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Eric Royer performs "Hard Times"

It’s called busking, and the people who do it are called buskers. Definition: “To play music or perform entertainment in a public place, usually while soliciting money.” Earlier, “to be an itinerant performer, probably from busk, to go about seeking, cruise as a pirate, perhaps from obsolete French busquer, to prowl, from Italian buscare, to prowl, or Spanish buscar, to seek, from Old Spanish boscar.”

It is not for the meek or unimaginative, but for those with genuine talent and grit, it can offer a way to perform a lot—which is really the only way to improve as a musician and entertainer—while still making money. Eric Royer is a one-man-band who works as a busker in Boston, Massachusetts. He’s been making a decent living for more than 10 years by taking his music to the street. I asked him a few things about the trade, and here’s what he had to say:

How did you start busking? “I started about 12 years ago in Tucson. That’s where I built the first guitar machine. I’d been busking before that, just with the banjo, and I tried getting other guys to come play with me and that worked sometimes—but you know what it’s like to organize bands. So I thought I could do a solo thing but still have a rhythm section somehow.”

Do you think the whole novelty of the guitar machine has been a boon to you as a street performer? “Yeah, definitely…and I also think I wouldn’t have been able to do it going the conventional club route because it would have been too difficult in the beginning and I probably would’ve burned out on it…the street is cool because you can do anything you want and there’s no one gonna tell you otherwise. There are no restrictions on what you can perform, which is one of the things I really like about it.”

What do you look for in terms of location for busking? “What I look for is kind of a tight area where people are gonna have to come near me. Not a big, gigantic open space because you tend to get lost…unless you’re a busker who’s more like a crowd-gatherer type—like a juggler. But as far as a small musical act, a little area is good. And I also avoid playing in front of stores that are open, you know, that are gonna be upset about me making a ruckus out front. That tends to be the thing that gets the cops called first…when you upset store owners. And I like to play in places where there’s a wall behind me, or best of all one of those old storefronts where there are angled windows leading from the sidewalk up to the door because you get some nice reverb and you don’t have to play as loud.”

How do you create an environment where people are going to want to tip you? “Well, I put up a sign. I put a bucket out, which is pretty universal. Or opening your case, that kind of thing. If I’m playing someplace where people might think I’m getting paid already I may mention it. That’s a pretty common thing if you’re playing at an arts festival or where an event is going on…and you’re just busking, you may have to remind them. But if I’m just out on the street it’s usually pretty plain what I’m doing. Some performers are a little more aggressive. There are all different things I’ve seen people do. There’s one guy I saw who didn’t like getting change so instead of using a bucket he used a wire waste basket so that when people threw change it would just roll all over the ground. People quickly figured out that you have to put dollar bills in. And that brings up another thing—if people don’t see the money in your case, nobody wants to be the first person to put any money in.”

So you have to prime the pump a bit? “Exactly. Put a couple dollars in. And if you put in change, you’re gonna get change. If you put in dollars, you’re gonna get dollars. I don’t know why that is but it always happens that way. Like, if I show up at a spot and I don’t have any dollar bills I’m like “Oh, man!” ’Cause it’ll take me a long time before someone puts a dollar in and up until then it’s gonna be change. (Laughs.)”

I feel like this is valuable information. “And another thing, when you can get one person to stop, then everyone else will start stopping. But it just comes down to that first person…like with the tips. It must be a psychological thing or something but nobody wants to be the first person to stop. And if a little kid stops—that’s really good, ’cause it’s like an added thing to the show…like if they start dancing or showing interest.”

So busking is a real alternative to hitting the road and going the club route? “I think so. Gas prices are sick. I just drove down to North Carolina for a show and it cost me over $200 for the gas and the tolls. I think that’s really going to effect independent musicians touring. Like young kids driving around in vans with amps and stuff—I don’t even know how you could make that happen. The clubs aren’t paying any more than they used to—it’s all the same money.”

How much can a good busker expect to make? “A hundred dollars in four or five hours.”

You can learn more about Eric Royer by visiting www.guitarmachine.com.

If you’d like to try busking for yourself, you’ll need a permit available for $10.50 from room 313 in City Hall. You’ll also need to bring two passport-type photos. Your only restrictions are: no amplification and you can’t be within 50 feet of another performer. And if a cop or a business owner asks you to leave a location, you do have to leave. The permit is good for one year.