For those of you who might not be familiar with some of the musical terms I use in this blog, let us start with a short definition and then I’ll expound upon the story.

Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is practiced all over the world and dates back to antiquity. Found in Wikipedia

It takes a certain mix of courage, talent, and anxiety to perform on a public street in the hope of raising cash for your life’s needs. While some street musicians enjoy the challenges and the interaction with the passing hordes, it is different when the busking
is due to a need for cash that cannot be fulfilled otherwise.

As a fellow musician and supporter of local music, I know quite a few musicians here
in San Diego. I am well aware of how hard they work at their craft and the challenges encountered daily to meet expenses and possibly have enough money left over to fund their projects.

The music scene in San Diego is amazing in its breadth of genres being performed on stage every night of the week. No matter what style of music a person might prefer, there is sure to be a show not that far from your home and almost always at ridiculously low ticket prices to even free admission at some venues. You need not spend $50 and up to see some excellent music, possibly even in your neighborhood. The sheer quantity of talented, dedicated musicians here also provides competition for the audience that usually goes out to attend shows.

The fact is, I cannot go out every night of the week to see music, so I pick and choose who I follow, what band sounds interesting, which of my friends are performing, and on and on. No matter whom I choose to go out and see, that means someone else will have a smaller crowd. This is just how it all works.

Last week I was in a club to see friends performing with their band. I was scheduled to perform on some of their songs, so I was just sitting at a table and going over the songs we would be performing in my head.

A musician friend, carrying her instrument, came to my table to chat for a bit. I asked her if she was going to perform this night as well, and she said no, she was out busking that day to try and make a few extra dollars for bills and just stopped in to see who was there and to say hello before moving on.

Other than a few innocuous comments, I didn’t pursue the subject, but her statement caused a lot of sadness the more I thought about it. I have known her for a couple of years now, and I know how hard she works for her career as a musician. The struggle to book enough shows, possibly with different bands, the travel, giving up major parts of your personal life for your art, and having to partake in multiple projects is an ongoing fact of life for those musicians striving to make a living while writing, singing, and performing the work they love.

Many musicians have day jobs to ensure they have enough income to live here, but for those who struggle to make a living solely based on their music, their sacrifices might surprise in ways not anticipated. It is a sad fact of musical life that busking on the street for a few dollars will make the difference in paying your rent or not that month. The whole concept of street performing for income as opposed to performing for the love of the art tells me there is a lot more that we all can do to help struggling musicians in their creative journeys.

To start, pick an artist or venue, and go out and see some music. Choose something new. If you give up one or two lattes you will have the price of admission. Chill out, have a drink and enjoy being entertained for an hour or two. Every person in a seat means revenue for the venue and the artist. We support these musicians by showing up
at the door.

Purchase their merchandise if they have some to sell. When you purchase merchandise direct from the artist, they make all the profit and that at the very least can pay for gas money. Buy their CD’s or at the least purchase downloads of their music from iTunes or their websites. They make some income, and you can enjoy the fruits of their efforts at your leisure. Plus, you will have the knowledge that your purchase helped them
succeed that day.

So, why don’t we all agree to go out and see some live music?

And…don’t forget the street musicians. They can be found at farmers markets, festivals, events, parks, and most any place tourists can be found. Stop and listen for a few minutes. Say thank you as you drop a dollar or three into their donation bucket. Your donation may be what they need to make their rent this month.

You can find complete listings and ads about live shows in many places, but here
are links to The Reader, The Troubadour and CityBeat as places for you to start
here in San Diego.

Music is the ultimate stress buster and it comes free or at little cost. Feel free to share your new-found musical interests with your friends and family. Make it a party­­–and let’s keep our musicians in the clubs and not struggling on the street to make their rent. It’s up to us after all. If you see me in a club, come up and say hello. This is how we can all build a musical community.