Buskers are laying down some new tracks in the subway.
The MTA yesterday announced the winning 23 musicians in its “subway idol” competition, awarding selected acts with the most coveted spots in the transit system – places where they’ll perform under an official banner.
Several of the artists proved it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll.
Jesse Selengut, of the New Orleans-style jazz ensemble Tin Pan, received a $25 ticket for excessive noise while playing in the subway just a day before the MTA made him one of the 23 chosen acts for its Music Under New York program.
“Ninety-nine times out of 100, [the police] just say, ‘We can’t hear our radios. Could you please turn it down,’ and we turn it down,” he said.
“I guess we’ve got the banner now,” Selengut added, hoping it would be his pass to perform hassle-free.
Acoustic R&B crooner Gibran Soul, 32, had even worse luck.
He was laid off from his job at a youth hostel just a month before he tried out for a spot on the MTA’s roster of 100 official performers on May 1.
“This is a step in the right direction,” he said of his fortunes, after playing three songs on the platform of the 42nd Street Shuttle under Grand Central Terminal yesterday. “I have the banner, and this is a place I can go play where lots of people are and every demographic is represented.”
Anyone is allowed to play in the subways as long as they follow the MTA’s rules. But the agency maintains a roster of artists to play at some of its most high-profile locales, such as Times Square, Union Square and Grand Central, where performers can earn hundreds of dollars in an afternoon.
The buskers play under the official “Music Under New York” banner on a schedule arranged with the MTA.
Two weeks ago, a panel of judges heard 55 acts try out for a spot on the roll of artists.
“It’s always exciting to see the talent that comes,” said Lydia Bradshaw, manager of the program. “This was a great pool of talent.”
A few past performers have won recording contracts and caught the eyes of celebrity straphangers.
“Street performing or playing in the subway is entertainment Darwinism at its best,” said cellist and judge Sean Grissom. “We give you the opportunity, but you have to find a way to make it work for you. Every improvement in my act was reflected in the hat.”
Three of the acts – Soul, Tin Pan and a Latin fusion group, Movimiento – played their inaugural sets in the program yesterday.
“The best thing is there’s no Simon Cowell, just people who like you or they don’t,” Soul said of playing on the platform. “Every time someone gives you a dollar, it’s either because they’re really nice or because they like what you do.”