I hope you have a flexible ear, because people will request songs! If you can fake them they will be happy and toss you some change. I busked at a festival for two summers so I’ve got some experience here. I’d reccomend finding some sort of festival that has street musicians so you are more in the “culture” of buskers. Also, if you see a 8 year old playing twinkle twinkle little star on violin, go find somewhere else to busk. The cuteness factor will steal all the money away.
Busking is begging in Nashville because every last kid who can strum a chord on his dimestore guitar, and who can rhyme Moon-June-Spoon, shows up here thinking he/she is the next Garth Brooks, or at least the next grammy-winning songwriter.
999 out of 1000 ain’t got a clue, much less a chance.
I cheerfully admit you are very likely right as to all that. But it still don’t make busking (nor simple begging) illegal. Dudes have rights, no matter how little talent or chances they have of making it. Thus the Nashville poleeeece- even though I would agree they likely have a better ear for music than other cops 
- still can’t “roust” them.
Occasional busker here (guitar, harmonica, vocals).
When I busk alone, I bring a resonator guitar (a very loud, unamplified guitar with the same raspy mechanical loudspeaker that a Dobro uses). I play it with fingerpicks (which give more volume, and protect my fingers).
I also play more slide when I busk.
I tend not to sing much.
My goal when busking: maximum (unelectrified) volume for the longest time, with the least wear and tear on me. I want to be heard by everyone while annoying no one.
I usually play the same 30 minutes or so of material, which allows me to cherrypick (since most street audiences won’t be listening more than a few minutes, and if they are, they must really like what they hear).
Keep in mind, I have a day job, so I do this more for fun than for maximum cash flow.
~~From the Nashville Scene’s annual contest, obviously owned by them.
Heh, heh.
I’ve busked once in my life, on Circular Quay in Sydney, Australia. I was talked into it by some friends. I agreed on the condition that they accompany me and pretend to be enthusiastic listeners.
I had a wonderful time doing it and the passersby threw a bunch of money into my guitar case. I’d been there for about an hour when a lady showed up carrying a tamborine and a disgruntled look. I had apparently poached her spot. I talked her into accompanying me in “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport”, then dumped all the money out of my case into her swagbag, which promptly changed me in her eyes from a pongin’ Yank bahstahd into a right good bloke.
My best tip is to busk somewhere near a place where people have no regard for money - racecourse, casino…you get the idea. I once saw a girl (young,cute,etc) outside the racetrack, at the end of the day, playing a violin… so that it sounded like she was torturing kittens. And she had shitloads of money.
I was at O’Hare airport and once stopped to tip a busker who suddenly interrupted what he was playing to do a few bars of “The Light Cavalry Overture” when someone came running down the corridor, obviously late for his flight.
I also have two CDs I’ve purchased from buskers, one of jazz violin & another of Jamaican music. I don’t remember what they cost, but I think it was in the $10-$15 range.