My finger on the economic pulse of the nation

[jim stone]

54 dollars in two hours, busking. Mostly sweetheart A flute, rosewood.
I think the recession may be ending.

[mutepointe]

Isn't that like twice as good as that famous violin player who played at the DC subway, so doesn't that mean you're at least twice as good as a musician as he? And don't forget to factor in the recession. If you get a bazillion times better, you may even reach Miley Cyrus status.

[jim stone]

Well, they're more critical in DC than in St. Louis.
Lots of really good musicians busking there, I betcha.
Also I doubt that the violinist was wearing
dark glasses and carrying a red-tipped white cane.

[emmline]

54 dollars in two hours, busking. Mostly sweetheart A flute, rosewood.
I think the recession may be ending.

Good news. Thanks for sticking your finger in the water, so to speak.

[CHasR]

which finger?

check this out:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homep ... 15517.html

[jim stone]

Thank heaven for the Constitution! Run ins tween buskers and merchants
are constant. My friends in New Orleans have been arrested on several occasions,
have led marches on City Hall.

............................................

"We're going to watch this very carefully and make a decision based on how SEPTA attempts to enforce it," said Paul M. Messing, a local civil rights attorney.

"The First Amendment protects the right of street musicians to play in public places," Messing said. "I'm very disappointed that SEPTA chose to implement this kind of unnecessary restriction on the right of musicians to perform in public areas."

Messing twice represented Byard Lancaster, a saxophonist who was cited by SEPTA police for playing in Suburban Station in 2001 and 2002. Both times, Lancaster won cash settlements from SEPTA.

[WyoBadger]

I think the recession may be ending.

Nah, you just ROCK, Jim.

[CHasR]

My friends in New Orleans have been arrested on several occasions,

one would think NOLA, of all cities, would be the most busker-friendly.

[jim stone]

There are certainly plenty of buskers but also constant skirmishing
with merchants, who perpetually appeal to a sympathetic city hall
to prohibit or curtail busking. Royal Street has no cars
and buskers play in the middle of it (it's a narrow street).
There are shops on either side and the merchants
complain the buskers make too much noise, etc.

So measures to curtail busking are pretty common.
What matters is that the first amendment has been interpreted
to provide a rt to busk--but the city can control it, require
licenses,
but not in ways that make it impossible.

In Taos NM a busking license costs 400 dollars a year.
That should be challenged. In St. Louis it's 25.

In Providence I had trouble with police,
who insisted there was no busking license. Insisted they
had the right to prohibit busking entirely. So I
went to City Hall and got a busking license.

By the way, my friends in New Orleans make something
like 400 dollars a day.

[A-Musing]

jim,

Appreciate your busking. That you DO it.

You provide what "business" can't. And therefore constitute a threat???

Seems like "businesspeople" should HIRE good buskers...to entertain their customers on their way into the consumer-door.

Ahh, competition. Basic energy games on a planet, somewhere.

Keep on.

[mutepointe]

Maybe that new Jamie Foxx/Robert Downey, Jr. movie will help out.