Resources

Additional information on musicians, street performance, licensing requirements and “Sweet Home Chicago.”

Street Musician Resources

Articles Related To Street Music And Performance

Cecile Vannucci: In Between Trains (Spring 2010)

Time Out Chicago: Subterranean idols (May 2010)

Chicago Street Musicians Survey Results on Wordle (April 2010)

The Columbia Chronicle: Celebrating Street Jams (Mar 2010)

Northwestern | Medill Reports Chicago: High unemployment brings music to the subway (Feb 2010)

Gapers Block: The Tunnel Musicians of Chicago (Jan 2010)

NPR: NPR story on the Soloist (Apr 2009)

Jamie Foxx Portrays Street Musician Nathaniel Ayers in the Soloist

The Columbia Chronicle: Public performers struggle through hard times (Sep 2009)

New Orleans Magazine: Street Musicians (Dec 2008)

Washington Post: Violin Virtuoso Joshua Bell’s Experiment In The DC Metro (Apr 2007)

Boston Globe: Boston Street Musician Gallery (May 2005)

Blogcritics.org: Street Performers Are The Colorful Noise Of Chicago

Encyclopedia of Chicago: Street Musicians

Licensing In Chicago

City of Chicago Street Performer License Information
To obtain a license to perform in designated Chicago CTA stations, contact the CTA at (312) 836-7000 or stop by the desk on the second floor of their offices at 567 West Lake Street.

How to Become a Street Musician in Chicago