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Anecdotal evidence suggests that transit police have been cracking down on musicians and other performers busking in the subway system—even though the MTA's own rules permit low-volume performance under certain conditions. A number of musicians and a busker advocacy group tell amNY that "police harassment has grown to disturbing levels in recent months."
An NYPD spokesman claims they're not "going after" musicians, but some performers believe the NYPD issued a memo last year that instructed officers to ticket any artist not affiliated with Music Under New York, which provides designated subways spots for 100 participating artists. (The highly-coveted MUNY permits are allocated during a competitive yearly audition at Grand Central Terminal.) Ron Wingate, 43, a guitarist who has performed in the subways for eight years, says, "It’s a blitz. I’ve been written up in so many ways."
Steve Zeitlin, the executive director of City Lore, surveyed subway performers and found that "even Kora players and mimes complained of being harassed. It’s a matter of confusing street performers with other quality-of-life enhancements." Depending on the situation, tickets cost between $25 and $100, but are routinely dismissed. Often, transit police simply order the performer to stop without issuing a ticket, but even if there's no a fine, there's still a chilling effect on both subway performers' meager livelihood, and the city's vibrant character.
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I enjoy the guys who come on the A train and do a little drum circle with congas. i only see them during the evening rush, and they're not that obtrusive. but let me be the first to say that if losing them is the tradeoff for never having to hear a fucking mariachi band at 9:30 in the morning again, or get out of the way of some kids doing a goddamn 2-man summer roll through a car to the sounds of michael Jackson's "don't stop 'til you get enough," then so be it.
and while they're at it, how about cracking down on the loudmouth, nuisance assholes who beg for money on the subway for their fake charities, especially the worst offender of them all, "Chris" the enormous bald bespectacled "reformed crackhead" who terrorizes the downtown A Train like clockwork every morning with a duffel bag full of food, a pringles can for donations, and a bible in his hand?
If you've ever heard this line- "I gave my best to crack, now i give my best to Christ"- then you've heard Chris.
I'd loooooooove for him to resist arrest somewhere where there are no security cameras or tourists.
It's a waste to legislate away something that is merely annoying. I can think of a thousand things more important to use police resources on.
if by more important things, you mean rounding up filthy homeless people whose smell makes it impossible to sit within 15 feet of them, or piss themselves in the middle of a crowded car (saw a woman pull that stunt about a month ago) then yes, i'm all for that too. However, it seems like the cops have a pretty good handle on preventing terrorist incidents, and there isn't as much petty crime as their was 10 or 15 years ago. So in fact, enforcing quality of life laws seems like a pretty damn good use of the time of transit police.
So, you think the purpose of transit police is to prevent you from ever having to smell homeless people? Yeah, that's a great use of their time.
Well you gotta give MTA workers SOMETHING to do. standing in groups of 3 or 4 on a platform all day "patrolling" is making anything better on these trains.
Tell 'em why you mad son!
I wish there were more (unobtrusive) performers on the trains. Sometimes the performers in the stations get kind of annoying, but it's always fun when a mariachi band or someone with a spray-painted violin jumps on and serenades us for one stop. It's a hell of a lot more interesting then the guys who get on a beg without showing any interesting talent.
When they play in the trains it offends me. It's the only quiet place in all of the city where cell phones aren't active. The musicians on the mezzanines and the platforms kick ass. Heth & Jed are the best performers in the subway. Two brothers with a ton of rock n' roll talent.
"City's vibrant character"??? Really??? It's annoying as hell when you're just trying to get home after a long day, you have your headphones on and you're just trying to relax when out of nowhere, a talentless jackass with a saxophone or one of the many other sonic terrorists start their attack.
Playing it in the station, that's one thing. People can walk away and some of those people have talent. It can be really pretty great. But once it's taken on the train, a closed space where people are huddled together, then it becomes an affront and it's completely rude.
Here's an idea. If you had talent, people would come to you to listen and you wouldn't have to trap them in the one public place where they can't escape you.
The city's vibrant character is not dependent on talentless bums begging for money on the subway. Trust me on that.
There used to be 2 guys that got on the 2 train on Wall St at around 3:00 pm. They were annoying as FUCK with their drums, and when someone asked them to stop playing, which occurred every single day they used to mutter profanities to that person. This went on for some time until a cop stopped them on Park Place, have never seen them since.
