip? I have paid street vendors over one of those. Otherwise I would guess a patron at say a farmers market could buy some produce to leave with a busker or outside a restaurant pay the restaurant for a gift card to hand a busker.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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nacoran
7206 posts
Oct 06, 2013
10:40 PM
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Adam has done some stuff with QR codes, but he said it wasn't all that successful. I've thought, if you had your stuff running into a mixer and were live streaming you could do some fun stuff. I don't have all the gear to make it happen, but if you took tips and had a play list people could pop up easily, you could take requests from people, even if they couldn't stick around. Just give them a download code. (Of course, there would be some sticky royalty issues for covers.)
With a little rigging, you could do some neat things with cameras too. Put a cheap camera on stand with a remote and let people get pictures with you without needing someone else to take the picture. Send it to them with a link to your store. Linking in to local social media could be key. There are apps that let you let people you know that you are somewhere, but I haven't seen something that would be really useful to let people you don't know know that you are playing music a block from where they are standing on short notice.
Jbone, there might be some other good opportunities to coordinate with businesses. A QR code and a sign saying '$5 off when you say the word of the day when you Eat at Joe's', where they click a pick of the QR code and get a coupon or code word good for a coupon, and the QR code also takes them to your music page. It would be a pain to set up for an individual busker, but if someone set up the software to make it easy? (You essentially could busk while advertising for them. You'd probably have to make sure you parked outside someone else's restaurant while you were playing. Wouldn't be a bad deal to strike with a music store, set up a block down... the key with anything like this is someone would have to create the system and make it easy to use because doing it store by store would be backbreaking.
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Nate
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Komuso
177 posts
Oct 07, 2013
6:31 AM
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I busked a lot in Europe in the early 90's, including almost a year on Las Ramblas in Barcelona.
I've been busking in SecondLife since 2005, getting paid in "virtual money" Linden $ and then convert back to US$ via exchange system just like any currency.
(US$ is virtual too actually)
The Music Industry -- Real Music for a Virtual World
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
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