(NEW ORLEANS) Celebrating 300 years in the making, New Orleans is currently busy with Mardi Gras, Jazz, and the French Quarter festivals. A visit by Busker Central reporters for a month reveals some interesting developments along with a deep history.Bourbon street in "da qwada" is traditionally known for it's late-night activities, bars, drunks, fights, and arrests. It's still a wild place but not too suitable for busking. Jackson Square mall is known for it's daytime bands, painters, and psychic readers. Now, one block off Bourbon, Royal street is really nice and becoming popular for buskers both day and night. Among the historic quaint shops, several jazz bands and others buskers have sprung up. And who can blame them? It's probably the best single street that embodies the French Quarter at it's best....

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It's survival of the fittest as some resort to dirty tactics in face of stiffer competition.

Outwit, outplay, outlast.
That motto from TV reality series Survivor also holds true for the buskers in Orchard Road.

The current economic downturn is certainly not music to their ears as they have seen takings drop in recent months.

If that's not enough of a worry, they also have to fend off competition from both legitimate and illegal buskers.

But more of that later. For now, the downturn is a more worrisome test of survivor skills.

Take the case of Mr Donald Wee, 51, who strums the guitar near Shaw House.

'More people are donating coins instead of $5 or $10 notes,' he lamented.

He used to earn about $100 in two hours but can net only $40 now. The former security guard went into busking four years ago when he could not find another job after he was arrested for fighting....

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Whether you're a beginner or seasoned pro, there's always room for improvement when it comes to busking. Amazon has started carrying interesting books written by and for buskers for the worldwide busking community. Both fiction and non-fiction are covered in 6 amazing pages.Topics include making cash doing what you love, various how-to guides, essays about street performing, stepping out into the streets for the first time, enjoying public life, balloon busking, busking beyond borders, busking as a mercenary art, notes from London's underground, fire breathing, a busking bible, European street musicians, surviving half alive, songs sang on Bleecker street and other popular venues - all sharing tips, secrets and dreamy wishes from the pros. There's even a music book for a guide to busking....

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(ENGLAND) Robert Stredder has been a rootin'-tootin' gunslinger, clown, mime, plate-spinner, fire juggler, and several other characters making him Swindon, England's most popular busker.It's hard to believe he went to law school at Birmingham University to fulfill his father's wishes of becoming a lawyer. Then, a fateful day in 1963 led him down a totally different path in life. He's now been performing for almost 50 years.

At 71, Robert is without signs of slowing down. He now mostly focuses on fund-raisers for charities and organizing bicycle rides. He's rather old to be playing with fire but, as it turns out, that's what he likes doing best.

Rob fought the law and he actually won. There's now one less lawyer around these days. Be thankful for small favors.

According to Swindon Advertiser's reporter Barry Leighton,...

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Creating large floating soap bubbles has been a passtime of mine for many years. I call it "fleeting art" and I let anyone that wants to try it to give it a go. After all the years of doing it and people always asking where my tip jar was, I started putting out a fish bowl for people to donate to help pay for the bubble mix. The City of Monrovia, Ca recreation department and the Monrovia PD have now informed me that I am panhandling/soliciting. I have not been cited yet but have been shut down 2 times. If you have any ideas or suggestions they will be greatly appreciated. I will keep my fellow buskers informed on what progresses in the future. Keep entertaining and making people smile.