Can You Make a Living Out of Busking?

Standing in front of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, a busker is setting up his equipment.

It is early into the night and even though the wind is chilly against everyone’s cheeks, curious tourists stop to look at what the young boy will do next. He sets his guitar onto his shoulders, taps the mic and smiles at the crowd.

“Initially when I first started busking, I was very aware of people looking at me but I’m not very phased by that now,” says 21-year-old Piers Wood.

Piers has been busking for over a year now and can be seen at Piccadilly Circus with a guitar in his hands, belting tunes from Britain's most favoured singers, such as Ed Sheeran and Jason Mraz. Getting people to look at you while you stand on one of the busiest streets of London and perform for a crowd that is never actually there might be nerve wrecking and Piers admits that: “People are more interested in hearing songs they know.”

A nine-minute walk towards Covent Garden, and you reach one of the most culturally prosperous hubs of the city. A place perfect for foodies, shopaholics, theatre fanatics and anyone who is eager to delve deep into exploring London’s culture: this is where tourists can find the nation’s best street performers.

From traditional singing performances to more contemporary shows of jugglers and hula-hoop specialists: this coven of performers has it all. “I originally went to Covent Garden at 18, just to watch the performance,” says Aj James, a professional juggler who has been performing in the streets since he was 18.

Fabienne Borget, who regularly performs at the West Piazza, started her musical career at the age of 15 and has been busking for the past 24 years now. “Back then, people were amazed [to hear her sing opera in the streets] and were running to watch me sing,” she says, recalling her very first memories of busking.

Moving into the Western part of London, and walking down the quieter streets of Notting Hill, a busker stands in front of a pale pink house. He has no equipment, apart from a small Bluetooth speaker and a hat laying near his feet on the pavement. In the narrow streets his voice sounds very loud, catching the passer-by’s attention with ease. George is one of the smaller percentage of buskers, who do it “to feel good about performing” and gain more confidence.

“It is easier for groups that are performing in the streets,” says George, who was introduced to busking by his a cappella university group with whom he regularly performs. “With a cappella we get a lot of recognition. We manage to drag in like 20 or so people to look at us and film and wait for us to finish and clap, but as an individual artist I feel it is much more difficult to do so,” he confesses.

In the capital, buskers get a maximum of 45-minute slots for performing. They are also expected to follow a certain busker’s code that would ensure they have a good time performing, but without disturbing anyone, and ensuring they stay out of conflict amongst each other.

Success vs Failure:

Aj James shares an extraordinary story of his success as a busker: “I started off in England and then took a one-way ticket to Barcelona where I met more English buskers. We decided to form a team and travelled the world. We went to Australia, Japan and all over Europe,” he lets out a heartily laugh, “it’s very possible to make money as a busker, as you can see.”

Buskers who are currently trying to show off their talent in the streets have a different story to share. “Competition is quite high,” says Piers. Quickly adding that: “Playing in the streets can be a great way to get people to see you, who would never normally see you.”

However, George tells me that he prefers to busk for himself other than compete with others around him. “I do not expect people to give me money, since this is not my income, it’s just a passion and a hobby,” he smiles.

Nevertheless, in one of the most culturally diverse capitals of the world, buskers face countless obstacles that cut off their pathway to fame.

The Busking Project is an international community interest company that co-operates with buskers from 120 countries. Essentially it is a platform where “anyone can sign up from anywhere.” The company will then make it their responsibility to help buskers out with any challenges they might face. “Negative public opinion, cashless payments and criminalization” are some of the many challenges faced by buskers worldwide, says Nick, co-founder of the platform.

Fabienne is also quick to express her opinion, saying that it is nearly “impossible” to be discovered in the streets as a busker today and therefore make a living out of it, or eventually your full-time job. “Especially after the 2008 financial crisis and September 11 attack as well as the London bombings, which resulted in less tourists coming to the UK, who were the main source of income for most buskers,” she explains.

George and busking duo Ross Anderson and Bailey Nelsen, who came to London from Glasgow, also express their concern when it comes to make a living out of busking: “Only up to a certain extent.”

More London-based companies, such as Busk in London and the TFL are also trying to help buskers out by organising various events such as organising festivals for International Busking Day or giving them spots where they can perform at in the underground.

Performing for Covent Garden is seen as a more prestigious part of the job and is not easily accessible to every busker out there. “The etiquette was to start up as a street performer in a small town and eventually move [your] way upwards after gaining enough practice, says Aj, “I would not have started working at Covent Garden if I had not become a professional.”

Even though she is lucky to work with Covent Garden now, Fabienne also expresses her disapproval in the way they treat their performers. Known worldwide for the best busking shows in town, she states that: “Covent Garden have plenty of rules and always threaten to get rid of us. In 2017, they even put up speakers that would play loud Christmas music and interfere with our performances.”

Piers admits that even though he might find it difficult to make a living out of performing in the streets, he has never considered signing up to work with a company: “I know the organization [Buskers in London] but I’ve not worked with them other than looking at some of the rules from their website, which I think is very helpful for people looking for guidance.”

Is It Really Impossible?

Any person who is dreaming to make it big in the music industry must have an idol they look up to. Essex based busker Chloe Diana gushes: “Obviously, Ed Sheeran. I do not know anyone who doesn’t like Ed Sheeran ... He can hold stadiums with a guitar, which is incredible, and he started off as a busker.”

Indeed, growing up, the ginger haired pop-sensation busked in order to reach as many people as possible.

Other stars such as Robin Williams performed mime in the streets in order to gain some extra cash in their student years. Jewel Kilcher, known as Jewel on stage, is an American singer-songwriter who kick started her professional career as a travelling busker.

Many buskers who perform in the streets of London have dreams of getting big. Many write their own music, such as Chloe and Piers. Glasgow based singing duo, Ross and Bailey have even tried out for The Voice. Staying humble, Ross briefly mentions their participation: “We got famous from The Voice but it didn’t go that well, as you can see.”

George says that: “Pubs and clubs are actually really good because they hold open nights” for buskers who can come in and perform. Aj James adds on that the Edinburgh Festival is a great place to start out and learn as a busker and: “They are happy to accept newbies into their programme.”

As it gets deeper into the night and his 45 minutes of show time comes to an end, Piers thanks his audience who watched him perform his final song.

Sharing one last piece of advice he says: “I think to have great opportunities from busking you must do something unusually great.”