The first time I tried busking, a security guard shut me down after only six minutes.  The prime spot that I thought was public property was apparently private property.  ”Oh well!” I thought, “I’ll just find another good spot.”  But it’s harder than you’d think.  I walked around Robson street looking for a place to play.  As soon as I spotted a decent open area with lots of pedestrian traffic, I noticed that there was already a busker there.  The next good spot I saw was being reaped by a homeless panhandler.  I didn’t want to compete with him (plus I would feel bad taking away his “business”).  Other good spots were taken up by painters and street venders.  So I tried relocating to a different neighborhood.  I thought that Gastown might be nice, being a major tourist location.  However, I found the sidewalks to be too narrow to perform on without blocking pedestrian flow (not getting in the way of  business is one of the main rules for busking).  So I called it a day and gave up, after only performing for six minutes and making no money.

Well, tonight I gave busking another try.  I decided to go to the Broadway / Commercial skytrain station.  Commercial drive is an artsy area, so I figured the people there might appreciate some live music.  I saw a great spot right away, so I got all set up and was just about to start playing.  Sure enough, a panhandling homeless man came up to me and complained that we would be competing and confusing people.  I didn’t want to get in a fight, so I went around the corner to the other entrance.  

I got my first busking dollar from a guy who had a request.  But not a song request… no, he wanted to hear me play scales!  It was a little bit odd, but I’m all about pleasing the people, so I played those scales backwards and forwards with passion.  

Eventually I began playing a set of songs - both originals and covers.  I got a lot of smiles and had a few people stopping to listen.  But only occasionally would someone actually drop in some change.  It was frustrating to see people stop and reach into their pocket or purse (me thinking they’re reaching for change to give me) only to pull out a cell phone or lipstick or whatever.  It got my hopes up and then shattered them.  

At one point there was a small group of people gathered around.  They seemed pretty into the music, so I was thinking I might get some money, but after I finished a song, one of them told me that he built my guitar.  I like to think they actually did enjoy the music, but the main reason they stopped is because they noticed I was playing a Haida Gwaii guitar and this guy was the luthier.   It was interesting meeting the guy who put so much work into building the guitar that I put so much work into playing.  We have very different experiences with the instrument.  His creation (the guitar) has made my creations (the songs) possible.  Very cool!  He gave me his card for the new guitar company Paragon (since Haida Gwaii guitars aren’t being built anymore).  

I ended up playing a full hour set of busking and made a grand total of… drum roll please… three dollars and seventeen cents.  Not quite minimum wage (or even half, for that matter), but that’s okay.  I basically view it as paid practice.  I made more money by practicing on the street than I would have by practicing at home, so I say it’s worth it.  Now I just have to make $31.83 to break even on the cost of my busking license.  Ridiculous.

Because my music career is a self employed endeavor, it is up to me to make sure I spend my time wisely.  I could easily waste my whole day just watching TV… OR… I could make little developments with my music.  What I’ve realized is that I need to give myself some realistic tasks in order to make progress.  For example, I won’t sign a record deal tomorrow, but I could book a gig or contact a radio station.  A whole bunch of small steps will eventually equal a big step.  

Today I did two main tasks: (1) I got a busking permit, (2) I sent my CD to a lady who puts music on film and TV.  

It was a good day.  Both of these things could lead to some good development.  Busking is basically paid practicing and there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that!  And if I get my music on film or TV, that would be a dream come true.  It would also be some great exposure and potentially some supplementary income.  So this is a good example of how doing something small could lead to something bigger.

I wonder what sort of realistic tasks I might do tomorrow…

Finding places to play music can be challenging.  It gets even more challenging when opportunities fall through.  I found out yesterday that two of my upcoming gigs have been canceled.   One of the venues decided to not do any music for the month of May and the other cancellation involved a miscommunication.

I only have one show still booked, which is coming up on Monday.  This means I desperately need to find some more.  Today I looked into house concerts.  I found a website called Acoustic Roof that lists various small venues for acoustic shows.  Surprisingly there weren’t any in Vancouver, but I emailed some venues in other towns.

I’ve also been considering busking.  I know it’s not glamorous, but it would be a way to play publicly on a regular basis.  The only problem is that I’ve met some conflicting information regarding permits.  Some websites say that you can busk anywhere without a permit except for Granville Island.  But other websites talk about people getting fined for not having a permit.  I’m a little scared of being fined because I don’t have a lot of money to begin with.

Does anybody know the local law on busking?

Does anybody know of any venue I could perform?  Perhaps a house concert… or anything really.  I’m not too picky.