IJCM Conversations
The IJCM Conversations Series Podcast is a collaboration between the International Journal of Community Music and the Community Music Learning Youtube Channel. This podcast series is hosted by Alicia de Bánffy-Hall and Roger Mantie. In the series, we interview authors and editors of the International Journal of Community Music about individual issues or articles they wrote or edited for the journal. Our goal is to make the journal’s ideas more accessible.
IJCM Conversations
8 - Busking with Meg Elkins and Paul Watt
In this conversation, Meg Elkins, Paul Watt and Alicia de Bánffy-Hall discuss the special issue on busking published in 2023. Meg and Paul share how they got interested in the topic of busking, and talk about its history and evolution. They highlight the role of buskers in a community and the strategies buskers use to engage the audience. The conversation explores the role of busking in creating a sense of space, excitement, and occasion. It discusses how buskers contribute to the cultural experience of tourists and how busking can also be a form of political expression. The conversation highlights the importance of community and the connections between buskers around the world. They conclude the conversation by discussing the motivation behind the special issue and its main takeaways, including the importance of community, commodification, and the inclusion of buskers' perspectives.
Our guests:
Dr. Meg Elkins is a senior lecturer in economics at the school of Economics, Finance, and Marketing at RMIT University (Australia). Her research with buskers seeks to understand how new technologies can be used to help artists create more sustainable livelihoods.
Prof. Paul Watt is adjunct professor of musicology in the Elder Conservatorium of Music, The University of Adelaide and director of research at the Busking Project, Berlin, which is a non-profit organization that promotes busking and street performance around the world.
More information about the International Journal of Community Music:
https://www.intellectbooks.com/international-journal-of-community-music
Take a look at the Special Issue on Busking in the IJCM here:
https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/ijcm/16/2?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork
This podcast series is hosted by Alicia de Bánffy-Hall and Roger Mantie and produced by Laurie Hall.