So far, I have written a fair amount about the obstacles and mental blocks I had been facing on this project. Now, I want to share a positive update to say that for the most part, busking is going well this summer! All in all, though I have a long way to go, I am satisfied with the progress I’ve made.
Here are a few stats and tidbits about interesting things that have happened this summer –
Stats
At the time of writing this (July 19), I’ve already made $1300 purely from busking! And that’s been coming in dollar by dollar, with the occasional 5 or 10 thrown in, so I’ve definitely felt and appreciated every gratuity. So, I’ve already made back my initial expenses in music equipment for this summer, plus more! That’s definitely a rewarding feeling.
I’ve played 22 sessions, for an average of $59 per session. That average is brought down by a few slow nights I had at the beginning of the season, and some nights I got rained out. My highest pull in a night has been $130 in 4 hours!
My average playing time per session is 2.7 hours, though usually I shoot for 3 or 4. Again, the average time has been pulled down by times I’ve been rained out. Breaking it down hourly gives me an average rate of $23.60! My highest hourly average was when I made $109 in just two hours. This gives me a rate of $54.50.
So, if I take this is a pure hourly rate, it’s not a bad gig at all, compared to most entry level stuff. Also, I have no boss to worry about, and I can play when and I where I like. However, the profitable times of day are limited, as are my stores of energy. So far I haven’t made it over four hours in a session. Still, that’s quite a long time to be playing music nonstop.
Some standby favorite songs that the crowd seems to dig no matter the night include Hallelujah, Wagon Wheel, Wonderwall, and surprisingly, Twenty-One Pilots.
Tidbits
The boardwalk is also a unique place that offers itself to some interesting interactions. I’ve been keeping track of random occurrences that have made the summer more memorable –
I’ve been tipped $10 for playing “Wheels on the Bus” for a grateful mother of a two-year old, who apparently listened to that song non-stop 😛
On another night, some generous teams tipped me $5 each over Venmo when they didn’t have cash!
One night when I was set up near a large public bathroom complex, even the bathroom attendant tipped me a few bucks for providing good atmosphere!
A kid of about 11 or 12 years old, to my surprise requested “Take Me To Church” by Hozier and sang along with me. He then told me “Yeah, this is what we need these days! Actual good singers, not people using autotune!” Comments like that always lift my spirits 🙂
One night, a few folks stopped by and commented on my name, Max Mandu. Turns out, they were from Nepal, the capital of which is Kathmandu. While mine derives from the Korean word ‘mandu’ for dumpling, we still had a good sharing moment over that.
I’ve had people drop a few dollars in my bucket while I’m still setting up, even before I’ve started playing. That always blows my mind a bit. It’s really encouraging to witness people who support artists just on principle.
Story Time
Last one for now, and a bit of a story – When I was previously working in a restaurant where I was taking evening shifts, one afternoon I met an interesting fellow. He had unkempt hair, a long scraggly beard, and told me he was ‘semi-bumming it’ this summer. In times past, he had ‘full-bummed it’ and that wasn’t as fun. He told me his name, but said ‘that’s only as far as I know, because you can’t trust a lot of people in this world.’ I’m sure there was some kind of interesting backstory there.
He was kind of out there, but I like to treat everyone with kindness and human decency, so we had a good chat for a bit. A few days later, he actually came by while I was busking and stuck around for a few songs. He dropped in a bill, but it wasn’t until after he had left that I realized it was a $20. That was no small gesture. I’d say I’ve only received about 5 or 6 $20 bills since I started this in June. And this was from a guy who was ‘semi – bumming it.’ Sometimes the greatest generosity comes from those you’d least expect. It was definitely a good reminder for me to never write someone off based on appearance, and an occasion I’m glad I hadn’t.
So there’s my little update for now! All in all, it’s still a challenge every night, but it’s also been profitable, interesting, and rewarding. I’m not finished yet!