Great news… Buskers DO get famous!
If you’ve been to BuskerWorld’s ‘Famous Buskers’ webpage you will see that there are many popular performers who either started off as buskers or have dabbled with street performance during their career. This list is lengthy and I’ve only documented a few in comparison to the vast amount of buskers who have achieved fame.
One busker who is on the brink of fame is someone you may have heard of. He started out with people saying “….you’re wasting your time!”, “….everyone wants to hear music they know – not original stuff! ….. you sound too different to be appreciated!”, “….you won’t be taken seriously if you busk…” blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!… destructive comments that could very easily have disheartened this fella’s aspirations.
But despite all the warnings, backlash and criticism, the rebellious musician took to the streets anyway. He discovered busking was a great adventure and spent years learning the tricks of the trade which resulted in a dream lifestyle of music 24/7, worldwide travel, fun, friends, freedom as well as plenty of money at the drop of a hat!
Is the story sounding familiar yet? You may have guessed by now that the rebel of this story is ‘yours truly’ and yes… if it wasn’t for busking, then I daresay this blog, this website and this latest success story would be non-existent.
So here’s what’s happened and as you’re reading, keep in mind – SUCCESS LEAVES CLUES! If you’re determined to ‘ramp up’ your performance career, then you’re welcome to copy my formula and you too could also be living a dream lifestyle and topping the charts.
At the end of 2008, I decided to play a band (stage) gig on my birthday for a bit of fun and as a pre-launch for my album. For convenience and loyalty reasons, I played at the Sphinx Rock Cafe – a small cafe at the end of my street in my very tiny hometown. Little did I know what would stem from that show… radio airplay, newspaper articles and curiosity from the public created a huge wave of interest. Many people started to look up my music at Australia’s popular ‘Unearthed’ website and downloaded and commented on my songs. ‘Unearthed’ is specifically for independent (unsigned) artists and is run by Australia’s only national youth radio station called Triple J. Currently there are 7000 artists/bands listed.
3 months later my song ‘Insecure’ has reached No.3 on the ‘Unearthed’ (mixed genre ) charts and No.1 on the rock charts. Unlike most charts, my positioning doesn’t relate to album sales, but is calculated according to mass public opinion (song reviews, downloads, plays, etc).
I’m obviously thrilled with the results so far, as any busker would be!
In saying that, if my song gets up to No.1 on the overall charts then I have a greater chance of getting national airplay. As you can imagine, having my song at No.3 feels like I’m one number short from winning lotto!
So if you’re a busking fan, music lover, love a story with a happy ending, or a fellow busker who would like to play a part in this success story, then … go ahead…. make my day!
Click the box below and download my songs or even better still, submit a short 1 or 2 word, sentence or even a paragraph commenting about my songs and it will definitely help my climb up to the No.1 position. You need to register before you can review so they know you are a real person (otherwise everyone would be reviewing themselves!)… this only takes a few minutes.
The reason why I’m sharing this story with you is not to sing my own praises, but to remind you that busking is an excellent way to start or improve your stage career. As you know, I started off as a street performer and what you may not know is that I didn’t have much belief in myself. I built up my confidence by busking – call it the school of hard knocks. And now look what’s happened as a result… and to be honest all I was doing was having fun with my music, making some money and rehearsing my songs out on the streets where there are no expectations or boundaries… oh and by the way, getting inspiration to write songs (Insecure) that are now topping the charts!
So if you think your busking endeavours are only good enough to be a hobby or that it’s simply a temporary fix to help put a few coins in your pocket, then think again. As you can see from my story, busking has been an ideal launching pad and it could be the same for you. It all comes down to persistence as well as having a positive and professional attitude.
A huge THANKS to anyone who reviews my songs. Drop me a line to admin@buskerworld.com and let me know you’ve reviewed – I’ll happily reciprocate the favour!
Cheers
Johnnie Mac
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Johnnie Mac is a world class, professional, leading street performer, turned celebrated musician. He is the only Aussie Professional Busker who provides a fast, reliable and sure-fire Busking System that can transform any busker into a well paid and highly acclaimed entertainer enjoying a remarkably exciting lifestyle. To discover 101 Essential Tips to Have More Fun and Earn More Money Busking visit http://www.BuskerWorld.com/theBuskersBible
