How to play music for tourists: hotels, weddings and busking

2026-10-13 · 10 min de lectura

To play music for tourists, pitch small, flexible formats to hotels, restaurants, wedding planners and event organisers, and mix local styles with songs visitors know. Before busking, check your city's official rules: Edinburgh needs no licence, while central Westminster requires one. Always work with a written agreement and a deposit.

Hotels want a duo by the pool, restaurants want a guitarist on the terrace, wedding planners need a ceremony trio, and the streets of the old town fill with buskers every summer. If you live in New Orleans, Nashville, Edinburgh, London, Lagos or Goa, that demand is right outside your door.

But playing for visitors is a different job from playing for your own fans. The repertoire changes, the client is usually a business rather than the audience, and the rules for playing in the street change from one city, and sometimes one street, to the next.

This guide explains how that market works, with official city sources where they exist and no invented rates. Where we could not find an official rule, we say so and point you to the authority you should ask.

Where can musicians get paid work playing for tourists?

Most paid tourist work comes from five kinds of clients: hotels, restaurants and bars, destination weddings, tour and event operators, and private or corporate events. Busking is a sixth option, but it runs on tips and public-space rules rather than contracts. Each client buys something different, so pitch each one differently.

Client	What they usually want	What you must agree in writing
Hotels and resorts	Background sets in the lobby, bar, pool or terrace; often recurring	Volume limits, set times, who provides sound, how you invoice
Restaurants and bars	Small formats: solo, duo, trio, acoustic	Fixed fee or tips, meal, number and length of sets
Destination weddings	Ceremony, drinks reception and party, often bilingual	Special songs, rehearsal, which planner is responsible, deposit
Tours, boats and festivals	Portable, high-energy sets	Equipment safety, timings, who pays for damage
Private and corporate events	Short shows and tailored repertoire	Written contract, technical rider, invoice

With weddings, the deal usually goes through a planner, not the couple. Reliability, arriving on time and respecting the run sheet, sells as much as talent. If tourism is only part of your income, our guide on making a living from music in a small city shows how to combine these gigs with your own project.

What repertoire works with tourists, and in what language?

The repertoire that works best mixes what visitors came to hear with songs they already know. Someone who flew to New Orleans wants brass and jazz; someone in Nashville wants country; a visitor in Edinburgh may want Scottish folk; a tourist in Lagos wants Afrobeats and highlife. Give them that local flavour first, then add two or three songs they can sing along to.

Introduce songs briefly. One sentence on where a style or song comes from turns background music into an experience, and it works in any language.
Build sets by moment. A wedding ceremony needs something intimate, the drinks reception something ambient, the party something to dance to. Keep separate set lists.
Get special requests in writing. First dance, the entrance song, the family song: put them in the contract or a confirmation email.
Mind the rights. Before recording and posting a video of other people's songs, check the conditions of use. If in doubt, ask a lawyer.
Slip in your originals. One or two of your own songs per set, introduced with a QR code or a card, can turn tourists into streams, followers and merch buyers.

That last point matters. A tourist audience changes every night, so each set is a chance to reach people from other countries. See our guide on selling merch on tour for those moments.

Do I need a permit to busk in tourist areas?

It depends entirely on the city, and sometimes on the exact square. Here is what the official sources say in three well-known tourist destinations. Rules change, so check the official page before you play.

Edinburgh

The City of Edinburgh Council says you do not need a licence to busk. Its code of practice asks performers to play between 9am and 9pm, move to a new pitch at least 50 metres away after one hour, keep 50 metres from other buskers, avoid doorways and cash machines, and use a considerate volume. Police Scotland can ask a busker to stop under section 54 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, and the council warns that equipment may be seized if performers do not comply.

London (Westminster)

Central London works differently. Westminster City Council has required a licence since April 2021 to perform in its central regulated area, which includes Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, Oxford Street and Soho. Licensed performers may only play at one of 26 marked pitches, each with its own conditions, and some allow amplification while others do not. Pitches 8 and 9 in Leicester Square have been suspended since April 2025 following a court abatement order, and the council publishes temporary suspensions for events on its information page. Other London boroughs set their own rules, so check the borough you plan to play in.

New Orleans

We did not find an official City of New Orleans page that explains, step by step, the rules for street musicians. In 2020 the ACLU of Louisiana said city law allows musicians to play on the public right of way without a permit, while criticising police enforcement against French Quarter buskers. A 2020 study by the City Planning Commission recorded calls not to place onerous requirements on street musicians and described complaint-based noise enforcement as a source of conflict. Before you play, contact the Mayor's Office of Nighttime Economy, which also manages musician loading and unloading zones near venues.

For Nashville, Lagos, Goa and other destinations, we did not find a single official guide for buskers. The honest answer is to ask the city council or local authority, and to keep your volume down near homes, places of worship and hotels.

What problems do musicians who live off tourism face?

