Street performers polish their music on Yingge's Old Street

This article was written by Alexander Chou and published by the Taiwan Journal on March 16, 2007. It features a new attraction in Taipei County's Yingge Township -- street performers. While ceramics is still Yingge's most famous mainstay, its street performers are slowly gaining more prominence.

Performing on a street non-step for five or six hours a day is not an easy way to make a living. While people may or many not contribute money, weather is another major factor that decides how many potential listeners will appear. Nonetheless, according to this article, street music can sometimes generate decent money. For example, during the Lunar New Year, a street performer can sell more than 100 CDs and make at least US$330 each day.

Some street musicians point out that the emergence of MP3 players and the Internet has almost crushed the music industry. Just about 10 years ago, any album carrying a couple of hits could have easily sold 300,000 to 500,000 copies, and songwriters can easily live on royalties. However, today, one will be blessed if one can sell 30,000 CDs without having radio or TV shows promoting one's songs. Musicians simply can no longer survive on royalties alone.

By performing on streets, musicians can get in touch with a real crowd with their own music. They can also keep more of the profits from sales of CDs. While street musicians cannot expect as much applause and cheering, compared to a concert, they do get immediate feedback. This article features two musicians who perform on Yingge's famous Old Street. Their have this advice for their fellow musicians: "An artist can never rest easy and get complacent. Otherwise, he might lose the ability to create."