Subway Music Vibrations

          I’ve been a subway rider for most of my life and it recently occurred to me that I would never be so intimately familiar with the pan flute or the steel drum if it weren’t for the time I spend underground. Musicians don’t need a permit to perform legally in the subway. All for what seems like a tough gig, challenging, even exotic music to a bunch of frazzled, distracted and occasionally drunk passers-by. So why do it? For the money? The random shot at fame?       

        What you’ll see isn’t just limited to musicians either, with acrobats, break-dancers and poets can also regularly spotted all around the New York Subway system.  If you notice that some of the subway performers are more accomplished than others, that’s because anyone is allowed to busk in New York’s subways stations, if they follow a few simple rules. 

          In order to pump out amplified sound you need an official NYC Street Performing License or Permit, which costs around $45. There’s also no performing allowed on subway cars, and nobody is allowed to sell CD’s or other merchandise.  Spend a few minutes on the subway though and you’ll see every one of these rules being broken, because hey it’s New York. Did you know that jaywalking and unnecessarily honking your car horn in New York are also illegal? Watch as closely as you like, and you’ll never see anyone getting fined for either of those two offenses.