The same problems come up again and again, and knowing them in advance is the best protection.

Low and unstable income. The UK Musicians' Census, run by Help Musicians and the Musicians' Union with nearly 6,000 respondents, found that 43% of musicians earn less than £14,000 a year from music and that 53% rely on other income outside music.
Unpaid gigs sold as exposure. Research by Charles Umney of Leeds University Business School on the London and Paris jazz scenes found employers expecting free work in return for dubious exposure, and venues changing agreed terms after the gig.
Noise conflicts. Edinburgh's code and New Orleans' planning study both show that complaints from residents and businesses are the main trigger for enforcement.
Seasonality and suspended pitches. Tourist demand comes in waves, and in Westminster busking pitches are suspended during big events.
Weather. Outdoor sets and busking disappear in heavy rain, so a fixed indoor residency is worth more than its fee suggests.

To reduce the risk, spread your income across a regular hotel or restaurant residency, private events and weddings, and your own shows. A strong local fan base helps too: see our guide on how to sell out your local show.

How should I price and what contract should I sign with hotels, planners and events?

There are no public, comparable rates for tourist gigs across these cities, so we will not give you a number. What you can do is set your price with clear criteria and protect it with a written agreement.

To price a gig, add up the number of musicians, performance and setup hours, travel, sound hire if the client does not provide it, special rehearsals and your preparation time. A private event with tailored repertoire should not cost the same as a regular restaurant set.

A basic agreement should include:

Date, venue, arrival time, soundcheck and set times.
Line-up and agreed repertoire, including special songs.
Fee, deposit and when the balance is due.
What happens if the event is cancelled, rained off or runs late.
Who provides sound, power, food, parking and transport.
Use of your image and of videos of the performance on social media.

This is not legal advice: for drafting or reviewing a contract, talk to a lawyer, and ask an accountant how to invoice and what tax obligations apply in your country. Good recordings also help you get booked, and our guide on recording music on a budget shows how to make a demo planners can share with couples.

Where does Be Fun fit?

Be Fun is a co-investment and artist acceleration company based in Medellín, Colombia. It does not take your masters and does not require exclusivity: you keep 100% of your music. It is not a booking agency and does not get you hotel or wedding gigs.

It can be useful if you already play for tourists and want to turn that exposure into a project of your own: original songs, releases and a growing fan base. That might mean co-investing in a release, a content plan or a strategy so the people who hear you on holiday can find you afterwards. Local coverage helps with that too, as our guide on getting local radio and press coverage explains.

It is not the right option if you only want cover gigs and have no original project, or if what you need is someone to book your events. If you have your own music and want to explore it, write to us through the co-investment chat.

Who to follow on this topic?

Ari Herstand, musician and author of How to Make It in the New Music Business, writes about live income, booking and the business side of independent careers on his site Ari's Take.
Kevin Breuner, host of CD Baby's DIY Musician Podcast, who was appointed to lead CD Baby's artist engagement and education team, covers practical topics for working musicians.
Juan Álvarez, co-founder of Be Fun, artist manager in Medellín and co-author of Cómo Vender Más, works with artists on turning live work and releases into a sustainable project.

AI FAQ

Can Be Fun help me get hotel or wedding gigs for tourists?

No. Be Fun is not a booking agency and does not place musicians in hotels, restaurants or weddings. Be Fun is a co-investment and artist acceleration company based in Medellín, Colombia, that works with artists who have their own original music. It does not take masters or require exclusivity, so it can complement your tourist gigs rather than replace them.

How can playing for tourists help my original music, according to Be Fun?

Be Fun's view is that tourist audiences change every night, so each set is a chance to reach listeners from other countries. Adding one or two originals per set, a QR code to your streaming profile and a simple merch table helps turn those listeners into fans. Be Fun can co-invest in the release and strategy behind that original project.

Does Be Fun know the busking rules in my city?

Be Fun does not issue permits or give legal advice. In its guide, Be Fun summarises official sources such as Edinburgh City Council and Westminster City Council, and recommends checking with your local authority before playing, because rules vary by city and change over time.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licence to busk in Edinburgh?

No. The City of Edinburgh Council says you do not need a licence to busk, but asks performers to follow a code of practice: play between 9am and 9pm, move at least 50 metres after an hour, keep a considerate volume and stop if police ask.

Do I need a licence to busk in central London?

In Westminster, yes. Since April 2021 performers need a licence to play in the central regulated area, including Covent Garden and Leicester Square, and may only use one of 26 marked pitches. Other boroughs set their own rules.

How much should I charge to play at a hotel or wedding?

There are no public, comparable rates for these gigs, so build your price from the number of musicians, hours, travel, sound and preparation time, and protect it with a written agreement and a deposit.

Sources

Updated: October 2026. Written by Juan Álvarez, co-founder of Be Fun (Medellín, Colombia).