Barcelona bound...from New York City

[RoebuckBanjo]

I'm moving with my wife and 1 year old son to Barcelona, Spain in December.
I've been doing the subway/street circuit here in New York since 1994...playing a one-man-band setup with banjo and drums.
My biggest concern is cd sales. That's a large chunk of my income. Is it legal to sell cd's on the street in Barcelona?
And are there some good pitches other than La Rambla? Can you perform in the subway?
Any help would be great.
Also, if anyone wants insight on the New York scene, I'll be glad to give it.
thanks.

[Chance]

Selling CD's will not be your problem. I am 99% sure that no permit will be required in Barcelona.

But the weather in December will be cold, wet and rainy, just like in NYC or Philly, just maybe a little warmer. But still not great for outdoor busking.

The money there now, the Peseta, is among the weakest in Europe. The Peseta is the main reason I do not live in Spain myself, even though I love it and have many friends from there.

On the good side is the change happening on Jan 1st, when over a dozen countries switch over to the Euro. BUT, they are given over two months to make the switch complete, and there is a worry that the locals will be hoarding their cash until the very last minute, making the months of Jan and Feb very slim pickings for the likes of us. No way of telling this in advance, but every European busker I have spoken with in the past year has voiced this concern.

And finally the Barcelona subways are not open to busking as far as I know. I have never seen it done there. Doesn't mean that you couldn't get away with it for an hour or two from time to time, but I definitely would NOT recommend to anyone that they come over with the intention of making their income there.

Since you are already entrenched in the NY scene, with an income and an apartment, etc., my recommendation would be to wait for both the weather and the Euro to clear up before moving over permanently. Like maybe April when the festival season begins.

If you would like to know more, feel free to send a private email. Good luck.

[mnozzolio]

Best of luck to you and your family in Spain. I'm interested in your offer to comment in the NY scene. Have you had any hassles from police in the subways or parks. Have you done Times Square?
Any advice would be appreciated.

[RoebuckBanjo]

I've done Times Square (on the street) a handful of times. I don't like it much, it's a bit to hectic for my taste. But the Times Square subway station I like. That's part of my regular circuit. There are plenty of spots there...the N & R line is very good, the long tunnel to the A,C,E is nice too, there's only one spot (the main area across from the Shuttle train to Grand Central) where you have to have a permit.
As far as the cops go, I got a ticket ONCE in the subway for selling cd's, but I've never been hastled for just playing. I've been asked to stop playing on the street once because of the noise.
The parks...I've never had a problem in Central Park playing or selling cd's, but at Union Square I've been asked to leave several times. But if you have the right setup (no amps or drums) then the farmer's market at Union Square is great...Wednesday, Friday & Saturday.
Good Luck!

[theballoonman]

hey there
well...the best pitches fer ya will be the ramblas....and parelell to that runs port o angel(er sumthin like that)its sorta the main high end shopping street....selling cds shouldnt be a problem...i had some friends playing dulcimer who did quite well with it.what i saw with musicians that seemed to work best.... was to develop a circuit... where you play the terraces on the "blas" then work a circuit thru barri gothic( the terracces in restaurants in the downtown core ) then do port o angel....also parc guell had a nice setup where i saw a coupla andean bands(god theyre everywhere)workin under gaudi's tiled terrace. i saw some people working on the subway...but they'd get on a train...play for a stop or 2 then hat...then move to the next car....also an interesting pitch i saw was the church (sagrada famillia) really famous gaudi church still under construction,big tourist trap nice pitch across street....licensing shouldnt be a problem and since everyone seems to be vending something a i cant see any hassles fer cds...any questions....email me
mike
theballoonman