{"id":17062,"date":"2019-10-13T11:43:03","date_gmt":"2019-10-13T18:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/?p=17062"},"modified":"2022-08-19T12:24:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T19:24:13","slug":"cool-drumming-gigs-street-drumming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/cool-drumming-gigs-street-drumming\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Drumming"},"content":{"rendered":"

The next time you’re walking down the street and hear a cool beat, don’t forget to stop and see who’s playing it.<\/p>\n

Malik Stewart – aka Malik D.O.P.E. – has been performing on the streets of Washington, D.C. and other major cities since 2013. His unique freestyle drumming and dancing has attracted more than just the attention of thousands of bystanders – it’s also brought him international recognition, viral videos, opportunities with major artists, and the chance to use percussion and performing arts to educate and inspire people around the world.<\/p>\n

What does it take to be a street drummer? Malik talks about the perks, the logistics, and that one time his music created a block party that took over a boardwalk.<\/p>\n

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What does an average performance look like?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Depending on how much equipment I have, it can take 7-15 minutes to prepare an average street performance setup. The amount of time I play also depends on the day, weather and location (if it\u2019s busy or not) but it can range from 30 minutes to 10 hours, and yes I have been out for almost a whole day before!<\/p>\n

When people pass by and watch me play, they usually stop in amazement and pull their phones out to record while others may dance or get extremely hype, causing it to look like what I would call \u201cthe block party effect\u201d. It turns into a legit party with drums on top of music people love.<\/p>\n

While most people love my street performance energy, there\u2019s always that 5-15% that don\u2019t like it. I would get complaints about noise so police officers would urge me to turn down my music or turn it off, but most of the cops loved what I did too, so they\u2019d let me keep going sometimes.<\/p>\n

Is it profitable? How do you get the word out?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Street performance is definitely profitable for an up and coming entrepreneur like myself. The money for me has ranged from $20-$1100 in one day. You gotta know how and when to hit the right areas with the most traffic and good spacing for people to really crowd around the show. Another plus to street performing is that the traffic of your audience is always changing and growing which gives all types of people, from locals to tourists, a chance to enjoy the show. Just think about it! There are thousands of different people who pass by me daily, which is sometimes more than a one-time crowd I\u2019d get from performing in an inside venue. A street performer has more of a higher chance of crowd engagement than your average inside venue performer.<\/p>\n

Another good way I marketed my street shows was by buying a blank white poster board and writing my social media and booking email information in big black bold bubble letters so people could easily see it, follow me and\/or book me for gigs, which all happened numerous times. I was so consistent with this method, I ended up going viral several times (being in the right place at the right time), gaining a solid fan base and recognition, and even inspiring others to do the same.<\/p>\n

How do you prepare for each performance?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

My setup varies, but it mostly consists of:<\/p>\n