Nick Tann

I am Busked

This is me after I had returned from my days busking in Winchester. All part of the drive to sell tickets for my forthcoming gig supporting Jazz Morley on the 3 May at The Railway in Winchester .

As I said in my previous post TICKeTS PLEASE Pt1 I’m trying to get publicity for my gig as it’s one where I have to sell tickets.

SO, off to Winchester I went. Loaded with both my 12 string and Spanish nylon string guitars, guitar stand and “man bag” (I’ll explain the paper bag later) I caught the train to Winchester. I wandered along the main pedestrian  street and decided I would set up on the corner of the Monsoon shop. It was a little off the main drag but I wanted people to be able to stop and listen and not just hurry past. I set up my stuff putting the 12 string on the stand and started playing my Spanish. Almost straight away a pair of young ladies pitched up opposite me. They were wearing some kind of fancy dress outfit that looked like they were joined at the hip. Then they started their act, which consisted of….well….just standing still. There are hundreds of these kinds of performers on the street scene and they are very popular. I don’t get it myself…well they just stand still whoop de doop! Nevertheless they drew a lot of attention and made a few quid so good luck to them. I didn’t realise what kind of impact they had had on my own efforts until they had left, because when they did I had a lot more attention!

This is how my set up looked, this is after I had done my stint. I had some free promo cds that I had burned a few weeks ago (nothing flash just a blank label with some writing in a slip case) some badges and a few flyers with an orange label giving details of the gig. Afterwards I realised I SHOULD have put my name in big letters somewhere but we all make mistakes.

All in all I did ok, I gave away about 12 cds and badges and even made about £8 in about 2 hours. BUT I DIDN’T SELL ANY TICKETS TO THE SHOW. One of the problems was that I can’t talk to people and play at the same time. What I needed was someone to “work” the crowd as they passed by, giving out the flyers and telling tem about the gig, answering questions and generally selling me! As I mentioned in Pt1   I don’t have many friends down this way to help me so I am rather limited.

I also tried to work out my demographic i.e. what kind of person took an interest. I can say that young men from I’d say from around 8 to 15, women in their late 20′s and 30′s and men from about 30 to 60 took cds although the older men weren’t that keen on taking the badges! Kids love those badges but some of their dads sent them back for the cds…  I did meet one very nice young guy who took a cd but refused a badge. “Take a badge” I said “They’re free!” I’ve already got one” he said ” I saw you at the Eastleigh Festival last year and got one then” he then scampered off well pleased with his cd!

After my two hours I’d had enough, I was cold and tired out. Busking isn’t the same as performing at a gig. I couldn’t create the atmosphere, the drama that I love, you just have to bash it out!   I chatted to the lady at the artisan bread stall, there was a market on, she enjoyed it and sold me a lovely loaf of bread at a discount price (that’s what is in the paper bag).  ”I think you did very well” she said.  She took this picture for me earlier in FULL FLOW

In the flow

I’m not sure if I’ll go busking again next week. I need to do something as I’ve only sold one bloody ticket so far! I need some pretty lovely to woo the crowd for me. I wonder if I could get those girls back to do nothing again?

For information about this gig just click here 

If you want tickets for the gig please click here to go to the Facebook event  OR if you’re not a Facebook person then make a comment on this post and I will email you.

TICKETS SOLD SO FAR = 2

Mark “Smutz” Smith

Marvin B Naylor