Whither buskers in the iPod world?

March 30, 2010 2:40 PM

Has the proliferation of MP3 players/other personal music devices had a negative impact on buskers?

With the success of the iPod and other MP3 players not being confined to younger people (as the Walkman might have been in the past), has thi had a negative impact on buskers? I am thinking that there are many more people walking around cities already plugged into to music or podcasts or whatever, and this makes it easier for them to walk past buskers without even really noticing them.

Anecdotes from those who busk especially welcome!

posted by modernnomad to Grab Bag (3 answers total)

i'm not sure what resources are available to empirically answer this question, but buskers still exist, and have existed through the era of the walkman and the discman and the first handful of years of the ipod, so i don't think that the technology itself is driving their numbers in any real way.

people have a tendancy to expect that the now is the only time that has ever been like this, whereas wearable listening devices that screen the outside world from you have been around and incredibly common for 30+ years.
posted by radiosilents at 3:12 PM on March 30, 2010

I'd think a far greater problem for them would be the decline of paper currency and change. I can't even remember the last time I had money in my pocket. I pay for everything with my debit card these days.
posted by 2oh1 at 3:47 PM on March 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

I still give coins to buskers when I've got my headphones on. I usually mute my ipod as I walk past, toss a few coins, and give 'em a nod.
posted by robotot at 10:29 PM on March 30, 2010