Today I’m really excited to share an interview I did with one of the members of my cast, Cat Greenfield – busker, model and puppeteer extraordinaire (cough, cough, hire her, cough, cough). We were hanging out the other day and she mentioned that she busks in NYC and immediately my personal finance wheels started spinning and I wanted to know more about the logistics of being a busker and how much money she actually manages to make. Fortunately, Cat was more than willing to spill the details of life as a part-time busker in NYC for all my readers.

How did you start busking?

I started by playing outside of my high school before the busses would get there or in the hallways between classes and people would throw a quarter at me. I’d play in college with the hippies and people threw more money at me.

When I got to NYC it made sense to me to play outside, but people were mean. It turns out the subway has good acoustics and other musicians. It was warmer there too.

Do you need any sort of special permit to busk?

Yes and no. The rules are a little funny. To be amplified you need a permit. To play on a mezzanine, to play in Times Square, technically you don’t, but the police want you to have one. You can get permits from MUNY (Music Under New York). They audition once a year and I happen to never be in NY that time of year, so I haven’t been able to audition. They only give out a certain number of permits per year and if you get one, they also give out a banner with your name that you can display while busking. You do not need a permit to play unplugged on the platform, but it is completely illegal to play on the train.

The MUNY permit gives you the right to guaranteed hours at specific locations. I’ve been told by the police that it’s because of “known terrorist targets”, which I say with an emphasis on the quotes. They want to be able to keep tabs on who is playing where because the police claim you can put anything in your guitar case.

When the police stop me and tell me I can’t play somewhere, I ask where can I play then? So I play where they tell me I can go, and if another officer asks me to leave, I just name drop.

On an average day, how much can you make busking?

It depends on a number of factors: the day, the time of day, the weather and where you are. Depending on where you are, it depends on how you dress. If I were playing Brooklyn, the quirkier you are, the more money you’ll make. If you play in a rich area and dress conservatively and not too wealthily, you’re more likely to get good tips.

It’s not really manipulative, it’s about making your customer comfortable. You have to remember it’s their day that you’re interrupting. I’ve made anywhere from $5 in two hours to $75 in two and a half hours. The most I ever made was a toss up between two places – one time I made $78 in two and a half hours and another place more recently, I made $75 in two hours.

I’m not amplified. It’s just me and my guitar. I may get a really shitty location and make only $15 and that’s my life and that’s what I feed myself with.

How do you pick your locations?

I have a couple of go-to’s because I’ve found my best customers and I’ve found the best spots for my voice. Certain platforms have better acoustics for my voice underground. I also look for places less frequented by people who play what I play.

At first, I just guessed. I looked for the least number of cops to annoy. A lot of them seem to like busking – they smile or tip their hat, but if they’ve been cracked down on, then they crack down.

I also try to judge, is it too close to a loud train, because my voice can’t carry over a train. Will it be really heavy traffic? Most people want to play where there’s a lot of traffic, but I don’t. I like average to low traffic, because I’m not exciting and loud. They have to hear what I sound like to tip me. I look for spots where they have a long walk, they’re not rushing and likely to be in a good mood.

I played the corridor between at 14^th between the L and the 2 and it was great until a new busker arrived and started playing for unreasonable amounts of time. He would verbally harass you until you left, despite the fact that he also does not have a permit.

As a busker, you need to be able to stand your ground and stick to your spot.

Have you ever gone weeks or months where all of your income came from busking?

Not all, I do a lot of other freelance stuff. I model and do other things. When I’m in New York, I don’t have a day job. I come in to audition for six months out of the year and pay my bills with my savings and modeling money. But if I don’t get a modeling job for a month, I’m eating what I’ve earned in the subway. Every penny someone gives me is literally feeding me and helping me get to the next audition. I am legitimately so thankful every time anyone gives me any money. Literally everything you give is going to me and my next meal… or some strings for my guitar.

I do pretty well. I roll a lot of quarters. I’m never at a loss for laundry money. I could knock someone out with the bag of pennies I keep on me. It’s very soothing to roll pennies.

Have you gotten other jobs through busking?

I got a job working a funeral through busking. While there, I got a job playing for a co-op in Queens. I’ve met some photographers that I’ve done modeling gigs with while busking and I very frequently meet other actors. But most of the time you meet people who say they are producers, want to take you out for coffee but really just want to get in your pants. So I took my phone number off my card. I also taught a guitar lesson once from busking.

P.S. If you take a photo of a busker, give them a quarter. I love people taking pictures, but come on, you stopped. You have a penny. You really do.

If you’re interested in busking, check out BuskNY, a group of really terrific people who help out buskers with the legalities of busking in NYC.