DISQUS

Michelle · 10 months ago

Thank you for the detailed answer! I like that you don't want to pit buskers against one another (for the sake of entertaining audiences, like they do in reality TV shows), and I understand the dilema of how to get the general public involved. While I still don't like the idea of a competition, I don't have another idea for getting the general public involved through technology... but -
I would like to suggest that maybe you might want to consult with the 'Saw Lady' - http://www.sawlady.com/blog - though she is in New York City, she is one of the buskers who were on the MSG TV show. Through her blog you can see how connected all the buskers of her city are. Maybe she would have an idea...
And yes, I agree - more publicity for any artist could never be a bad thing.

Steven Wittens · 10 months ago

I think it's unfair to use reality TV as a baseline metric for how competitions work: they are ugly affairs that thrive on controversy and really only serve to generate ad revenue from the viewers. The line-up is usually decided by networks and the presentation of the whole thing is tightly controlled.

A crowd-powered competition however is more participatory, and lets the network effects between different players happen transparently and spontaneously. In reality TV, if you lose, you're quickly pushed off the show, and viewers will be actively encouraged to forget about you. On the web however, it costs virtually nothing to keep all content online indefinitely.

In fact, the kinship between players that Michelle is championing happens naturally in online competitions. I've seen it happen up close myself, both from the inside and outside.

Ashley Webster · 10 months ago

I agree. From what Karen described, this is only superficially similar to American Idol. Perhaps some brainstorming is needed for a new name that does not link it to reality tv but speaks more to public space, interactivity and promotion of street art.