The true city phenomenon of kids playing 'drums' on turned over buckets and doo-woppers are OK. Break dancers and the like are part of the vibrant city I wanted to move to years ago. I often love hearing a sax solo in the wee hours and a talented violist working on the platforms. But the mariachi bands are not part of the city character any more than the Peruvian pan flute guys in Union Square are. They're an international phenomenon of busking in densely populated areas and I agree that they are terribly annoying on the subway cars. Mariachis are the new squeegee men in my book.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm sorry to bother you.
My name is Carleen Wilson.
I am a widow with three children. My husband left me, and left me with no money to feed my children.
I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs.
Please help me, anything at all. Thank you and God Bless. Thank you and have a safe trip. God Bless. Thank you.
"If you're truly sorry about bothering me, then don't."
I stopped feeling sorry for Carleen the day that she was sitting on the bench by the Uptown 4,5, & 6 train staircase, eating an orange and threw the peels from that orange on the ground instead of putting them in the garbage can.
I have more of a concern with security, terrorism than I do "subway performers". As already said, surely they authorities have bigger problems than this???
They are not supposed to play on the trains, ever. I assume that's not what the story is about but rather them getting busted in the stations?
I feel like I've seen MORE performers recently.
How can the mimes complain? With big exaggerated sad faces and slumped shoulders?
Crack down on the Mariachi Brothers in the subway cars and leave the photographers alone.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Yes I agree. The Mariachi Ban is thumbs down. So are the the hip-hop acrobats.
The mariachi folks (and there are at least a couple of groups of them) are always my favorite in-train performers.
Also saw these two dudes once...one of whom played the fiddle while the other played flamenco guitar. Only saw them once, but they were the best group I've ever heard on the train.
And in the Union Square station, I saw a great band called Break of Reality...three classically trained cellists and a drummer, who play heavy metal-influenced cello music. It was so good that I stayed and watched them for an hour. They even played a Metallica song.
Sunshine 24/7 is right! for the love of god stay off the train, especially drummers & acrobats.
heth & jed, break of reality & nicola are all awesome, but they are all part of muny, this article is about other musicians.
I was on a 6 train when a group of musicians came out of another car and started playing. There was a base drum of some sort and the boom it created caused an older lady on the train to start screaming. She couldn't stand the constant pounding and became hysterical. The guys in the group stopped playing and the woman calmed down, and the band headed for the next car. They went hats in hand and probably earned more for not playing than did if they had finished their short concert.
I'll take mariachi over plastic buckets any day.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the guy who dragged an actual piano onto the Union Square platforms!
I enjoy the live performers but not on the trains when i'm trying to mellow out. Drums will give any headaches if you're in small confined spaces! I think we can all agree on that?
It's New York subway, friends. Some call it culture. Some call it annoying. Comes with the price of admission.
Perhaps the city should put a disclaimer on the entrance to the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels:
Warning - some shit in NYC might annoy you. Be prepared to fucking deal with it.
I am a traveling professional singer. I have been on major television, major tours, had hit records and played in some of the richest places in the world. I moved to NY because of the movies I had seen about the culture and vibe of the city. It was always a dream to play in the subway just to know the feeling. But to my surprise, not only was it fun and exciting....I encountered some real emotional tear jerking experiences! How many time have people come to me and said I made their day with a particular song, made them feel better, asked me where I had been for so long!! Missed the train for over an hour just to stay and listen! I've had homeless people give me their lotion cause they had nothing else, I've given homeless people from my tips cause I was blessed with! As well as at times, when things were tight and I was able to help my friends and family with the extra money! I had one day when I had an audience of 8 police officers, who gave me a standing ovation, tips and wanted to hire me for an engagement party! This is what I brag about to my friends back home when they ask my why I stay in such a dirty, overcrowded, stressful city where the living is sub par by many other "normal" citys' standards.....and now they wanna spoil one of the few unique things that make NY NY! Next thing you know they are gonna move the statue of Liberty to LA! daaam!
It's not that dirty. Sheesh! For such a big city, I think we're pretty clean. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say there are more than a few unique things that make New York New York :)
Who wants noise after a hard day at the office?