Introduction to tips on busk.co
Busk.co is the fastest and most versatile tipping platform for street performers on the internet. Unlike all of the other options out there:
- our service was specifically designed for street performers
- it works all over the world so touring street performers can use it wherever they go
- we have no set up or annual fees
- and in just a few simple steps you can accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App and credit card tips in the street.
Join thousands of street performers worldwide by signing up today on busk.co, and enter the cashless revolution for free!
Setting up on busk.co is easy
Step 1: Register a free account on busk.co.
Step 2: Link your account to Stripe and/or PayPal
Step 3: Download a sign and display it in the street!
That’s it, it really is that easy.
Tipping you on busk.co is easy
Step 1: Your audience scans your sign.
Step 2: They’re directed to a web page where they can choose a tipping method: Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo or Cash App.
Step 3: They choose how much to tip, and confirm whether they to cover the processing fees.
Step 4: (Optional) They can then give you their email address to stay in touch.
In general, it takes a few seconds for someone to confirm a tip, and a few more seconds for that tip to process. There’s no app needed, and there’s nothing in the way of the tip. It really is just “Zap, tap, and tip”.
Changing the default amount
You know your audience best. So, as you tour the world, you can change the default value of the tip, and even the currency that is displayed, to suit whichever audience you’re in front of. And regardless of which currency people use to tip you, you’ll always receive the tip converted to the currency your bank account is in.
Fees on busk.co![]()
Your audience has two options. They can either pay an extra fee on top of the tip, or they can opt out of that, in which case you will lose 7%.
The good news for you is that roughly 93% of tippers pay the fee. In other words, YOU only lose 7%, on average, on 1 out of every 23 tips. Meaning that on average buskers end up losing only 0.49%. Read more about our fees, including how we worked out how much to charge the tipper.
Countries and Currencies
Our system works in the following currencies:
- $ US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Singaporean and Hong Kong dollars
- € Euros
- £Pound Sterling
- Kr. Swedish, Norwegian and Danish Kroner
- ¥ Japanese Yen
- Fr. Swiss Francs
- zł Polish Zloty
- RM Malaysian Ringgits.
If you have a bank account in one of those currencies, you can sign up on busk.co to receive tips. However, you can get tipped in over a hundred currencies. In other words, these signs work almost everywhere in the world.
Put simply: you can use these signs as you travel!!
Dashboard
See all the tips you’ve received and albums you’ve sold on your dashboard. And if the tipper has chosen to share their email address with you, it’ll show up here. It’s a great way to build a fan base. You can also download all this data as a csv file. Simple!
Tipping URLs
Once you’re set up to receive cashless payments, our site creates three URLs for you. You can pick the URL that works best for each situation. So, you should share:
- busk.co/example to share your online info
- busk.co/example/tip to get tipped (i.e. during a live stream, or in the street)
- busk.co/example/qr to get tipped via QR codes (i.e. you program a QR code with this URL)
It’s a little complicated, but we’ve set it up this way so you can track how people are tipping you in your dashboard.
BuskPay
Confused by all this? Then maybe you should just go over to our shop, at busk.co/buskpay, buy a sign, and let us do all the work.
BuskPay is a line of waterproof, durable, lightweight and beautifully designed signs that help you get cashless payments.
And unlike laminated paper, our signs are made out of a solid foam board, they won’t fold in the wind, and they’re designed to inspire confidence in your audience. In short; they look really professional.
Reports from street performers have been amazing:
“BuskPay is working just bloody great, averaging between 10%-40% of every show. This is huge: it was just money walking away otherwise.”
Joel, Melbourne
“It’s great – I’ve had tap machines and all sorts for collecting payments but the QR code is excellent at getting people to tip. They’re also pretty impressed with the layout of the landing page, as am I. Thanks for doing what you do!”
Colin, Paris
“BuskPay has opened up the world of digital donations for me. It is so well designed and easy to use. I am greatly appreciative!”
Jeff, Vancouver
Premium Accounts
And finally, increase your tips by paying for a PRO or PRO+ account. Premium account holders can pick a URL in their settings, offer extra payment options, access our festival database, and enjoy other exclusive features.
We’ve found that street performers with premium accounts on average get tipped more often than performers who don’t. And at just $6 a month (or $12 for PRO+), it really is worth it to sign up!
Donate to The Busking Project
Your donation keeps us in business, and it supports street art all over the world!