busking at indoor shopping malls

[mcurran]

What is the best way to be successful at busking at indoor shopping malls as a Los Angeles-based guitar player singer?

Are there permits required, and is it
difficult getting permissions from the
mall offices?

[mnozzolio]

If you can find a shopping mall that allows busking, I'll eat my accordion.

[stickman]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by mnozzolio:
If you can find a shopping mall that allows busking, I'll eat my accordion.

I've never seen anyone eat an accordion, so Metro Town, Vancouver Canada. They had the Peruvians a bunch of years back. Strangely enough they hatted it.

Stickman

Http://www.weeble.org

[Chance]

Would that be two accordians for two shopping centers?

Underground Atlanta surely qualifies, plus they had a busking program complete with co-ordinator. (Worked there for over six months.)

[mnozzolio]

Please pass the ketchup. I've never seen mall busking in the Northeast.

[mcurran]

I know there was an artist I read about named Lisa Lynn that does nothing but shopping mall tours, and she plays a harp. She does the gigs with a bass player, I think.

She also is too busy to answer email, so I am not sure how she sets these up.

I'vetried contacting mall offices by phone and I usually get voice mail and they don't answer my inquiries.

What I was going to suggest to them is that I will set up in their courtyard and play for free as long as I can sell my CD.

This does not seem too outrageous, at least one that would necessitate the consumption of an accordian.

I don't know that this could be considered "busking" in the true sense of the word, but what I was going for was trying to find out if any singer-songwriters out there had found places where large numbers of people gather that are open every day and can be found throughout the year in just about any area.

Mark C.

[mcurran]

I take that back about Lisa not ansering emails. She was indeed travelling. Lisa answered my email today about playing in malls. This is what she said:
I asked:

"Could you tell me, what is involved in contacting, setting up, and effectively playing malls for single acts?"

Lisa Lynn replies:

The malls required us to carry our own insurance I had an agent and ended up
in a small network of musicians who shared the policy. I believe it was about
2200.00 a year. The mall scene isnt what it used to be, although I was only
doing midwest areas. In areas where there is cold climate, snow, the malls
have a fuller capacity on any given day.
Years ago it was quite open and we
would travel any distance in the country or even Canada for a week stint in
one mall, move on to the next, however local musicians saw us doing well, and
began to fill up the malls, often with less professional presentations, so the malls we frequented ended up overdoing it with too much music, and the performers would hurt each others sales, or take away the novelty of it, or annoy the retail merchants.

It has been a few years since I was involved,
so I can't say what the situation is now. At the time, we would also easily play 8-10 hours a day. No pay from the malls, just rely on our music sales.

Hope this helps.. Lisa

Mark adds: Thank you Lisa

Mark concludes:

It looks like a tough row to hoe, as all avenues seem to be for indie musicians nowadays.

You would likely need insurance, and if you
could get the gigs you would work long hours
for very little money as I am sure you would
not be selling hundreds of CD's a day.

On the upside, you might be able to get a few
other singles or duos to go in with you and
share the policy, while allowing each act to
take a break from playing or go eat.

If it were done consistently, you might be able to do it full time but again, it looks like a pretty tough way to go.

[Peter]

Here is a site where I got my insurance from. It runs me $150 a year not anywhere near the $2,2,, that Lisa mentioned. I am in a 2 person clown act doing balloons and face painting so bands should be about the same.

http://www.bombainsurance.com/

Peter

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mcurran:
[B]I take that back about Lisa not ansering emails. She was indeed travelling. Lisa answered my email today about playing in malls. This is what she said:
I asked:

"Could you tell me, what is involved in contacting, setting up, and effectively playing malls for single acts?"

Lisa Lynn replies:

The malls required us to carry our own insurance I had an agent and ended up
in a small network of musicians who shared the policy. I believe it was about
2200.00 a year. ...You would likely need insurance, and if you
could get the gigs you would work long hours


[This message has been edited by Peter (edited 11-11-2001).]