(THE NETHERLANDS) An article at TheCityAtEyeLevel.com in the Netherlands has published an article portraying busking as a viable means of rejuvenating city streets. Some city's methodology include Glasgow, Melbourne, and Singapore."Busking is at risk of being licensed out of existence, with permit systems, auditions, fees, written application processes, equipment bans, scheduling and branding making the spontaneous, surprising art in public spaces a thing of the past."

The article goes on to discuss street performing policy, proposed permit systems, and a starters guide to encouraging busking in your city.

Many buskers prefer to be self-regulated but there are always a few who abuse this type of system. This can lead to public disputes where there is strong disagreement.

For more info,...

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Ocean City, Maryland city council passed a resolution limiting it's boardwalk buskers and street performers to two pitches "so everybody can co-exist a little bit better", said Mayor Rick Meehan. The performers lobbied against the the ordinance which would keep them away from store-fronts and benches.

In a written statement that was evidently read to the council, "If it is the intention of the council to eliminate street performing, then I urge them to pass this new ordinance", said busker Alexander Osborn whose reverse-psychology probably didn't help.

The law was passed unanimously by council members. The boardwalk is a well-known beach hangout and visited by over 2.4 million tourists a year. The performers were successful in making one change, however. They can...

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(from the You've got-to-be-kidding-me Department)
One of the themes of 2009 was that collection societies around the world went nuts trying to charge for anything they possibly could while also trying to increase the rates they could charge. Even banks went wild with their hidden charges.

Remember how one collection society wanted to charge a woman because she put on music in public for her horses? Or how about the woman who worked in a grocery store who was told to stop singing while stocking the shelves or the store would have to pay a performance fee? And, of course, we had ASCAP trying to claim that ringtones were public performances, and mobile operators needed to pay up -- beyond the license fee that was already paid on the recording.

SOCAN, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, has been no exception pushing for drastically increased rates...

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William Jablonski, a regular busker on the Vegas strip, claims he has been harassed by officers who have repeatedly cited him for obstructing the pavement, disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance.


Mr Jablonski, who signs autographs, poses for tourists and once performed for a televised Elvis tribute at the MGM Grand, is taking police to court to prove that impersonating "The King" is a constitutional right.

The street performer claims that he has been wrongfully hounded by officers.

He stopped performing in public after he was cited for obstructing the pavement in 2007.

A year later, having donned his velvet suit again, he was confronted as he sang in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino by a Las Vegas police officer who told him not to have his picture taken with tourists or accept...

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(VENICE BEACH) The Venice Beach boardwalk is known as a happening place. However, the Los Angeles City Council thinks there may be too much going on there.After receiving hundreds of complaints from area residents over the past year, the council has asked city lawyers to draw up some new rules. The new rules could include a ban on musical instruments and amplified sound between sunset and 9 A.M.

The council wants to crack down on street performers that draw big crowds and clog the boardwalk. The council also wants to limit the size and number of demonstrations. Many people consider the boardwalk a free speech zone.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl says it's the first step toward creating a more peaceful environment for boardwalk business owners, residents and thousands of visitors.

abc7.com