Episode 4: Street Music

— DOWNLOAD FULL SHOW NOTES HERE —

Busking… most musicians do it at some stage or other, for some it is even their primary income. From BB King, to Tracy Chapman, to Ed Sheeran many household names in the world of popular music have cut their teeth busking. Playing on the street provides musicians with a unique performance environment, which requires particular strategies to draw and hold an audience… not everyone can do it. 

In this episode, ‘Street Music’, we speak to Dr Elizabeth Bennett about her co-authored report ‘From Brass Bands to Buskers: Street Music in the UK’, where we dig down into the cultural history of street entertainment and busking. We also speak to Dr Diana Omigie and Heather Thuringer about their research paper ‘The Busking Experiment: A Field Study Measuring Behavioural Responses to Street Music Performances’ to find out what scientific methods and research approaches around behavioural analysis can tell us about what makes a successful busker.  

The episode begins and ends with the music of Toulouse ensemble Les Fanfleurs Brass Band. You can find our more about the band at their website here http://www.lesfanflures.fr/welcome/fr 

If you have enjoyed this podcast please do subscribe, leave a positive review on iTunes and share with those who might be interested. Feel free to offer your feedback about the show or get in touch by connecting on Twitter: @linesonmusic or via our website www.linesonmusic.com

The Enraged Musician